It only took 4 minutes vs. Purdue for Notre Dame fans to rip Chris Ash again

Ash has people nervous once again.
Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Chris Ash on the sideline during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Chris Ash on the sideline during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

That didn't take long at all. First, that was what Notre Dame football fans were thinking when CJ Carr tossed a complete and total DIME to Malachi Fields for a long TD on the very first play on offense for the Irish. Then, the defense took the field...

And to say things didn't go well would be an understatement. Purdue drove right down the field and tied things up in the blink of an eye. The drive ended with a trick play by Purdue, with running back Devin Mockobee taking a handoff and then throwing the ball back to quarterback Ryan Browne. It was a nifty play, but the Notre Dame defense wasn't ready for it at all. That's on Chris Ash.

Notre Dame football fans are back to calling out Chris Ash early on vs. Purdue

So, just after four minutes and two seconds, the Irish faithful are back to letting Ash know they've had it with him? Unfortunately, that's the case. Notre Dame entered Week 4 sitting at 0-2, losing its first two games to Miami and Texas A&M.

In the loss to the Aggies, the Notre Dame offense was sensational, but Ash's defense gave up 41 points in the heartbreaking loss. Whenever your team scores 40 points, you've got to figure it's going to be more than enough to come away with a win. However, that wasn't how things went down vs. A&M, with Ash's unit not having any answers for Marcel Reed and Co.

When Ash first was hired by Notre Dame, the expectation was that he'd be able to get the Irish defense rocking and operating at a high level. Early on this season, things just haven't gone to plan there. Ash needs to figure things out and soon. It's unfortunate that people are already calling for him to be fired. It's on the veteran coach to change the narrative there.