For the second straight season, Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame football team has found a way to lose its second game of the season, when it had every opportunity to win. Last year, it was Northern Illinois in a loss that no one saw coming. This year, it's a better opponent, but a poorly played game, especially on defense, and the special teams has the Blue and Gold sitting at 0-2 in a season they thought was a sure college football playoff season.
There were plenty of questions surrounding this program after its loss to the Miami Hurricanes in Week 1. There are even more questions after Week 3. Right at the top of the list is, "is Chris Ash the worst hire of the Marcus Freeman era?"
A defense that was porous in its first game of the season was horrendous on Saturday night. When the smoke cleared on the 41-40 loss, the Notre Dame football team had allowed 488 yards and 360 yards through the air.
Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame playoff hopes unravel in brutal loss to Texas A&M
And while Chris Ash's defense has left a lot to be desired in the first two games, it was a mistake by veteran holder Tyler Buchner that unfortunately led directly to the loss.
After the Irish scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to take a 40-34 lead, Buchner first fumbled the snap on the extra point kick and then, despite having a receiver in the end zone who seemed to have position on the defender, threw the football like he's never held one. Despite his claim to fame as a quarterback.
While there's plenty of blame to go around for yet another ugly loss and a 0-2 start, it doesn't really matter who the finger points at in the end. A season that was supposed to be one of playoffs and possible top seeds has already turned into one where the Notre Dame football team has been dismissed as a pretender to the throne.