Even if Notre Dame football “washed away” its loss to Northern Illinois earlier this season with the way it has played since one Fighting Irish star is concerned what happened that day could happen again. The biggest reason he’s worried is that there are no answers to why it happened in the first place.
The Fighting Irish get to sit and wait and watch this week. But they should also work to ensure that from today until the end of the season, they play like they did against Texas A&M rather than NIU.
Count former Notre Dame football superstar Tim Brown among those who wish there were answers about how the NIU game happened. Appearing on Chicago Sports Network earlier this week, he laid out his most significant concern for the season, even as the Irish gear up for their final push.
.@81TimBrown's only concern about Notre Dame moving forward?
— Chicago Sports Network (@CHSN__) November 1, 2024
Not repeating week 2's performance against NIU. pic.twitter.com/28I6XmIrF7
Notre Dame football needs to avoid another bizarre letdown
“I think the only concern they should have is not to repeat week two. You know, if they can find a way not to lay an egg like they did at home versus NIU again this year, I think this team is going to be competitive, and I think that's through the playoffs.”
Brown wants someone to come up with a reason. Until they do, he’s going to find things frightening.
“So, you know, that's a scary situation because nobody really has a reason for why that happened. And how do you stop it from happening if you don't know why it happened, right? So I think that's the biggest concern that any Irish fan should have at this particular point.”
Brown isn’t wrong. Back when Week 2 first happened, there were more than a few Notre Dame football fans who didn’t like the lack of answers from Marcus Freeman. The season has tamped down concerns, but it’s top of mind, there’s no doubt about that.