“This is inexcusable!” – Post-game reactions to Notre Dame’s embarrassing 14-16 loss to NIU
Northern Illinois went to South Bend and stunned Notre-Dame on Saturday, giving the Irish their first loss of the season. It is a defeat that has put a stop to Notre Dame’s hopes of making it to the College Football Playoff in the four-team era, but that may no longer be the case.
As Paul Finebaum on SportsCenterWhile the loss to Northern Illinois wasn’t ideal, the Irish still have a chance to recover this season.
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“This has more to do with Northern Illinois than Notre Dame,” Finebaum said. “If you’re an Irish fan across the country today, you can’t be more despondent. They just went to College Station and beat a respectable team, but that’s not as bad as some of the other losses under Marcus Freeman. I think they have a chance to recover from this if they can find some attacking potential.”
In the loss, the Irish had problems, especially on offense. Notre Dame gained only 286 yards in the game and converted only three of ten third downs. In the end, Notre Dame only scored 14 points in the loss.
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Despite these difficulties, Finebaum is convinced that Notre Dame can recover.
“I do, and I think what Trevor (Matich) said about Riley LeonardIt is still early. Now I realize again that he has been there for years duke. This is not his first game since high school. But I think it’s just a hangover effect. Sometimes you come off a big win like that and you’re just not at your best. That was Notre Dame a few years ago against Marshall”, Finebaum said.
“The most interesting part, and I know fans are sick of hearing about this playoff, but you have to listen: If this had been last year, Notre Dame would not have been able to recover from a loss like that. They can recover. They don’t have a lot of margin, but they could potentially lose one more game and still make the playoffs. Their season is far from over. They are in better shape than some of the other teams that have already suffered a loss this year.”
Notre Dame will try to get back on its feet quickly and re-establish itself among the top teams in the country. That starts next week when the Irish travel to Purdue.
