Notre Dame finds a way to play down to their competition yet again. The question has to be asked why has this been allowed to happen for decades? Sure, we can talk about this coaching staff’s failure to have this team ready. Sure, we can talk about Marcus Freeman’s failure as a head coach, but this problem didn’t just start when he was hired. Some fans will say that Brian Kelly would have won this game, but I’d quickly remind them about Tulsa in 2010, South Florida in 2011, Northwestern in 2014, and Navy in 2016. We all know what happened in the Weis, Willingham, and Davie days, so I’m not even going down that road. Freeman is just another coach that has underperformed against a lesser team, with awful losses to NIU (2024), Marshall (2022), and Stanford (2022), where Notre Dame was double digit point favorites in each of those games. Since Lou Holtz left, this has been a common trend with every coach that has been here - and the question has to be asked why?
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Of course, coaches deserve blame when they don’t have their teams prepared for a game or make bad in-game decisions, and Freeman has to answer for this. But the chances that the amount of coaches since Holtz departed have all played down to their competition or lose to them is just a coaching problem, just doesn’t sit well with me. There’s a bigger problem that lies beneath the surface of all this, and it needs to be addressed. You can blame whatever you want to, but until the real problems are addressed and the real questions are asked, nothing changes. Discussions have to be had after this latest debacle with Northern Illinois University.
Until Notre Dame and those around it get serious about winning another National Championship, nothing will change. People don’t like to admit it, but the football program that Knute Rockne started and the history and tradition that followed is what made Notre Dame the University it is today. Without the football program’s former glory, Notre Dame would just be another Catholic school in the Midwest. Like it or not, that simply is the truth of the matter. Notre Dame has to get back to that mentality of what made them the school they are.
It doesn’t just stop at the University, the administration, or the coaches. There are several changes that need to be made in and around this program and it starts and ends with rebuilding the winning culture at Notre Dame.
First, Notre Dame and it's fans have to stop the nose in the air "better than others" attitude, because of the history and tradition of the program that happened many decades ago. Fans continue to hype themselves up every year based off success that happened before a lot fans nowadays were even alive. I was six years old the last time Notre Dame won anything worthy to write home about. Thirty six years later, and fans are still kicking the same can down the road talking about what Notre Dame did in 1988 and before. It's time to learn some humility and start dominating the games Notre Dame is supposed to, and find a way to win the ones they're not. History is just that - HISTORY. It’s time to focus on the future of this program.
Second, the notion that the Irish have to do things the “right way”, and take it easy on others or not show any emotion or aggression towards opponents needs to end. You can still have morals, integrity, and values, and also want to crush your opponent into dust. There is nothing wrong with that. There is also nothing wrong with being a good host when other teams visit, but that should end when the coin toss happens. At that point, they are the enemy and need to be treated as such.
Third, Notre Dame has lost what the true meaning of “home field advantage” means. The environment of the home crowd is supposed to be hostile and make the away team uncomfortable. As a fan, you should be out of your seat for the entire game, yelling until you can’t possibly do it anymore. I had always heard horror stories about fans being told to sit down during games, and it never really registered until it happened to me personally. I get there are circumstances where people can’t stand, and I’m sympathetic to that, but the “wine and cheese crowd” that comes to the game and uses it as a social network event, not even paying attention to the game need to stay home. Or at a bare minimum, cheer and allow others who are passionate and want to stand be allowed to stand without security telling them to sit down.
Fourth, the season ticket holders who sell their tickets to other fan bases for profit should take a hard look in the mirror. There is no excuse for allowing another fan base to take over your stadium just so you can make a little extra money. This never happened in the old days when Holtz, Ara, Devine, Leahy, and Rockne were around. It also doesn’t happen at other major team's stadiums like Georgia, Alabama, or Ohio State as examples. It’s embarrassing to allow another fan base to flood your stadium and take away your home field advantage.
Finally, stop scheduling these lesser opponents if you can not, or are not willing to annihilate them on the field. When I was growing up, Notre Dame’s schedule was a murder row the entire season. There wasn’t one game on the schedule that you could point out and say "they're definitely winning that game". When every game was tough, it made for a better environment for fans and the team. If they lost, at least they were playing the best of the best and just didn’t come up with the victory. When you play these teams of lesser quality, you open an opportunity for a trap game or disappointment. They have everything to gain if they beat you, and you have nothing to gain if you win. If you win, critics will say you didn’t play anybody, and if you lose, you’re the laughing stock of college football. I understand wanting to help the smaller schools out financially, and/or get them exposure, but if you’re not making it a priority to beat them, then you shouldn’t be playing them.
Notre Dame also has to get away from being happy with a 10-2 or 9-3 season and acting like that’s okay, or that it's the standard. The ultimate goal every season is to win a National Championship, and if you don’t, it’s a failure. There are no moral victories in football! As much as I like Freeman as a person and want him to succeed, no coach is above Notre Dame, and if they aren’t working out, then you need to have the conversation about whether you should move on or not. For what it’s worth, I hope Freeman does turn it around and goes on to win a National Championship.
In closing, everyone associated with Notre Dame, whether it be the fans or the coaching staff, need to be held accountable for these mentioned failures. When the two come together, Notre Dame will win a National Championship again.
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Amen Brother!!
Thank the Lord, I'm not the only saying this...!!
How about the fact that our offensive line got their butt whipped …did not run
block for a very predictable plan & the QB was greatly overrated & stunk .
Hey, I found this article through the Twitter algorithm. I'm an Ohio State alumnus, but I'm married to an ND alumna (and, even better, my father-in-law is an ND alum), plus my grandmother went to Saint Mary's and I have some ND cousins. So allow me to give some perspective on how I see Notre Dame's problems. Because you're right, there are some. If you look at why Nick Saban was able to do what he did at Alabama, there are two reasons. First, he revolutionized roster management, and second, he had 100% total control of the program. The first has become table stakes for major college football since Saban pioneered it. The second is a lot harde…
The game was lost because of lackluster passing attack and terrible play calling.
Check attitude. Every player needs to exhibit the energy, aggressiveness and athleticism of Howard Cross. We can do this, stay independent and protect the values that our legacy demands. Control showboating when we excel.