Huskies Stun Punchless Irish

Posted on by John Vannie

Kanon Woodill kicked a 35-yard field goal with 31 seconds remaining to give the Northern Illinois Huskies a well-deserved 16-14 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday. The Huskies dominated the lethargic Irish in all three phases of the game. Their offensive front controlled the line of scrimmage and pushed around Notre Dame’s undersized and overrated defensive line all afternoon. NIU’s defense recorded key stops to retain momentum throughout the afternoon and picked off two of Riley Leonard’s errant passes in critical moments.

Tailback Antario Brown was the star of the show for the Huskies. He gained 99 yards rushing and 126 in pass receptions, including an 83-yard seam route for a touchdown that set the tone for the entire contest. Quarterback Ethan Hampton was steady and mistake free. He completed ten of 19 passes for 190 yards, including several pinpoint throws for first downs that frustrated Notre Dame.

The Irish took the opening kickoff and worked their way down the field. Leonard hit tight end Mitchell Evans on a third down pass and moments later took the ball into the end zone on an 11-yard keeper. Notre Dame had a quick 7-0 lead, but it did not last long. Hampton and Brown answered a few plays later when Brown caught a perfectly thrown pass in stride over the middle and outran the Irish to paydirt.

Riley Leonard runs for an early Irish score

The Huskies flexed their muscles on the next series and sacked Leonard to force a punt. Brown ran for 28 yards before the drive stalled and Woodill came on to make it 10-7 NIU with his first field goal of the day. Notre Dame tried to respond but safety Nate Valcarcel deflected an ill-advised throw by Leonard into the hands of linebacker Christian Fuhrman near midfield.

Hampton found Brown again – this time for 43 yards – to set up another three-pointer by Woodill as the game moved into the second period. Neither team could sustain a drive for the rest of the quarter, although the Irish had a chance to score at the end of the half due to a personal foul on NIU. The penalty yardage served to set up a 48-yard field goal try for Mitch Jeter as the half ended. Fittingly, the Huskies swatted it down before it crossed the line of scrimmage.

Trailing 13-7, the Irish brought more energy to the third quarter. The defense stopped the Huskies’ opening drive and took over when Woodill’s 53-yard field goal attempt failed. A mix of runs and passes set the stage for the best play of the game by Notre Dame. Jeremiah Love ran through a gaping hole up the middle, hurdled a would-be tackler and outraced the NIU secondary into the end zone for a 14-13 Irish advantage.

Although they had opportunities to put the game away, Leonard and Notre Dame could not capitalize despite a resurgent effort by the Irish defense. The hosts were driving and faced a second down and one when Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock called for a deep pass. Leonard badly underthrew it and Huskie cornerback Amariyun Knighten easily picked it off. His return advanced the ball to midfield as Notre Dame’s dispirited defenders trudged back onto the field. This critical mistake not only killed a promising drive with six minutes left, it provided the momentum NIU needed to seize control.

Northern Illinois crept methodically into Irish territory as the clock became a factor. A key fourth down run by Hampton moved the chains and burned precious minutes. A poor spot by the officials on a subsequent third down run cost the Huskies a chance to keep going. They were close enough, however, for Woodill to hit his game winning field goal. Only 31 seconds remained.

Leonard had been unsuccessful through the air all afternoon, so these final ticks of the clock were anticlimactic. Coach Marcus Freeman eschewed a final Hail Mary pass with five seconds left in favor of a 62-yard field goal attempt by Jeter. Almost comically, the second half ended in the same manner as the first. NIU easily blocked the kick and leapt for joy as the clock showed 0.00.

NIU players celebrate the win after blocking a last second Irish field goal attempt

The defeat was hardly a surprise to anyone who actually watched the contest. Northern Illinois was the better team throughout, both in terms of physicality and in execution. The Huskie coaches including head man Tom Hammock thoroughly outclassed the dazed and confused Irish brain trust. Hammock was emotional after the game, and rightly so. Notre Dame had just handed him and his program a cherished lifetime memory. As for the Irish, this pitiful performance will be remembered prominently among the worst defeats in their once-golden history.

Let us review the answers to the pregame questions:

  • Will Notre Dame be able to put continuous pressure on Hampton? No. A strong running game rendered the Irish pass rush completely ineffective. NIU’s play calling was inspired and kept Notre Dame on its heels.
  • Can the Irish offense avoid the negative plays that kill promising drives? There were fewer penalties but the Huskie defense thwarted Notre Dame’s impotent attack. The ineptitude showcased by the Irish offense sunk to a level not seen since 2007.
  • Which team will have the fewest penalties and turnovers? Each team had only three penalties. The two interceptions by Leonard were devastating. NIU did not turn the ball over.
  • Will the Irish special teams make positive plays and earn favorable field position? Notre Dame pinned NIU on its two-yard line with a first quarter kickoff but the Huskies quickly drove 98 yards to tie the score. The Irish performed poorly the rest of the afternoon. Punts by James Rendell were awful and two blocked field goal attempts is a sign of extreme dysfunction.
  • Can Notre Dame’s secondary contain the dynamic Trayvon Rudolph? Rudolph did not catch a pass but everyone else did for the visitors.
  • Will the Irish offensive line give Leonard time to complete passes downfield? I have a feeling that Leonard could have had all day to throw and still failed to find his receivers. As it stands, NIU pressured Leonard relentlessly and gave him a deer-in-the-headlights look in the pocket.
  • Can the Irish defensive front control the line of scrimmage? Not at all. Perhaps the schedule is too hard. (That’s sarcasm for the uninitiated)
  • Will Notre Dame bring sufficient emotion and energy to this contest? Another great question. The Irish had the wrong answer.

The loss dictates a moratorium on discussions about playoff seeding. The postseason is not for teams with a scattershot passer and a defensive line that should be forced to wear skirts until Halloween. Denbrock’s propensity to call for passes on second and short yardage should be called into question by Freeman. Unfortunately, the Irish head man looked lost after the game. In truth, Freeman is not an accomplished game tactician in his own rite. He delegates significant decisions to his coordinators and appears not to know how or when to take control when changes are needed.

Eternal optimists will scoff at me and insist the season is far from over. Unfortunately, I have seen this same show too many times over the past 28 years to believe this loss was an anomoly that can quickly be fixed. The 2024 Irish have significant weaknesses that will require time and coaching inspiration to address. Perhaps this uninspired performance is an unintended consequence of awarding monetary compensation to players regardless of performance. Perhaps that is not a large factor. I don’t know for sure. Regardless, I would begin practice for Purdue this week by installing Steve Angeli at quarterback.

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108 thoughts on “Huskies Stun Punchless Irish”

  1. irishhawk50 says:

    Actually, I am happy for NIU and their players and coaches. They deserve the victory, especially in these days of big name schools buying of players. It actually is a breath of fresh air.

    As for the Irish….Riley Leonard is a bust and it is time to move on. Steve Angeli would have won this game and deserves a chance to try and salvage the Irish season, Freeman talks about being bold. Let’s see if he is bold enough to make that change!

    It is time for the Irish to realize that in this age of bought players an experienced coach who can mold and lead the new generation is needed. Freeman is not that person,

      • Scott says:

        I am not sure of Freeman’s process around selecting a Captain, but as a Rec League Soccer coach, we choose based on performance in games and in practice. I find it tough to believe that Leonard is head and shoulders better than Angeli. Maybe Carr or Minchey, but they have yet to play a down, so it is a non-comparison. On my team, he would be Captain of the practice squad based on his poor performance in two games.

    • Larry W says:

      With another loss, the playoff are most likely out the window. In that case, I think you have to roll with Carr. Let him take his lumps with the mediocre schedule ahead. If Carr plays as well as expected, the locker room will buy into him. And, the team will be ahead of the curve next year. Next years QB room might be a problem though as I doubt Minchey sticks around.

  3. GREGORY SCHATZ says:

    I couldn’t agree more. The Freeman experiment with rent-a-quarterbacks 2 years running is a complete bust….Angeli should be given a chance to start against Purdue…..

    • vegaspoker74 says:

      Question: How many ACC transfer portal QBs does it take to screw up NDs playoff chances?
      Answer: aw hell – everybody already knows the answer!

  4. Joseph Andrew Burke says:

    Can we start talking about how weak our stadium intimidation is. in the last three years at day games our group has been repeatedly asked to sit down and not be so loud. This is the only stadium where it’s treated more like a destination resort, where the elderly and meek come to relax.College station eas intimidating on T.V. for crying out loud. I know it wasn’t supposed to be close and that makes it hard to get excited, but the fans sat 95 percent of the time and gave the boys nothing to feed on. Everything else you said sadly seems spot on. I will hope for a massive turn around. Go Irish.

  6. Al says:

    The 2 minute drill at the end of the first half was the worst I’ve ever seen. This team will lose at least 2-3 more games this season, especially if they stick with Leonard.

  7. ♥️#501988🍀🏈💪 says:

    PATHETIC!!!!!

    As iI ooked at the team yesterday, I DID NOT SEE 1 PLAYER LEADER step up!!!! This is a player leaderless team!!!!!!

    IF and I mean IF they want to turn this season around, the team and coaches would be in the weight room this morning at 6 am followed by team bonding and self reflection!

    Unfortunately, this loss will remain with this team for the rest of the season. We may make the playoffs, BUT we will be on the road some where like Georgia.

    ONLY way to “buck this” is to PUNISH the remaining teams on the schedule to show this loss was a fluke. But like you said JV, we’ve seen this song and dance WAY TO MANY TIMES and believe that won’t happen.

    IT will be a roller coaster from here on out!!!!

  8. Steve says:

    OK I’ll start us off. . .

    Football is an emotional game and the Irish played with no emotion. It’s like they didn’t want to be there. Why I have no idea but there was no spark, no emotion.

    I think Leonard should have been benched at some point (halftime, 3rd quarter) as he just has no confidence throwing the ball downfield. The DEF actually played pretty well (only allowing 3 points in the 2nd half) but with a QB who can’t/won’t throw downfield, you’re asking for trouble.

    But again – the Irish looked flat, no emotion, no excitement – it’s like they would have rather been in the library. Just my two cents.

  9. 78rugby says:

    Accurate. Completely agree with Angeli getting a shot Right Now. And also – CMF needs to actually MANAGE – if he wants a physical, run-first team, he better get his OC on the same page. This effort was an embarrassment.

  10. kenny says:

    John, I said the same thing to myself after the game, Angelli should get the next start. Looking back, Riley was injured last year, medical operations, then misses all of spring ball. All this time away is glaringly obvious as he is so unsure of who to pass to, lack of timing, etc. Future opponents will start taking away his running game and force the downfield throws. The whole offense looked like they were playing to not make a mistake. Angelli would have given us a better chance to win this in the second half. I hate how we grab a QB for one year, he doesn’t know the system, underperforms, while we have excellent back-ups who started from scratch their freshman years etc. The whole thing stinks. And agree, Freeman is lost on the sideline at key points of the game. This is going to be a long season, and USC at the end will not be fun to watch…

    • vegaspoker74 says:

      Dabo Swinney’s policy of not taking ANY portal players because such a strategy conflicts with Clemson’s culture sounds good enough for Notre Dame.

  13. goirish1988 says:

    31 years of mediocrity and counting:
    *Zero leadership. Deer in headlights
    *We could see this coming when ND blew the 3-touchdown lead in Freeman’s first game
    *We will one day hire a head coach who knows how to get it done, right? I’m jealous of Texas for finding a great head coach (drinking issue aside)
    *2nd and 1 with 6 minutes to go and the lead and all of the time in the world and you throw a ball 10 yards short for a game-losing interception? You’re fired
    *Are we capable of recruiting and retaining a 4-star quarterback or will we continue to expect 3-star quarterbacks to take us to the promised land?
    *When we won at Oklahoma in 2012, the joy lasted 7 days until a lousy Pittsburgh team showed us we were actually a joke. The last 7 days felt like fool’s gold. Laughed at myself for thinking that. Laughing/crying harder now

    Silver linings:
    *Losing the BC game in 1993 hurt more than this
    *As a 1993 grad, Bevacqua remembers being a champion and will eventually do something, right?
    *We were #1 in all-time winning percentage when Holtz was finished. Now we’re 4th. But we can still spin 4th as an accomplishment, right?
    *Freeman is the 2020s version of Gerry Faust. That means the 2020s version of Holtz is next, right?
    *We attract good kids who do good things in the world. We don’t need to show you can be a good person AND a champion, right?
    *I am thankful that Notre Dame makes it more clear every year that I should do something more productive with Saturdays in the fall. I am a slow learner, but ND is kind to repeat the lesson until I get it through my head

  15. Steve McCabe says:

    John, why did the Irish go away from the QB run after the first drive? This turned Leonard into a pocket passer, which he is not.

  16. GOND88 says:

    This is a hugely embarrassing and inexcusable loss and I don’t see Freeman recovering from this one. This type of a loss is not supposed to happen at home in year 3. Freeman did not inherit a program in shambles with giant roster holes like Kelly did in 2010. Freeman seems to think that chest bumping and glad handing the players and a little rah rah is all it takes to win consistently.

    Freeman has been given virtually everything he’s asked for and yet the on field product still leaves a lot to be desired. I didn’t think I’d ever see a walk on D-lineman from a MAC school terrorize ND’s highly touted offensive lineman.

    The offense under Denbrock has been atrocious and makes me pine for Gerard Parker or Tommy Rees. I think Rees put together a better offense with Drew Pyne than Denbrock is currently doing with Leonard.

    I do think Leonard needs to be benched as his passing skills are even worse than I long thought. It’s time to see what Angeli can do and maybe use Leonard situationally like Florida did with Tim Tebow. This is the second year in a row a transfer QB has been a bust.

    I’m afraid ND could be 7-5 this year and potentially get blown out by USC to end the year. Good luck with the elite recruits under those circumstances.

    • LetsGoND says:

      Exactly, situational use for Leonard. That plan should have been in the pipeline DAY ONE, when Leonard was added to the offense. With the other quarterback ready to go.

      Just watched the 1998 ND vs. Michigan replay– if you watch the second half, can’t ND do something like this?

      Passing game stunk to high heaven: So, ND morphed their offense into a multi-option, quick (almost sneaky) hand-offs, fullbacks, with QB selection to run. Modularize your phases of the game, to down-level to limit mistakes and increase success probability.

    • Caliradojoeirish says:

      Yep. A solid (and rare) prime-time road victory in a loud and hostile stadium at TAMU under very hot/humid conditions was once again followed by a clinical example of sleepwalking to a defeat at the hands of an unranked team on ND’s home field.

  18. Will says:

    John, there is a lot of pain in your words. You’ve been a loyal soldier putting out these pre and post game analyses for many years. It would appear that you are growing weary of the task. However, we readers appreciate your efforts and we appreciate your love for Notre Dame. Like you I live and die each Saturday with ND, but with this loss to NIU (which really didn’t surprise me) I find myself veering more toward indifference. It is hard for me to retain passion for professional football at the collegiate level. It all seems completely absurd. At some point, the powers that be at ND (and Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt, BC, Cal, etc) will have to make critical decisions regarding the integrity of integrating professional athletics into their academic curricula. Again, John, from one old timer (ND’71) to another, thanks for everything and have fun on the golf course.

    • John Vannie says:

      Last night I though seriously about shutting down my efforts for the rest of the season. I’m still undecided but I probably will carry on through Purdue.

      • Will says:

        John, you’ve given enough. In your remaining years focus on what gives you a sense of joy and satisfaction. Enjoy your grandchildren and work on your short game. The ND that you I attended and love no longer exists. God knows what will happen to D1 sports. It’s not worth it. Dude, you’ve done your time. End the pain.

      • joe barrett says:

        Hello John,

        You need to keep doing these articles and summaries!! Your knowledge of ND and football is second to none. I have learned from you the ins and outs of ND football the past few years and id you were to stop, a lot of us would missed your excellent points of view!

        Anyway, very tough loss and as I sit and type this response, I am still crabby and can’t believe they loss!

        The game against Purdue can’t get here fast enough. Go Irish beat Boilermakers!!!!!!!

      • Mike says:

        You examine Notre Dame football the way Voltaire examined the age of Louis XIV. Clear but critical. Full of admiration but not fooled by it. Decide to keep writing all season. You’re needed.

      • Michael Kem-Thomas says:

        Please don’t end your columns. I truly value your analyses every season. Your writing is something that both my dad and I enjoyed together.

      • goirish1988 says:

        Thank you for all you do and have done. Please hang in there if you can. You are one of the few public voices that still brings perspective and hope connected to what Notre Dame football was until Holtz left.

      • Caliradojoeirish says:

        John, I haven’t posted in years since I relocated from Denver, because off-grid living has been a priority and the same mediocre ND football has not. But, I’ve continued to read your articles when life allows, and I appreciate your in-depth pregame and frank-and-unfiltered, un-sugarcoated postgame analysis. I’ll respect your decision to focus on the family, which is a priority, but going forward I hope you can still find time to provide your valuable and often-entertaining analysis.

      • Murph says:

        John I look forward to your columns. You r so honest in your assessments . It will b like losing a friend ; Murph 82 years old . Love the Irish but the fire needs to b relighted! Go Irish start Angelli!

    • Nick K says:

      💯. Also reminiscent of the Tulsa loss. When coaching actually matters, ND wilts to inferior opponents. Louisville last year probably belongs in this category. Coach has to own signing mediocre 5th year senior.

  20. Markirish42 says:

    Not sure why we let Kelly stink (aka Denbrock) back in the building. Guy was a failure first go round.

    If you do not open qb up to competition this week, you tell your players that accountability is not part of the culture.

    You can’t measure hunger. You can’t fake commitment: we have neither. Piles of money take away both from a man, college athletes, and apparently, from a storied and once proud program like ND.

  21. Jimbo says:

    Quite possibly the worst loss n ND history. In the middle of the 2nd qtr I started getting BC 93 flashbacks. Disgusting, ugly and listless. It is past due. It is Angeli time.

      • LetsGoND says:

        Kelly’s loss to Navy was worse, where Navy hung almost 40 on’m. Could have scored more. But Navy called the dogs off. Let that sink in: Navy called the dogs off of (Kelly’s) ND team.

    • LetsGoND says:

      Kelly’s loss to Tulsa was the worst– a forced pass, and blows the game. Then on camera, Kelly’s angry response to questioning that decision was something like, “Get used to it!”

  22. Jim (the other one) says:

    I don’t like the fact that college football is now just hiring free agents, but since that’s all it is I think someone has to deliver the equivalent of Alec Baldwin’s monologue in Glengarry Glen Ross to these guys.

  23. Richard says:

    Inexcusable and embarrassing beyond words. The 2nd INT was coaching malpractice and horrifically under thrown – it was barely worse than the 1st one where Leonard missed a wide open guy in the flat. Beaten badly at the point of attack on both sides of the ball. Beyond that, 28 point favorite upset at home. Losses to Marshall (at home), lowly Stanford, even teams like Louisville. The MAC was 0-50 vs top 5 opponents. We are now the 1 win in that stat. Everyone should have seen enough to know this experiment is over. Fire Freeman at the end of the season and start over. If you’re not convinced yet, just watch Freeman’s post game presser. Deer-in-headlights confused and lost.

    • Rockin Rudy says:

      I too question the decision to throw that deep on the 2nd interception. I do recall on the replay seeing a receiver open over the middle not as far down field along the same eyesight line of Leonard.

  24. William F. Murphy says:

    Lifelong Irish fan, starting with Ara’s team in 1964 to the present. We’ve had our share of heart breaking loses. This one doesn’t qualify, one of the worst in the regular season ever. The last play / blocked field goal attempt was just the final nail. And to think I actually had some hope it would be good! Denbrock called a tik-tac-toe offense the entire game (where have you gone Tommy Reese!). Year three is now ‘the year of the rabbit’. We went from “the computer model says we’ll be big favorites until the SC game” to a potential nightmare of a season. And I thought Clemson had big problems.

  25. manager47 says:

    John – Thank you for your recap of one of the most pitiful ND games. This defeat is worse than the Marshall debacle and the USF disaster of a few years ago. We did learn a few things about the Head Coach. Last week vs Texas A&M Freeman was credited for some gutsy play calls – yesterday we learned the truth. The kid in his hip pocket on the sidelines – the analytic guy – tells the Head Coach what decisions to make ! Case in point holding on NIU – Freeman asks should i take the penalty for 3rd and 12 or decline for 4th and 2 !! Ditto later in the Game about calling a timeout ! I have wanted to root for the guy but he has run out of time. He doesn’t Coach the Players – all that is done by his assistants. He has no head coaching experience – looks light a deer in headlights on the sidelines. Can you see Holtz or Ara not being in charge ? The transfer portal for QB”s has failed. This is Notre Dame not Wake Forest or Duke. I loved what Nebraska Coach last year – ” The going rate for QB in the portal is 1.5 to 2 million – we aren’t going that route – we are going to recruit and develop our own guy . Angeli is that guy !! The higher ups can spin it and Freeman can say the coaches have to coach better – broken record – he needs to go. John you have filled us in for years. I have followed ND Football for over 55 years – yesterday was pathetic.

  26. Mike OC says:

    decade and that includes Parker among others. With the basic design the Oline was still well overmatched and Leonard looked like a deer in headlights even with those few times he had a beat to scan. The guy can’t throw – I don’t know if he’s hurt or scared or what but for a senior the ability to read a D and throw the ball needs to be a given. The special teams has multiple breakdowns, and the D while good at times couldn’t get off the field nor make the huge play weve relied on them for the last 15 games. Obviously it starts up front. Freeman didn’t know who we were playing after the A&M game… that felt ominous and proved to be telling. They were not prepared for an obvious high potential let down (with sad storied history of being right). We gotta move on from Leonard. Yes already. Even in the big week 1 win he looked real bad. Yesterday he looked like a sophomore starting his second game. If that’s what we get then let’s roll with Angeli or Minchey… nothing to lose a ton to gain.

  28. Boomer80 says:

    John, I enjoy your insight and your comments. Please don’t stop writing even if the Irish continue to suck. Thanks for the painful recap and perspective. We can all run but there’s no place to hide from the reality of our el sucko football program, but we can commiserate together over a glass of Teeling.

  29. Hydrostan says:

    Can’t hide the disappointment. “Here we go again”…sucks! Yes, time for Angeli. Leonard, another Duke QB…not worth it! However after seeing Ohio State, Texas, and Georgia….would we have a chance against them? Fortunately, or not fortunately, I doubt we will find out this year.

  30. manager47 says:

    John – as a follow up – do what is best for you but those of us who love ND Football would be lost without your honest insight. You tell the truth, don’t spin it and show the die hard ND fan respect. The game calling yesterday when it was 2nd and 1 – stupid. Run the ball – take time off the clock – make them use timeouts – keep your defense off the field and give them a blow. The Head Coach is in charge – he has the final call. Not the case with Freeman – no experience – he is done.

    • Nick K says:

      It would be a huge loss if John retires his column! Great pre and post game analysis! 🙌
      Someone needs to hold leadership accountable.

  31. vegaspoker74 says:

    Jack London and the Notre Dame coaching staff

    In the short story “To Build a Fire”, Jack London’s unnamed main character embarks on an ill-advised trek into the bitter Arctic cold and eventually freezes to death. At the very beginning of the tale, London tells the reader “The trouble with him was that he was without imagination.” Welcome to the Notre dame coaching staff.

    Football is a game of adjustments; not just at halftime, but continuously throughout the game.
    – after the first blocked field goal, did anyone imagine we might need to try again later in the game and so make the necessary adjustments (iPads are allowed on the sidelines)?
    – after seeing the success of the run up the middle for the second ND touchdown, did anyone imagine we should adjust our strategy and repeat it in the final drive?
    – after Riley’s left arm injury, did anyone see that the running game was going to be seriously impacted and make the necessary Angelli – I mean – adjustments?
    – before the final devastating and completely unnecessary interception, did we make the adjustment to the new technology ie; was anyone screaming into Riley’s helmet “we have the lead, don’t do anything reckless!”?

    “Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes playing a poor hand well.”
    ― Jack London, “To Build a Fire”

    • The Obvious says:

      I recommend Marc Cameron’s Arliss Cutter Series. Alaska U.S. Marshal Cutter never loses, with plenty of excitement and common sense logic in every story. And a few great recipes, too. Enjoy!

  32. Nick K says:

    “ I would begin practice for Purdue this week by installing Steve Angeli at quarterback.”
    💯 agree 👍! Best thing to come out of this slow motion train wreck of a game. Tulsa and Marshal vibes all the way.

    • Jim says:

      Price and Love average 7.2 and 6.0 ypc respectively and only total 15 carries. Agnelli goes 15/19 with 3 Td passes and no ints in his only start but is benched for a transfer whose passing stats were average at best especially against top competition. But he is a “Dual threat QB!” Who needs a dual threat guy when we have two of the best running backs in the country. What is going on. Western Illinois’ offense out gained us last week against NIU. Unbelievable!

  34. Tonythehawk65 says:

    Another of the too many mistakes by the ND administration over the years in experimenting with the head coaching position of what was the most esteemed college football program in history. Freeman is a nice guy, but way over his head.

  36. Irishwolf says:

    John, thank you for your game summary. I hope that you choose to keep writing them as so many of us look forward to them all year long, all season long.

    I never understood taking Leanord on when ND has 3 potentially good QB’s on his bench. They were highly sought after players.

    It’s one thing to empower assistants, but altogether a different thing to put them in complete charge- a head coach has to sometimes say ‘We’re going to do this now’ and then do it. Like not throw it on 2nd&1.

    I watched the horror show yesterday and said to my wife “well, at least Marcus is recruiting well”- she said ‘well, make him head recruiter then, and get someone else to be head coach’.

  37. Len januzik says:

    I am new to this blog but a very long time ND fan.

    I have so many mixed feelings about this, I don’t know where to start – so let me just make some comments about what was already said.

    – I agree that Leonard must have been hurt somewhere in the first half. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense that we drove down for a score in the 1st qtr using his running skills and then not use it again the rest of the game!
    – So assuming he was hurt, did it affect his ability to throw the ball – it seems so. If that is the case, then why in the world would you leave him in the game when we have several very good quarterbacks. As the coach the only obligation Freeman has is to do what is necessary to WIN the game! He didn’t do that in my opinion. How could you not think something was wrong when the QB misses a long throw by 15 yards or maybe more.
    – I totally agree with the comment about a QB competition. We need the best player throwing the ball if we want to win.
    – Also, it seems like our coaching staff never figured out the schemes NIU was using both on offense and defense.
    –

  39. Jim Kress says:

    Leonard – yet another portal failure. Urban Meyer is correct in wondering why Notre Dame is so stuck on portal transfers when we recruit good QB prospects but let them rot on the sidelines.

    Many of us were skeptical about the hiring of Denbrock (a proven mediocre) as OC. We were right. His offense is offensive.

    I still pray that we win another national title before I die. That is getting to be something that won’t happen.

  40. IrIsh Coffee says:

    All show and no go for this team. When it comes to a joining a conference, has ND ever considered joining the MAC? Perhaps they should, and then maybe they can learn how to play REAL football. But even then, they would probably never win the conference – the competition would be too hard. If they are not going to take these teams seriously, then they should stop scheduling them. I am definitely not going to these types of games anymore, which only have the potential to be a monumental embarrassment as this game was. I am also so done with the transfer QB portal, which clearly hasn’t worked and sends a bad message to our existing, committed QBs. There’s no way Leonard (and Hartman before him) is any better than the QBs we already have who committed to the program. In fact, they are likely much better. What’s the point of trying to build a team around Leonard now? Just imagine how much better the offense could have been if Angelli had been playing the last 2 years. He would be developed and have a lot of valuable experience under his belt at this point. Despite all the sloppiness and pathetic play (and coaching), we definitely could have put the game away with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Given how bad this game was going, why on earth would you even attempt a downfield pass on second and one with a QB that has clearly demonstrated his inability to throw downfield? Really? Run the football, milk the clock, score at least a field goal, and live to fight another day!! Throwing the ball downfield is clearly a higher risk play. This was anything but the GOLD standard today. We are ND and you ain’t? I am sure NIU is more than okay with that. I was hoping Freeman was finally building a program with consistently high performing teams. I am afraid this is Gerry Faust 2.0. What a pathetic game! It’s hard to see a path to salvaging this season. The only thing that would remotely interest most fans at this point would be starting one of the committed QBs going forward.

    • Zahm 74 says:

      John. your write ups and analysis are top notch , please stay with it if you can. I was at ND around your time (Zahm 74 and Norman Bates). You are spot on with analysis of this debacle. However, I would say that defense played good enough to win – they only gave up 3 pts since 2nd quarter. Yes, they didn’t stop them enough on NIU’s last drive but ND needs to score more than 14 vs. these guys – I was concerned about Leonard’s passing even vs.A&M. It pains me to agree that if we want to salvage season Angeli needs to be qb. He is a much better passer. I still support Freeman for now – he is not Faust ( who was blatantly incompetent) but calls for his scalp will get much worse if he doesn’t turn it around real quick.

      • John Vannie says:

        The Irish defense was not great but they had no margin for error. The last interception by Leonard put them back on the field with the ball at the 50. It was a demoralizing moment as I’m sure they thought the offense was going to go down and score more points. At that point I believed a loss was inevitable and unfortunately it turned out that way. NIU wanted this game more than the Irish and they took it from them. All the credit goes to the Huskies. What bothers me is that guys like Cross, Mills, Oben, and others were blown off the ball and simply disappeared.

        Leonard hurt himself as he tried to throw a pass while he was in the grasp of a defender. The coaches did not let him run after that but it appeared he could not throw effectively either. They should have put Angeli in right then – or at the start of the second half.

  43. ccb says:

    Let Riley take his $1.25 Million and move on
    Let MF take his $7 milliomn and move on

    Hire an experienced, successful HC!

    Start a different, home grown QB — Carr, Manchey or Angelli

    Don’t look back!

    • Vernon J. says:

      Carr. Carr. Carr.
      The players see, and know, who the best QB on the team is.
      Next year is now.
      Make the move. Let the chips from that move begin falling now (transfers, etc.) and give the kid the reps.
      Re NIU disaster: Not excuses, but maybe light-shedding: 1) NIU players significantly older, overall, and more experienced, than ND. Especially Huskies’ offensive line. 2) While ND spent the entire summer preparing for Texas A&M, and it showed, NIU was spending all summer preparing not for its scrimmage/opener with horrible Western Illinois, but for ND. It showed.

  44. Al says:

    Lets face it.
    The Irish haven’t mattered since they got rid of Lou.

    I have been following the Irish since the early 40’s.

    As the song goes Those were the days my friend.

    But they have ended.

    • Mike says:

      Not so sure about that. The NIL chaos might work in ND’s favor as one of the few programs that stand for something besides $. Parents like money but they like stability and purpose for their sons, too.
      Don’t gang up Freeman yet. He just needs to use the team’s best quarterback. Carr? Angeli? Not the transfer.

      • John Vannie says:

        Parents may favor the idea of a great education for their kids but most elite players with NFL dreams don’t want to be bothered with a challenging academic environment.

        • One Historian says:

          JV;

          Every now and then the obvious must be stated – that has been the biggest obstacle for decades and it will remain so – we have to live with it.

  45. One Historian says:

    I HUGELY enjoyed watching Texas easily dismiss um and looked forward to spending the afternoon watching watching the Irish dispatch NIU, but ……

    stinkeroo

    • Pat OB says:

      Yep that was especially tough. I was like, can’t we be fully happy with college football for one week!?!? Barely had any time to celebrate that Texas beatdown…

  46. One Historian says:

    When Freeman was hired there was much talk about the fact that this was his FIRST HC gig, and starting off @ ND might not be that good an idea, but there he was, and here he still is, and there are (at least) 10 more games to go, so perhaps we should just stay cool and see what tomorrow brings.
    Saturday was a stinkeroo – I think we all agree on that, but let’s see what tomorrow brings. IMO what comes next – how they play – is more up to the TEAM than Freeman. If they are not embarrassed on Saturday then we’re all cooked in any case.
    I remember Chris Zorich – it was said that the D played as hard as it did because they were afraid of what Zorich would do to them if they didn’t. We need someone like that out there. Is he there?

  47. mike '73 says:

    Well, part of me just can’t believe I’m here at 1:00 am starting a response, but, what the H. I intentionally stayed off the board since the game ended until moments ago, and now am drawn in after reading all 83 comments above. MANY who posted above are NOT going to like this, but here it comes anyway. FIRST: JV, I can only underline what many have posted; your pre- and post-game articles are highly valued by many readers, and your departure would be a loss felt my all of us. So, I hope you continue, perhaps after a break, like a mini-version of the one Ara allegedly wanted. BUT, do what is best for your family and your sanity. SECOND: The defense played very well. Yes, our D-line was over-rated coming into the season, but it certainly is more than serviceable. LBs and DBs are very good. That was a very experienced O-line ND went up against, and a very well-planned offensive attack, with a #1 RB who WILL play on Sundays. The QB had an amazing game #1 this season with > 350 yards passing and 5 TDs; against us his numbers were pedestrian at best, and as the announcers alluded to, it looked like the huge pass play for >80 yards and a TD in the 1st quarter was actually intended for the WR in the RB’s immediate vicinity – so, a semi-busted play that luckily worked out fabulously for NIU. That’s FB. Also, NIU scored 16 points, 9 of which were on FGs, only one TD. That is NOT a bad performance, especially since our offense hung the defense out to dry with its ineptitude (again this season), leading to a much greater T.O.P. for NIU. THIRD: ALL of our QBs are in their 1st season with Denbrock and his offense; Leonard is the overall-by-far most experienced, and had a VERY good 2022 (then missed most of 2023, due to an injury against US, in a game that had he played in its entirety we likely would have lost). IF Leonard was injured (which would explain his not running after the first Q.), then given his accuracy problems downfield, he should have been replaced, especially in light of our VERY inexperienced and shaky O-line. That is on Freeman and Denbrock. FOURTH: Freeman has stated more than once that ND will be a team based on running the ball, and despite little we saw Saturday afternoon, we should be able to win that way; the O-line does better with run blocking vs pass protection, clearly. NOT running more than we did, as pointed out in details by many above, is on coaches Freeman and Denbrock. All of our big plays these first two games have been runs, with an occasional pass play turning out well. ND has YET to have a passing TD in two games. FIFTH: calling for the firing of Freeman at this stage is counterproductive, to pretty much EVERYthing about ND FB; it is NOT going to happen, we all know that. It would be hugely destructive of team morale, and very likely lead to multiple players bailing, both current and recruits. So, please everyone, shut that nonsense down. What DOES need to happen is for the AD to have a sit down with MF about the program, the details of which would be up to him, but the HC needs to know that the PTB ARE watching and expect better, because the student athletes DESERVE better from their coaches, and that’s regardless of the fact that ND does NOT need to be paying a reported $1.4 million to have a “buy team” come in and embarrass the players, the coaches, the alumni, the fans, and the university as a whole. Simultaneously, MF needs to have a “come to Jesus” meeting with his OC, informing him in no uncertain terms that ND WILL be a running team this season especially, and that he (MF) WILL be listening in on all play calls and interceding where he sees fit, as in that ridiculous long pass down the middle of the field that led to the game-losing interception/drive in the 4th Q. As for future seasons, once we have a truly talented dual threat QB (like Deuce Knight, e.g.), THEN he can try to accomplish what he did in 2023 at LSU – we do NOT have that guy on the roster; Leonard is serviceable as a runner in appropriate settings during a game, maybe even more than serviceable, but he is NOT Jayden Daniels, nor is he Knight. Additionally, MF and the OC need to have a hearts-to-heart discussion with Leonard that impresses him with the absolutely mandatory requirement that if he is injured to the point that it will affect his throwing motion/arm strength/accuracy, he is to inform the coach IMMEDIATELY. The implication has been made that whatever his LEFT arm problem was from running so much in the 1st Q, it negatively affected his ability to adequately pass on that 2nd interception. The play call was horrid, but the pass itself was equally atrocious. This is NOT about “courage” and desire to play; it’s about what is best for his teammates, whose goal is victory. Anything less than his best capability works against that goal. Clearly he is a better runner than passer, at this point, so if running is out, perhaps he should be on the sideline. Again, WINNING is the TEAM’S goal. LASTLY: We all love ND, and ND CFB in particular. We can agree to disagree on details of game plans, recruiting, NIL, the transfer portal and its value, and all sorts of minutiae, but slamming our alma mater, and its representatives (short of actual criminal activity) serves no good purpose for anyone. And since (presumably) at least some players read NDNation articles, excessively negative comments risk damaging team cohesiveness, to some degree potentially. Hopefully, MF will make the necessary adjustments and the ship will be righted, and we can all get behind the team and the coaches; this coming Saturday would be good.

    • One Historian says:

      Mike ’73 – Good piece. I agree that were out-coached and that needs to change, but I didn’t see anything about the TEAM – they should be embarrassed and they know it. I didn’t see ANYONE step up and fire up his teammates – Kick Ass And Take Names.

      OMT – MF is still only a 3rd year HC, and starting out at ND can’t be easy – give the guy a break.

      • mike '73 says:

        One instance of what you want more of stood out, and that was J. Love’s emotional outburst at the end of his TD run. Something similar, tho’ admittedly more restrained, occurred after Leonard’s TD blast. Still your point is well-taken, there seems to be little evidence of a leader stepping forward on the sidelines to rally the team when needed. Perhaps that is a function of Freeman’s typically controlled sideline behavior (with some exceptions)? As for MF overall, I am thrilled that Kelly no longer stains ND by his presence, and even more thrilled we now have a HC we can all admire, and so I’d like nothing more than his achieving huge success; but something is lacking, and it’s his job to define and fix that. IMHO, he needs to take charge on the sideline at the critical junctures of the game with decisions based on what WILL win the moment, and that means counteracting his assistants and coordinators if necessary; that 2nd interception play call being evidentiary point #1. All things considered, am still on the bandwagon, and looking for steady improvement. CFB needs an undeniably good guy to do well.

  48. David Reuter says:

    Thanks again for the analysis John. It seems to me that ND was out coached from top to bottom and that the NIU players were Hungrier. My skill set is not x and o’s, yet this is what it seemed to me.
    I am hopeful that all aspects of ND pull it together for the rest of the season. This past Saturday ND was clearly beaten by the better team on that day.
    I would hope that ND would beat NIU 9 out of 10 times.
    Again this week John’s title using Stun in this article’s title is quite appropriate.

  49. marleyman says:

    As a lifelong ND fan, I found myself rooting for the underdog. Am I losing my mind? Probably not. I just needed some excitement.

    • Hoss says:

      No, you’re not. Watch NIU’s coach all excited and constantly working the officials and his players practically bursting at the seams. Look at ND’s sideline and Freeman looks like he’s trying not to crap himself and players looked lifeless. The fish rots from the head down. Good for NIU, they deserved that W.

  50. Hoss says:

    I’m going to make it easy on my mental health. If I turn the game on and Riley Leonard’s the QB I’ll simply turn it off and go about some fall house chores knowing they’re not serious about winning.

  51. Irish Rifle says:

    I decided to take some time over the remainder of the weekend to collect my thoughts before posting on this board. At the outset, I would like to say that NIU deserved to win the game. They were a far better team than anyone thought, with a veteran group of starters and some terrific players on their team including the running back, a competent QB who made a number of outstanding throws against tight coverage, their offensive line and their secondary. They outplayed us today.

    The fact that NIU was a 4-touchdown underdog was preposterous. The Irish should still have won the game, and had numerous opportunities to do so, but even if we had played better and won, it was going to be by far less than 4 touchdowns.

    While Notre Dame did not play up to standard, and there are a number of individuals who could be faulted for that, the principal reason we lost the game was clearly Riley Leonard. He is a terrific young man with outstanding character. He is also one of the better running quarterbacks in the country. Unfortunately, he is also one of the most inaccurate passers in college football, and one of the most inaccurate starting quarterbacks I have ever seen at Notre Dame, and I have been listening to and watching Notre Dame football since the late 50s. Every time he throws a pass, I have a knot in my stomach. His form is atrocious. He has happy feet, an inconsistent throwing motion, fails to identify open receivers, and makes a number of throws that are nowhere near the receiver.

    One thing I learned in high school as a quarterback myself is that on the deep pass, you can never underthrow the receiver. Obviously, the goal is to hit the receiver in stride, but if you make a mistake, coaches hammer it into you that has to be that you overthrow the receiver. Underthrowing the receiver can never happen, as it inevitably leads to interceptions, and that’s exactly what happened on the 4th quarter pass to an open receiver on a 2nd and 1 call around midfield in the 4th quarter. And Leonard had a clean pocket. It’s not like he was hit as he threw the ball.

    As well as NIU played, and as mediocre as Notre Dame’s play had been with a few exceptions up to that time, we were still poised to score a touchdown on that drive, which would have salted away the game for the Irish. Instead, the terribly underthrown pass was intercepted and led NIU to score the winning field goal. Leonard had also thrown another interception in the 1st half that was into a crowd and should never have been thrown, and additionally threw an ill-advised pass as he was being hit in the 2nd half that was ruled a backward pass, that fortunately rolled out of bounds.

    The situation Notre Dame is in today feels eerily similar to the situation I recall back in 1977. Notre Dame had a terrific team that year with very high expectations, but things diid not start off well. Rusty Lisch was named the starting quarterback, but did not perform well in the first two games, and we went 1-1 in those games, losing game two to a decent, but hardly a great Mississippi team on the road.

    The next game was against Purdue on the road, the same as it is this year, and HC Dan Devine opted to replace Lisch with Gary Forystek, who was the second string quarterback. He was injured late in the 3rd quarter, if my recollection is correct, when it appeared that we were seemingly destined to lose another game. At that point, Devine inserted the third string quarterback, who you may have heard about, named Joe Montana, who proceeded to lead us to the victory by directing three fourth quarter drives that led to 2 touchdowns and a field goal, which secured the comeback victory. Montana then led the Irish to victories in all of the remaining games, culminating with a blowout 38-10 victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl and being awarded the National Championship.

    While I do not think the Irish have enough talent to win the National Championship this year, I do believe there is time to turn things around and make the playoffs. However, in order to do so, it is very clear what the most important change that needs to be made immediately. That change, as John has pointed out, is Leonard needs to be replaced immediately as the starting QB. While Angelli, Minchy and Carr are all more accurate passer than Leonard, clearly, the next man up is Angelli.

    I understand that it is a difficult decision to replace a Captain, but it’s certainly the right decision to make. Angelli is cool in the pocket and a very accurate passer. He is also a decent runner, as he demonstrated in the bowl game last year against Oregon State.

    The time is now for HC Freeman to step up to the plate and do the right thing by replacing Leonard with Angelli. This decision should put the Irish on a path to salvage the season.

    • One Historian says:

      Irish Rifle – Agreed. Put in either Angelli or Carr and let the chips fall where they may.

      This is the 3rd season where we’ve had an imported one-and-done QB – WTF?

  52. NBND75 says:

    Agree with post on Joe Montana. Joe made Devine a winning coach. Not the other way around.
    Two more points. One Riley is paid like an NFL quarterback and should be benched like one. And two, Carr looked like the real deal in the Spring. Use him now or watch him transfer to Michigan.

    • TraderZ says:

      i will spend this Saturday working in the yard on a beautiful day instead of spending over 3 hours watching another game.

      To see USC make a 180 degree improvement on Def in their first 2 games with a new DC and watch ND new OC perform worse than Tommy Rees is mi d boggling. The stench of the MAC breaking a 0-50 streak will not go away for decades.

  53. ND fan says:

    We abandoned the run for this spread style that puts tons of pressure on QB play. Without being totally one dimensional, Have to be able to push teams around a little to control clock and establish field position before even thinking about aerial attacks. Take tips from the Harbaughs.

  54. Murph says:

    Watch as Freeman screws up another season as he sticks with Leonard . Perhaps Freeman doesn’t want another season with Irish. We were going to lose with Leonard maybe a bad day but in the end Angelli should have played in the second half to provide a spark for the offense. Coaches r being paid to win not lay an egg.

  55. NBND75 says:

    Winning is the coaches responsibility, not justifying paying NFL-like salaries to transfer college quarterbacks. Nick Saban was smart enough to switch quarterbacks at halftime of a National Championship game, which resulted in another trophy for Saban. Angelli should have played the second half but our coach could not get past the embarrassment of benching his shiny new QB that cost a lot of money.
    Season looks like another Kelly-typical lost year that starts with great promise that then devolves into another year of blundering mediocrity.
    And please, no more “wake up the echoes” type slogans on t-shirts. That was a different millennium that seems to never be repeated. Unfortunately, since Hesburgh left, Notre Dame’s legacy of football prowess seems gone forever. We don’t need incessant obnoxious music to “pump-up” the fans. The band and a coach who knows what he is doing will do the trick. Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian, Devine and Holtz got the crowd into the games by winning and the place rocked. No Tulsa game stupidity or 10 men on the field for a critical goal line stand! In less than 3 years, Freeman is giving Kelly a run for his money in creating memorable Notre Dame embarrassments. I see more coming this season.
    I still love my school but wish we could live up to what it once was and represented for college football.

  56. Jamie E Schumaker says:

    Lenard is a good backup QB for a team aiming for the college playoffs. Good leader but not good enough as a starter, at least not for a team with talent and a dream.

    Staff misjudged him as a complete top 20 QB, and overlooked his lack of talent throwing downfield. Yikes.

    Coach needs to decide quickly who the starter should be, otherwise his tenure will be in jeopardy.
    Sorry, but time is running and this is big business now.

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