Notre Dame Fans Celebrate Senior Day Victory but Voice Concerns Over Performance

Notre Dame fans relished a Senior Day win but expressed concerns over some lingering issues as the regular season nears its end.

Notre Dame wide receiver Jayden Harrison (2) runs the ball down the field during a NCAA college football game against Virginia at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame wins eight game in a row by wide margin

Marcus Freeman is now 3/3 when it comes to picking up Senior Day victories in Notre Dame Stadium in his tenure after a solid defensive-led 35-14 win over Virginia. Callers to the Always Irish live postgame show were happy with the victory, Notre Dame's eight in a row, and came away impressed, yet again, at how stout the Irish defense is.

This unit continues to make plays and perform at a high level week after week. The fans appreciate how consistent this unit is. It plays winning football in every game, even the one Notre Dame lost. As for tonight's game specifically, Xavier Watts stood out as the player that fans wanted to go out of their way to mention. Not just to recognize his terrific play in this game, but rather for his entire Irish tenure.

Kicking game and offense cause some concern

Irish fans realize what a nice luxury it is to be able to complain about areas where the team needs to improve coming off of a big win.

With that in mind, callers share concern long-term over the passing game, which has failed to be a reliable part of the offense for most of the season when compared to the run games of Love, Price & Leonard. Is the Irish offense we've seen most of the year good enough to make a deep CFP run or will there need to be another level to how Notre Dame threatens defense?

The kicking game is also an area that has Irish fans on edge. Mitch Jeter is not healthy enough to kick field goals and the two players who are missed badly against Virginia. This type of thing isn't a problem until it becomes a problem.

There is now light at the end of the CFP tunnel. Notre Dame has two games left, and if it can win both it'll make the CFP field, possibly even with a home game. Two more battles must be won. This team has come too far to not seal the deal now, right?

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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