3 takeaways from a shocking loss by Notre Dame to Marshall

Notre Dame football suffered a shocking loss to Marshall on Saturday and here are three takeaways as the Irish fall to 0-3 under Marcus Freeman. 

College football never disappoints and Saturday was another reminder of that.

Top-ranked Alabama nearly lost to Texas, which played most of the game with its backup quarterback, and in an even bigger shock, Notre Dame football was defeated at home by Marshall.

Notre Dame lost 21-10 to Ohio State last week and many took that as a good sign. The Buckeyes are supposed to have one of the most explosive offenses in the country and Notre Dame held its own in a game many expected them to lose by a wider margin.

Yet, things got much worse in the home opener as Notre Dame football lost to a team it paid $1.5 million to come to South Bend. Notre Dame was favored by 20.5 points but three interceptions including a late pick six doomed the Irish despite a late rally.

There are plenty of questions ahead and we’ll dive into them there.

The Marcus Freeman era couldn’t have started worse

Notre Dame football fans were pretty confident over the summer and it’s fair to say that Marcus Freeman won a lot of recruiting battles.

However, the former defensive coordinator was in that position at Notre Dame for just one season and there was nothing to say he was going to be a successful head coach.

His defenses have always been good and he’s an excellent recruiter. But after three games, he’s 0-3. Ohio State was understandable. But losing to Marshall at home isn’t.

Notre Dame fans thought they could be playoff contenders in 2022 and now, they will need to run the table just to make a New Year’s Six Bowl game.

And given the results so far this season, that seems unlikely.