Okay, let’s talk about this “notre dame loss” thing. It’s been buzzing around, and I decided to dig into it. Here’s what I did.
First, I had to check out what actually happened. I mean, I heard Notre Dame lost, but how? So, I started watching the game, at least the recording. Northern Illinois, this team that was supposed to be a cakewalk, was holding their own. They were actually playing better. I was shocked! It was like watching a car crash in slow motion. You could see it coming, but it was still unbelievable.
Then I looked deeper into the stats. This wasn’t just a lucky win. Northern Illinois was outrushing, outgaining, winning the turnover battle, and they were just tougher than Notre Dame. I mean, the numbers didn’t lie. It was 190-123 for rushing, 388-286 for total yards, and 2-0 for turnovers. It’s crazy.
So I thought, “What are people saying about this?” I started reading articles, comments, everything. People were saying that Notre Dame maybe didn’t respect Northern Illinois enough. Like they took it for granted. I even saw this Kirk Herbstreit guy questioning their respect. You know, that’s probably it.
Then, the game… the final minutes. I watched Kanon Woodill kick that 35-yard field goal for Northern Illinois, 31 seconds left. Then, Notre Dame tried for a 62-yard field goal to tie it up, but Cade Haberman blocked it as time expired. It was insane! Northern Illinois won 16-14. I couldn’t believe it.
And get this, Notre Dame was a nearly 30-point favorite to win. 30 points! And they got outplayed and outcoached the whole game. It was wild, I’m telling ya.
After that, I did some more digging. Turns out, Notre Dame has had 22 undefeated seasons, 12 of them perfect! They’ve been on NBC since 1991. They were so close to playing for a national championship. So close!
Here’s my take on it:
- Underestimation: Notre Dame probably underestimated Northern Illinois. They were thinking about bigger games, maybe.
- Preparation: Northern Illinois was just better prepared. They had a plan, and they stuck to it.
- Mental Toughness: Northern Illinois was mentally tougher. They didn’t back down, even when they were behind.
- Execution: Northern Illinois executed their game plan better. They made fewer mistakes.
So, that’s my deep dive into the Notre Dame loss. It was a crazy game, and it just shows that anything can happen in sports. You gotta respect your opponent, no matter what. Or else, you might end up on the wrong side of a 16-14 upset.
