Notre Dame football: Irish have to regroup quickly for Cal
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team suffered one of their worst losses in recent memory on Saturday, but they must regroup quickly against Cal.
On Sunday night, sounds coming from the practice field let the world know that the Notre Dame football team is not giving up on their season. The Irish have already hit the group running for their Week 3 matchup against Cal, a game they desperately need to keep their season from spiraling out of control.
According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Irish are still heavily favored in this matchup despite the terrible loss to Marshall in Week 2. Notre Dame football opens up as 11.5-point favorites against the Golden Bears, a team that has won their first two games of the season on the strength of a very tough defense.
Cal also has already notched a win against a Notre Dame football 2022 opponent, UNLV, so we will get a good indication on whether or not that will be a winnable game for the program as well. Overall, the Irish should be able to knock off the Golden Bears at home, but as we saw last Saturday, anything is possible.
Notre Dame football still has a lot to play for
The Irish are also familiar with Cal’s starting quarterback, Jack Plummer, who the Irish played against last season when he was the starter for Purdue. The Irish defense held the quarterback to a season-low in terms of passing yards to that point, and he was eventually replaced in the starting lineup.
On Saturday, they will get another look at Plummer, and hopefully, can frustrate him once more.
Two losses have knocked the Irish out of the CFP picture, that is clear, and they are now going to have to claw their way back into the top 25, after being dropped from No. 8 to outside of it this week. There is still plenty to play for, especially for the younger players, as they look to gain experience and welcome in a loaded 2023 class this offseason.
Marcus Freeman is also still looking for win No. 1 as head coach of this Notre Dame football team, so you can expect a fired-up Irish squad to take the field inside Notre Dame Stadium next Saturday afternoon.