Distraught Notre Dame Fanbase Calls Into Postgame Radio Show

The Irish sadness hotline was on fire after Notre Dame's upset loss

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. / Michael Clubb / USA TODAY NETWORK

When you host a postgame radio call-in show, you take the good with the bad

The Always Irish radio call-in postgame show after the Texas A&M game was the most fun show I've ever hosted. Everyone in Notre Dame nation was so genuinely happy.

Getting that win was a huge sigh of relief. Just one week later, the show after the unthinkable loss to Northern Illinois was the second toughest I've ever hosted, next only to last year's Ohio State game aftermath.

Irish fans were starting to think that Notre Dame had turned a corner after last week and that the team was on rock-solid, stable footing. This type of loss proves that to be untrue. This fan base is shaken up, devastated, and hurt. These Irish fans needed to be heard.

What comes next for Notre Dame?

Notre Dame fans have no idea what is going to come next. Is the Freeman era heading in the right direction? Can the Irish bounce back from this or will this performance doom their season and playoff hopes?

While the call lines were not fun to navigate this week, it was cathartic for both me as the host and for the callers to be able to vent on a very rough day.

We may not have an Irish win today, but we have a community full of people all bonded by strong mutual care for something. And that's a comfort to everyone involved in tough times.

Notre Dame Head Coach and QB Discuss Costly 4th Quarter Interception vs. Northern Illinois

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