Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 27, 2025 13 UNDER THE DOME "I personally think because they competed in these games — they took Miami down to the wire and competed and lost late; obviously this game with A&M, competed down to the wire — when the dust settles, we're going to see A&M is a very good football team. I don't think this season's over. I don't think they're done even if they finish 10-2. There's so much football left to be played. I'm actu- ally impressed with Notre Dame." — ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit " They were 1-1 last year but they lost as a 28-point favorite to Northern Illinois, and you had legitimate questions about Marcus Freeman as a coach, you had legitimate questions about the pro- gram overall, losing a game like that to Northern Illinois at home. This year, they lost a road game by three and a home game against a much bet- ter Texas A&M team by one point. Those are two teams that could be in the College Football Playoff. "I think that Notre Dame — obviously, they don't have a margin for error, which is exactly where they were last year; they couldn't lose another game after losing to NIU — but I actually think that this year, I would feel a little bit better about [the Irish]. The NIU loss was that cataclysmic in the moment that I think they're in a better spot today." — Barstool Sports' Dan "Big Cat" Katz "The luck of the Irish, right? Or, the bad luck of the Irish. Been a lot of people panicking about the regression defensively. Last year, this was the bell cow. And they were dismantled by an Aggie team that nearly went for 500 yards. The secondary es- pecially not being able to get guys on the ground when they make plays. Allowing Mario Craver to torch them through the air. Marcel Reed com- pleted less than 50 percent of his passes, but he averaged over 21 yards per completion. So they're getting big plays, most of which on catch-and-runs. "A lot of people are saying, 'There's no pass rush.' I disagree. I thought there were several times they were close but they just couldn't finish. The foot- ball god, the football voodoo, whatever you want to chalk it up to, last year it always sort of felt like the ball bounced Notre Dame's way. So far, early in the year, it feels like it's kind of the exact opposite." — ESPN analyst Greg McElroy "Can I say that I'm both still impressed and con- cerned all at the same time? Listen, this has got to be the best 0-2 team that we've seen in a long time. These two losses are just devastating. One of them on the road at a very good Miami team. And then this one against Texas A&M, which, again, looks like a team that can really cause some trou- ble in the top end of the SEC. "So, I don't think Notre Dame is a bad team. In fact, and I know this sound crazy, and I don't nor- mally compliment the AP poll, but I'm glad Notre Dame stayed in the AP poll." — FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt "Notre Dame is two games removed from play- ing for a national championship. This is not the start to the following season that anyone there imagined, but it shouldn't change perceptions of the program's upward trajectory under Marcus Freeman. He may have made a bad DC hire after Al Golden left for the Bengals. Time will tell. But we have very recent evidence that Freeman's Irish can compete at the highest level." — Stewart Mandel of The Athletic "It is the perfect logo. It might be the best logo in all of sports. And then the fact that you have that at your disposal and then we're getting the logo with the football, yeah, that may be a cool, alternate logo, but if I were the head coach at Notre Dame the only thing I would be wearing at all times would be that one, the one with the old leprechaun squaring up." — On3's Ari Wasserman on Notre Dame's alternate leprechaun logo with him running the football PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Irish On Social Media THEY SAID IT THEY SAID IT "For all the offseason talk about CHRIS ASH enhancing the defense, adding zone schemes and mixing up personnel, the product has been a disaster through two games. Ash took a defense that was aggressive and fast, then reduced it to a tentative and reactionary unit. The Irish don't get pressure. There's no havoc. He's asking players recruited to play in-your- face-man to read everything out as receivers fly past them." — Pete Sampson of The Athletic