Notre Dame returns home for its first home game of the 2024 season today, fresh off their 23-13 win over Texas A&M on the road a week ago. The Irish face MAC opponent Northern Illinois for the first time as heavy favorites. However, their biggest opponent of the day might be themselves as they look to avoid an emotional letdown.
What Worries Me This Week
Emotional letdown
A home game against a MAC opponent a week after a big emotional road win is usually a recipe for an emotional letdown. Hopefully, the first home game of the year gives the Irish enough juice to avoid a total letdown, but it’s reasonable to expect the Irish to start a little slow. Marcus Freeman showed that he knows how to push the right buttons with this team last week, though with the emotion he displayed in the tunnel before the Irish took the field last week, so look for Freeman to try and set the tone early again.
Explosive plays from Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois simply can’t hang with Notre Dame all game if they are forced to go on long, sustained drives all game, but they do have playmakers who can make things interesting with explosive plays. Notre Dame did not allow a single explosive play to Texas A&M last weekend, but Northern Illinois has enough firepower to record some this week if the Irish defense slips up just a little bit. The only way for the Huskies to make this a game is by hitting some big plays, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Irish came and played a little risk-averse early to prevent that from happening.
What Doesn’t Worry Me This Week
Notre Dame’s vertical passing game
Notre Dame did what it had to do offensively to beat Texas A&M a week ago. That meant very little vertical passing since the Aggies have an elite pass rush, and the Irish have a green offensive line. That should change today. Don’t look for Notre Dame to simply air it out every down, but they will take some shot plays this weekend. They need to start developing that part of the offense if they want to make a serious run at the playoffs and if they want to salvage wide receiver recruiting for the class of 2025.
The passing game doesn’t need to be perfect today, but it does need to take a step forward today because the Irish will need it later this season – especially if they make it to the playoffs.
Riley Leonard needing to run as much
Along with seeing more vertical passing, I expect to see a lot less of Riley Leonard running the ball today. If he has more attempts than he did a week ago, something went very wrong today. Notre Dame needs to use Leonard’s leg wisely this season, given his injury history, and this is the kind of game in which they should keep Leonard’s planned runs to a minimum. If there is something there for him in an RPO, take it. Otherwise, let the dynamic duo of Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love do their thing and get the passing game going.
Notre Dame’s young offensive line
If the Irish OL can survive a trip to Kyle Field and the Aggie defensive line, I am not worried about it today. That doesn’t mean it’ll be perfect. There will still be some moments where it looks like an offensive line that only had six career starts before last weekend, but overall, the offensive line will be more than fine against Northern Illinois.
Players to Watch
Kris Mitchell – Jordan Faison beat Mitchell for the starting field receiver position in camp but is out for the next week or two. That gives Mitchell a huge opportunity that I think he’ll take with a big game today.
Beaux Collins – He sure looked like WR1 last week. Is that going to be the case every week, or was it just a good game for the Clemson transfer? We’ll get a clue about that today.
Mitch Evans – His “pitch count” increased today, and it would be shocking if he didn’t get a target or two. Like the passing game overall, Notre Dame needs him at 100% later this season, so hopefully, he gets a bit more involved today.
Boubacar Traore – I just have a feeling that today is the day that a lot of Notre Dame fans see how good he can be.
Kyngstonn Villiamu-Asa – KVA looked like anything but a freshman last week. For the first time in a long time, Notre Dame has a deep, talented, and fast linebacking corps. How the snaps get divided between KVA and Drayk Bowen, who was also great last week, will be interesting.
Anthonie Knapp – He played about as well as anyone could have hoped for last week against a future first-round draft pick. It’ll be interesting to watch how he responds to that.
Prediction Time
Look for Notre Dame to start a little sluggish. It wouldn’t shock me if Northern Illinois scored an early touchdown and the Irish offense started slow. In the end, though, Notre Dame will look like the top-5 team it is and win comfortably.
Notre Dame 41, Northern Illinois 13
Denbrock is an absolute joke
Need a new qb
Unbelievable
Same old Same old, MARSHALL 2 years ago Stanford last year & NORTHERN ILLINOIS this year! Freeman never seems to have the team prepared against mediocre opponents, and thats unacceptable. Offense every year looks the same no matter who the O COORDINATOR is which is Helpless. Leonard has a weak arm & couldnt move the offense all game, i dont know why they kept passing wen they were running so easily today. Year 3 & NO IMPROVEMENT from year 1 of freeman, qb play is avg. wr’s never get open downfield its hard to watch.
So done
Wtf..I am done
This site doesn’t even work right. Just like the ND football program.
I’m glad I went there when the football team won a National Championship.
Yet another season is over. At least it’s early this year. No worries about hoping for a CFP. A loss like this and it’s a done deal.
Yet another opposing coach with a vastly inferior squad can go to his grave having upset Notre Dame. But Notre Dame has been vulnerable since Lou left. So that’s a lifetime for most of you.
Notre Dame might have a chance when the Big 10 and the SEC outright form their prison leagues. But if today is a marker not reallly.
Once again the coaches didn’t have the pulse of the team, didn’t out scout their opponent and frankly had no answers.
Steve Angeli probably should have been inserted at some point. One has to ask why no real down field catches. Why not more explosive run plays.
For sure why not more strength in the trenches. Frankly the Notre Dame OL and DL were standing straight up a lot. No leverage. This week’s practice had to be a waste.
If Notre Dame had arrived then this would have been a blow out. Notre Dame is where it’s been for the last decades.
Well at least some kids got some great NIL contracts. Kudos for the money.
Well said
dear ND. tomorrow, please fire denbrock and beg the northern illinois offensive coordinator to take the job, it is quite obvious he knows how to keep a “nfl caliber” defense on its heels. Also, please save millions of dollars paying MAC teams to come to south bend and kick our ass. it would be easier if we just forfeit the games. since brian kelly can’t win the big games, and marcus freeman can’t win the easy games..i say we start over! WTF!
Marcus Freedom should be 100% on the hot seat after this game.
Oof
Mike Denbrock receiving a paycheck this week is what is grinding my gears right now.
There is a reason why denbrock is not a head coach!!
It gets real old that we get nail biting games against an opponent ND should be curb stomping. Unfortunately, this isn’t new thing. I am not a fan of RL’s play at QB either. If he has won the starting ND QB competition then that doesn’t say much about the ND QB room. Irish need to wake the hell up, both on O and the D.
14-13 with two chances to extend the lead and the offense has two straight three and outs.
Absolute clown show
There is nothing positive to say about Mike Denbrock right now.
Notre Dame 52-13
Like I predicted ACCURATELY last week . . . the winner is . . .
“1. the team with the most chunk plays and/or 2. the team with the fewest turnovers “ repeats Capt. Obvious.
Don’t sleep on my IL state school from DeKalb, where barbed wire originated, with 18 returning starters, Start fast, Irish. Don’t be surprised if it’s close at halftime.