LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Do you have a minute? Do you have a few of them? Pull up a chair. It’s going to take just a bit to talk about what went wrong for Louisville in Saturday’s 31-24 loss at Notre Dame.

I’m all for giving the winning team credit. And Louisville coach Jeff Brohm certainly did that after the Fighting Irish improved to 4-1 with their win Saturday. But Louisville made some elementary errors to help the Irish to a 21-7 first quarter lead, and failed to capitalize on chances late.

“Well, it wasn't a clean day for us, and unfortunately that's not good enough to win when you go on the road, especially at Notre Dame,” Brohm said. “So, I give Notre Dame credit. They came ready to play, made enough plays to win the football game. We had some critical mistakes in key situations that hurt us, and then some turnovers that hurt us. So as coaches, we’ve got to be better, got to put our players in a little better position to succeed, and make sure that those things don't happen again.”

A few of the biggest offenders on a list that is far from exhaustive:

1). TYLER SHOUGH’S FIRST QUARTER FUMBLE.

Shough actually had a good day passing, and this play might wind up being his longest scrimmage run of the season. It was a beautiful play call from Brohm that sprung Shough into wide open spaces from deep in his own end. But perhaps because he’s not sure to that kind of open field situation, Shough didn’t wrap up the ball with both hands after running for 46 yards, and got it knocked loose by Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore and Jaiden Ausberry.

They closed on Shough with exactly that outcome in mind. Shough at first turned to throw a stiff-arm, but quickly was overrun and no longer in possession of the football.

Notre Dame turned the short field into a 14-7 lead.

Just one position prior, Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard had a similar situation near the sideline, with two Louisville defenders bearing down on him. He wrapped up with both arms, and Notre Dame scored a couple of plays later.

2). THE (REALLY) HIGH LONG SNAP ON A PUNT.

Already trailing 14-7 as the result of one turnover, Louisville had a drive stall at its own 49 and had to punt. The snap not only sailed over the punter’s outstretched hand, but rolled all the way to the four yard line. Notre Dame scored a play later to go up two touchdowns.

Officially, the game play-by-play sheet calls it “LVL rush up the middle for a loss of 42 yards.”

Where are the rest of the letters in “Louisville?” Turned over, apparently.

3). XAVIER WATTS' SECOND QUARTER INTERCEPTION

After getting a stop, Louisville was looking to drive to tie the game and Shough found an open Ja’Corey Brooks over the middle. But Brooks couldn’t catch the ball cleanly, and when it bounced fro his hands Watts was there to pick it off.

That interception set up a 48-yard field goal that again put Notre Dame up two scores.

4). FOURTH DOWN FAILURE

Trailing 24-14, Louisville sustained another decent drive, moving into the Notre Dame red zone late in the first half. Facing fourth and 1 at the Notre Dame 15, Brohm decided to go for it instead of kicking the makeable field goal to go in at the half down a touchdown and getting the ball back to start the second half.

Instead, Louisville ran Donald Chaney wide, and the Cardinals didn’t get the spot, even after a replay review. The Cardinals went to the half down 10.

Jeff Brohm

“That's on me,” Brohm said. “We called a play to get on the edge instead of running up the middle, and we weren't able to get around the edge good enough. So, we’ve probably have a better plan to get a lead blocker in there and just run off tackle and do something like that. We've run a lot of play action fourth down, so we wanted to mix in a run or two, and it didn't work.”

For the game, Louisville was 1-5 on fourth down.

5). THE FINAL FOURTH DOWN

Louisville started to have some success when it went to a hurry-up offense down the stretch. But with time ticking down, the Cardinals didn’t manage the clock well once they drove to midfield with two minutes to play.

Coming out of the two-minute timeout, Chaney rushed for a one-yard gain, to set up fourth and inches at the Notre Dame 49. Louisville, however, didn’t appear to have much urgency. Chaney’s play completed with 1:49 left, and with 59 seconds to play, Louisville was flagged for delay of game when it didn’t get the snap off in time.

That made it fourth and six, and a subsequent pass was incomplete.

“I give the crowd credit,” Brohm said. “We wanted to make sure we get the first down. So, we did switch the personnel. It got loud. He (Shough) couldn't hear the call in from me. He finally got it and got up there, and unfortunately, the clock was winding down and did he didn't see it. So that can't happen. We have to have a better way in a situation with no timeouts that we’ve got to get a first down, to figure out a way to get a first down in that personnel group, so that that's on me.”

Shough said of the play, “I was trying to snap it. I don't think he heard me. Just was trying to get out of there a little bit to soften them up and then go sneak it. . . . I don't know. I haven't talked to them about yet, but must not have heard me. It was a costly mistake. I've got to be louder myself and we've got to go get it done. So it will be fixed.”

By no means, is this list exhaustive. There were some defensive breakdowns. The Cards, in fact, got off to a slow defensive start, though they did adjust to hold Notre Dame to just one touchdown in the second half.

Still, playing with a depleted secondary, Louisville had some problems lining up defensively at times.

“it was a combination of things, without question,” Brohm said. “The turnovers hurt us, and I think the situational football, four fourth downs we didn't convert, you know, hurt us. So, we’ve got to be better there. And then defense. We started slow. It wasn't part of the plan to defend the quarterback and allow him to run like that. It was not good. We adjusted finally and got it fixed. But that's happened too many games, so we’ve got to be better at that. And you know, the snap over the punter’s head hurt us as well. There were numerous things. So, we just didn't play a clean football game. And when you don't do that, you're not going to beat Notre Dame,”

It was uncharacteristic for a team that came into the game without a turnover or a sack allowed. It left Saturday’s game with three of each.

Yet despite all that it had a great chance to tie or win the game on its final possession. That inspires hope. It also suggests that Louisville let one get away.

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