The basic concepts for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish with respect to their game against the Ball State Cardinals were to avoid both a major upset and any key injury. While the latter department saw tight end Cole Kmet leave the game with a leg injury, the Irish did manage to escape disaster by coming away with a 24-16 victory.
The imperfect win saw some continuing high points for Notre Dame, but also showed a number of flaws that might have otherwise spelled defeat against a stronger opponent. Given the emotional win against Michigan, the letdown effect was something that had to be taken into consideration, but the overall edge in talent ultimately helped give the Irish their second win of 2018.