Notre Dame’s last second field goal attempt is blocked to give Northern Illinois the 16-14 win in a NCAA college football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend.
We’re still trying to process how the heck Notre Dame let Northern Illinois win in South Bend. Then again, such things tend to linger when they remain very fresh in our minds. It’s a horrible feeling, but it’s one we all must deal with right now.
The fact that a supposedly dominant Irish team suffered the program’s first-ever loss to a Mid-American Conference team at Notre Dame Stadium can’t sit well with the university’s top brass. What was supposed to be a celebratory home opener instead left everyone with doubts about the football program. Nobody has any idea what comes next now.
As Notre Dame tries to figure all of this out, we figured this would be a good time to help them. That doesn’t mean they’ll listen to us, but that won’t stop us from trying to say something.
Here are five questions we believe the higher-ups at Notre Dame must ask themselves regarding football:
How are they approaching lesser opponents?
Northern Illinois celebrates after wining a NCAA college football game 16-14 against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend.
We never expected to be adding Northern Illinois and Marshall to the list of Football Bowl Subdivision teams the Irish have a losing record against, but here we are. The Irish clearly need to evaluate their approach for games against Group of Five opponents because whatever they’re doing isn’t enough to prevent these humiliating losses. It’s obvious now that this a trend for the Irish, and that can’t be the case anymore.
What’s going on with the play calling?
Northern Illinois linebacker Christian Fuhrman (44) intercepts a Notre Dame pass during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend.
For whatever reason, [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] just isn’t being allowed to cook much. And when he is, it’s coming during ill-advised moments such as the interception on the long pass that led to the Huskies’ game-winning field goal. The defense has been better, but even that has had formations that proved to be problematic.
How much more of a leash can they give Leonard?
Syndication: South Bend Tribune
Nobody wants to have a quarterback controversy this early in the season, but some Irish fans were calling for [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] even during the first half of this loss. While Leonard hasn’t done enough to lose the starting job just yet, he’s hardly done anything to prove that he’s earned that other than he was a star at Duke. Another subpar outing against Purdue, and the calls for him to be benched could reach a fever pitch.
Can Marcus Freeman ever get it all figured out?
Sep 7, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman walks to the sideline in the second quarter against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
We saw how beloved Freeman was by his players the moment he was introduced to them as their head coach. But a coach’s popularity means nothing if these losses keep piling up, and it’s fair to question whether Freeman has the ability to keep his players motivated and in order to win the games they should. Is he truly the type of coach to get the Irish to the next level?
Are the academic standards holding them back?
University of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd waves to the crowd before a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend.
This is the big one, and it would require serious thinking by the university’s new president, the [autotag]Rev. Robert Dowd[/autotag], and every other major decision-maker employed. It’s great that Notre Dame holds its student-athletes to the same academic standards as every other student, but this loss shows that the football program doesn’t have enough talent to overcome off games against lesser opponents.
The university will have to decide whether it truly wants to do whatever it takes to win another national championship or stick with the academic status quo and risk getting left behind the college football blue bloods.
This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Five questions Notre Dame must ask after losing to Northern Illinois
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Publish date : 2024-09-08 08:52:00
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