Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from ugly win over Toledo

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Sep 11, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tyler Buchner (12) stiff arms Toledo Rockets linebacker Dyontae Johnson (2) in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Notre Dame’s playoff hopes on life support

Notre Dame blew an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter at Florida State which ended up being an overtime victory for the Irish and the Irish choked away an eight-point second-half lead against Toledo to force a last-minute comeback.

The Irish could very well be 0-2 right now instead of 2-0.

The playoff committee has to have the Irish under the microscope for the rest of the season because they will need to win out in order to secure a spot, more than likely. They looked beatable in the first two games of the season and while contenders always get better throughout the season, this is not an ideal start for Notre Dame.

People were already jumping off the Notre Dame bandwagon after a near-loss to Florida State in the opener and then those who were left in Week 2 had to be rethinking things.

Notre Dame has to feel lucky to just survive a major upset, but this has to be a wake-up call for the defense, offensive line, and Jack Coan to improve moving forward. Saturday’s near-loss to Toledo was embarrassing.

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