If you are a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, you have more than likely had BOTH of the following thoughts in each game so far:
1.) “We are unbeatable.”
2.) “We cannot hang on to the ball!”
What’s so frustrating about losing the last two games is that the Irish have clearly dominated each one…and I truly mean dominated. In the first game against South Florida, the Golden Domers put up 508 net yards of offense, compared to the Bulls’ 254. On Saturday night at the Big House, ND had over 500 yards of total offense again and controlled the clock. The Irish had the ball for over 37 minutes! But, the team lost both games.
The reason? It’s simple…turnovers! The Irish committed five turnovers against USF, many in the redzone. Tack on another five in the game Saturday night, and you have yourselves an 0-2 start.
To be fair, that might go down in NCAA history as one of the greatest finishes we’ll ever see. There were three touchdowns in the last 72 seconds of the game. But, if you’re an Irish fan, you realize it should have never come down to that.
This team is thrilling to watch and you can see the potential that it has. It’s just a matter of time before they start winning. Literally, I don’t know if ANYONE in the country can beat them (if they play like they have minus the turnovers). Tommy Rees is clearly the guy for the future and the pieces are around him. But, again, all that matters is the present.
Now, comes the real test…how the team recovers from two heartbreaking losses. The schedule they have will not be favorable though. Michigan State always puts up a fight against the Irish, and plus, this year, Sparty is already No. 15 in the country.
What could have been a GREAT season for Notre Dame is already starting to look like a disaster. The bright side (if there is one) is that the team has definitely turned a corner. It just needs to pick up the Ws.