Notre Dame Football: What Can We Trust About the Fighting Irish Now?

Notre Dame's NIU loss carries big implications. Can we trust anything about this team now?

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

After a heroic Week 1 win, some familiar worries are creeping back in for Notre Dame

What can you trust about the Notre Dame Football team?

Not having an answer to that question at this point in the Marcus Freeman era may be the most disturbing part of Notre Dame's nightmare upset loss to Northern Illinois.

A loss like this, in Year 3 of a tenure, with ultra-experienced coordinators and what was thought to be a great staff, forces one to question everything.

How did Notre Dame show up to its first home game so seemingly unprepared?

Why did the O execute so poorly? Despite the big win over Texas A&M, Freeman is now under the microscope for all the wrong reasons. This loss is unacceptable.

#collegefootball

🚨#5 NOTRE DAME UPSET!!!🚨

the unranked Northern Illinois Huskies SHOCKS ND in South Bend in front of their crowd!!!! 😲😲😲

SHOCKER OF THE DECADE!!!!#ncaafootball pic.twitter.com/XqOKAImgHM

— SYL ABDUL SPORTS (@sylabdulsports) September 7, 2024

Time to also question what you thought you knew about the roster?

Notre Dame's vaunted defense only gave up 16 points. That should be enough to win any game. But at the same time, allowing nearly 200 yards of offense on the ground and through the air to Northern Illinois is an awful day.

Allowing one player, Antario Brown to burn you all-day the way he did is unfathomable.

Offensively Notre Dame's passing game struggled all day and the run game was inconsistent at best putting up a meager 123 yards.

It appeared the NIU dominated the lines of scrimmage all day and were creating great push. How can this be?

What does this say about Notre Dame's roster? There sure seems to be more questions than answers in South Bend at the moment.

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