Northern Illinois vs. Notre Dame game balls
Coming off an emotional, hard-fought and draining 23-13 Fighting Irish win at Texas A&M last weekend in a battle of two top-20 teams, Notre Dame had to guard against a letdown in its home opener today as a four-touchdown favorite against Northern Illinois.
It never happened.
In what ended up the first-ever win over a top-10 team in its program history, NIU came into Notre Dame Stadium and pulled a monumental 16-14 upset over the the four-touchdown favorite Irish in what will remain one of the worst losses of the entire 2024 college football season, and one that already puts Notre Dame playoff hopes in limbo.
Given the epic upset, it’s difficult to give out Notre Dame game balls, but we’ll give it a try, nonetheless.
Linebacker Jaiden Ausberry
The Notre Dame sophomore was all over the field against NIU, often making plays in critical times and in crucial situations.
Ausberry finished the game with 5 tackles, 2 solo, and added 1 pass breakup.
Most of Ausberry’s best work came in the fourth quarter when he recorded 2 tackles behind or near the line of scrimmage, and then made a key pass breakup on a 4th-down and 2-yards for NIU that flipped possession, and protected a precarious 14-13 Irish lead that didn’t end up holding up.
Ausberry provided Notre Dame a needed lift Saturday and proved he can be a reliable rotational regular moving forward.
Tailback Jeremiyah Love
Again, with not much to choose from offensively for Notre Dame as far as game balls, the Irish sophomore gets the nod for doing his part.
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Love finished the game with a team-high 79 yards on 11 carries, a stat line that included a 34-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave the Irish a 14-13 lead that seemed to change momentum and put Notre Dame on track for a hard-fought comeback win.
A dual-threat player, Love also added 2 receptions for 10 yards in the game, but none of it was enough in the devastating defeat.
Safety Xavier Watts
The Irish graduate and reigning national defensive player of the year didn’t enjoy his best game against NIU, but he still led the Irish with 8 tackles, 6 solo, and added 1 pass breakup.
The heartbeat of the Irish defense, Watts also earned a game-ball in the 10-point win over Texas A&M, when he recorded 3 tackles and a clutch interception that squashed an important Aggies drive and kept upset hopes intact.
Watts’ standout performance in the season opener — and his game ball selection against NIU — felt plenty hollow after the biggest win during the Marcus Freeman era was followed a week later by the worst defeat the Irish head coach has suffered during his three-plus years on the job.
