Notre Dame Football is Certainly Embodying a Quote from 'Blow'

One week after a huge win Notre Dame was hit with an all-time awful home loss. Is all lost for Irish?

Sep 7, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jaden Greathouse (1) attempts to catch a pass as Northern Illinois Huskies defensive back Jashon Prophete (1) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

“Sometimes you're flush and sometimes you're bust, and when you're up, it's never as good as it seems, and when you're down, you never think you'll be up again, but life goes on.”

Fred Jung seemed to know what he was talking about in the 2001 movie Blow, describing the highs and lows of life. Perhaps that quote can be applied to Notre Dame football two weeks into the 2024 college football season.

Texas A&M - The 'Flush"

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Joshua Burnham (4) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

A week ago Notre Dame fans were waking up the sweethearts of the college football nation, having walked into Texas A&M and snatching a victory in as crazy of atmosphere as the sports presents.

Notre Dame was rewarded handsomely, rising to No. 5 in the AP Poll and thinking about the potential home College Football Playoff game that would be coming in December.

The win wasn't a surprise to Notre Dame fans but to most of the nation, the underdog Irish went in and performed in a place it wasn't supposed to to the tune of a 23-13 victory.

Was Notre Dame as good as the top-five ranking that came following the win?

What happened this Saturday would certainly make it appear not to be.

Northern Illinois - "The Bust"

Northern Illinois Huskies kicker Kanon Woodill kicks the game winning field goal in the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. / Matt Cashore / USA TODAY NETWORK

One week later Notre Dame returned home to take on Northern Illinois in what was supposed to be a cake walk. The Irish were nearly a four touchdown favorite over the Huskies but were pushed around almost the entire afternoon.

The "what's the point?" questions are flowing through Notre Dame's legions of fans after yet another downright embarrassing home loss as a massive favorite.

Is all lost?

Is Notre Dame this bad and are we looking at the first loss in what will be a series of them going forward this year?

A 1995 Example to Hope For

September 2, 1995: 27-point underdog @NUFBFamily beats No. 9 Notre Dame 17-15 in South Bend.

NW went on to win the Big 10.
pic.twitter.com/wFOxxvgxLA

— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) September 3, 2024

In 1995, Northwestern opened the season by being a massive road underdog in an impossible place to go and win, Notre Dame Stadium. All the Wildcats did was walk into South Bend and beat Notre Dame straight up in another one of the worst Fighting Irish home losses in memory.

Any college football historian knows that Northwestern team wound up being really good as it went on to win the Big Ten and earn a spot in the Rose Bowl.

What happened the week after it stunned Notre Dame though?

It went home to Evanston to take on a MAC opponent and lost to Miami University 30-28.

Northwestern wasn't going to win a national championship after that but it did rise to No. 3 in the rankings after going unbeaten in the Big Ten with marquee wins over Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn State.

Will this Notre Dame team go on and win out this regular season and climb back into the top-five after suffering a home loss to a MAC school?

Hey, it's been done before - but a lot of things are going to need to change for Marcus Freeman and the Irish.

Notre Dame on Sports Illustrated

Instant Takeaways from Notre Dame's Massive Upset Loss to Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois Stuns Notre Dame in All-Time Upset

Marcus Freeman's Seat Warms in Big Way Following Northern Illinois Upset

Marcus Freeman and Riley Leonard discuss brutal 4th quarter interception

Notre Dame one of just five college football teams yet to do this one thing in 2024