Panic time or stay patient? The early season woes of the Fighting Irish have woken up the echoes

An unforeseen upset in South Bend has erupted the entire landscape of college football as the once fifth-ranked Notre Dame fell to the unranked Northern Illinois. 

This tragic upset has sparked waves of confusion, frustration, and disbelief as Notre Dame had lost as 28.5-point favorites. To many, this game has only proven the overrated nature of the Fighting Irish. However, to the blue and gold faithful, this result has brought about a sense of panic and concern. 

This defeat followed a major victory in College Station where the Irish defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 23-13. Many thought the momentum had aligned the Irish into true contention for the expanded College Football Playoff. Instead, this only led to the biggest upset of the college football season in 2024. 

The tides were beginning to turn for Marcus Freeman in his third year at the helm. Freeman secured possibly the biggest win of his career, and within a matter of days, it all crumbled. Many Irish fans can recall the tragic losses that occurred under Freeman’s leadership. This includes the come-from-behind win for Oklahoma State in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, the upset at home to Marshall in 2023, and the massive collapse to last season in Louisville. 

However, something about this one has left the most awful wound of them all. As the number 5 team in the nation, Notre Dame managed to sell short of their extremely high aspirations. This has left many in a state of panic, concern, and grief for the road that lies ahead. 

“We have to learn how to handle success,” Freeman said in his Monday morning presser. “This is the first time in my three years as a head coach that we have won the big game early in the season. All the sudden we win and everybody says ‘Hey you’re going to the playoffs, you got an easy schedule.’ We all hear it, and I think we started to believe that. There is a physical approach to preparing for a game. I think physically we prepared the right way, but there is also a mental approach and mindset that you have to have every single week. That is where we failed.” 

The frustration across South Bend has wreaked havoc and from a broad standpoint has caused many panic. The growing pains have been far too long, and it is time Notre Dame wins the games that matter. Besides, the excitement that surrounded Marcus Freeman when he was hired was a sequel to Brian Kelly’s departure. Kelly could never win the big games when it mattered most. Now, on the other side stands Marcus Freeman who can’t win the easy games when they matter most. 

"We are much better than we played on Saturday but we have a lot of work to do"

- Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freema

There is reason to believe that Marcus Freeman can resurrect this Notre Dame team, as it is early in the season, but what signs point to that? Notre Dame is now ranked 18th in the nation, falling 13 spots after the massive letdown. Not only this, but the schedule does not get much harder. The Irish are set to welcome another MAC team into South Bend, where they will meet Miami (OH). Notre Dame also will play only two more true road games against Purdue and USC. 

“The reality is that we have the talent, we have the coaching staff we need to be a great football team,” Freeman exclaimed. “We are much better than we played on Saturday but we have a lot of work to do to ensure that we perform that way each opportunity we get.”

The opportunities have been very present for this 2024 Notre Dame football team. As if the schedule wasn’t easy enough, Notre Dame brought back many NFL-level guys including Benjamin Morrison, Xavier Watts, Rylie Mills, and Howard Cross. The program also bought in Riley Leonard from Duke and former LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. 

Although it has been quite evident these stars have not shined. Defensively, Notre Dame allowed for 190 rushing yards against NIU while the Huskies also held 34:48 seconds of possession. The defensive line was supposed to be one of Notre Dame’s strong suits, but that simply has not been the case. 

Offensively, there is a multitude of issues. It starts with the quarterback position, notably Riley Leonard. As reported, Leonard suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in the game against NIU. Frankly, Marcus Freeman claimed that he had no intention of playing backup Steve Angeli. Regardless, Leonard has been quite disappointing over the past two weeks. 

Leonard has yet to throw a passing touchdown while accounting for two interceptions against NIU and 16 rushing yards on 11 carries. Leonard clearly has not been utilized correctly and has not been on the same page as his receivers. There have been far too many miscommunications. Subsequently, Notre Dame has brought in the likes of Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell to add to the receiving core. These two guys have not been impactful, likely as a result of Notre Dame’s passing game. 

Here are some facts: Notre Dame's pass efficiency is ranked 130 nationally, last among Power 4 teams, scoring offense is ranked 110 nationally, 64 of 68th in the Power 4, twenty-yard completions, last with just one, and lastly, touchdown passes, last with 0. (stats provided from Pete Sampson) 

Those are some absolutely horrific stats. If Notre Dame wants any shot at even making a bowl game, that needs to improve dramatically. 

Ultimately, there is much that has not been up to par with Notre Dame. From coaching to players to even game mechanics, Notre Dame has been nothing short of subpar once again. Many fans will recall the mid-season collapse last season with Sam Hartman behind center. The blame was massively directed his way. The way this season is lined up, the same is going for Riley Leonard. 

It is safe to say that the Irish might want to stop the ACC quarterback transfer experiment. However, the good news is that Notre Dame is only 1-1, and there is still a lot of football to be played. Hypothetically, Notre Dame could still reach the Playoffs with an 11-1 record if they go on to win out. But this loss may really come back to haunt Coach Freeman. 

I believe patience is a virtue, but in South Bend that no longer matters. It is time for Notre Dame to handle business correctly and stop losing the games that can’t afford to be lost.