The 2019 Notre Dame football season kicked off Monday night, the unconventional game day making the opener at Louisville a national focal point. The Irish certainly had some rust to shake, but settled in to dominate over the final three quarters en route to the 35-17 victory.
With a healthy mix of veterans and new faces making contributions in the season debut, the Irish saw glimpses of what kind of team they can be in 2019. Indeed, the rookies who stepped up Monday night — tight end Tommy Tremble, running back Jahmir Smith, safety Kyle Hamilton and linebackers Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Drew White, among others — looked solid in their first significant minutes, showing they can fill the gaps left by graduation and injury.
They sometimes even filled in where their veteran counterparts up the depth chart struggled in the first game out.
“We actually need our veterans to step up another level of their play, which I’m certain they will,” Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Brian Kelly said. “The good news for me tonight as the head coach is that I think the younger players showed themselves, and that now with all of them together, moving forward, this can be a pretty good football team.”
Let’s take a look back at how those personnel questions shook out Monday, through the photos that tell the story of the game.
Photos by Ryan Meyer