The biggest long-term concerns for Notre Dame following NIU loss

Notre Dame losing to NIU has caused quite a stir in South Bend. Losing to a MAC school is never acceptable for the Fighting Irish, let alone in front of the home crowd. A disastrous day for the program, there might be bigger problems ahead than suffering the upset against NIU.

Tyler Horka of On3’s Blue and Gold Illustrated is pointing to the Notre Dame offense as the biggest long-term concern. Only 37 points have been put on the board through two games while he ball is not being moved at an efficient rate either.

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“I go to the offensive side of the ball,” Horka said. “… You’ve got to be able to prove that you can move the ball on people. It was a problem for Notre Dame at Texas A&M as well. We’ve got to remember, that was a 13-13 game late in the fourth quarter.”

Week 1 against Texas A&M provided 356 total yards on offense, going up against what is thought to be a good Aggie front seven. NIU had even more success, though, holding Notre Dame to 286 yards. Just 163 of that came through the air with Riley Leonard despite the quarterback attempting 33 passes.

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Horka mentioned the interception Riley threw in the fourth quarter against NIU as an “indefensible” throw, maybe in recent Notre Dame quarterback history. Bottom line, those moments cannot happen moving forward for Riley — he must be better if things are going to get turned around.

Saturday’s matchup against Purdue is a good test to see how much Notre Dame has improved following the NIU loss. Low-scoring games have been the theme thus far but Boilermakers quarterback Hudson Card has impressed early in the 2024 season. Notre Dame’s offense will need to find their production to stay competitive in West Lafayette.

“Mike Denbrock and company have to get something going there,” Horka said. “Especially going to Purdue who has a pretty good offense with Hudson Card, the former Texas quarterback. Had one of his best games of his career there in the season opener. Maybe the Boilermakers might be licking their chops, knowing they can put some points on the board and keep points off the board for the Irish.”

Notre Dame has not been under .500 under head coach Marcus Freeman since an 0-2 start during the 2022 season. Dropping one to Purdue would put them in unfamiliar territory and likely derail any chances of making the College Football Playoff.

A quick turnaround is needed and Horka is calling on the offense to step up.