Marcus Freeman's Four-Word Statement After Upset Loss Leaves Notre Dame Fans Furious

The No. 5-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish welcomed the unranked Northern Illinois Huskies to South Bend for a Week 2 college football matchup on Saturday, September 7.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish entered the game as a 28.5-point favorite over the visiting Huskies. But what should've been an easy tune-up win for Notre Dame ultimately ended in a stunning upset loss.

Notre Dame went into the halftime break with a 13-7 deficit. The Irish reclaimed the lead with a touchdown in the third quarter, then the Huskies responded with a go-ahead field goal in the fourth.

NIU blocked a game-winning field goal attempt from Notre Dame as the clock expired, securing a 16-14 win in South Bend.

This final score marks the third massive upset loss at Notre Dame Stadium in the Marcus Freeman coaching era. In 2022, the Fighting Irish lost to Marshall and Stanford at home.

Freeman addressed this fact during his postgame media availability.

"We've been here before," Freeman said, via Notre Dame beat reporter Pete Sampson of The Athletic.

This statement didn't exactly inspire confidence among Notre Dame fans.

"We know. That doesn’t make it better. Fireable loss. Find a new QB," one wrote.

"And that is EXACTLY the problem," another said.

"Not something I’d be quick to remind people of," another added.

"Every season we're here," another wrote.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, a transfer from Duke, finished the game with 163 passing yards and two interceptions on 20-32 passing. NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton finished with 198 yards and one touchdown on 10-19 passing.

Freeman and the Fighting Irish will look to bounce back in a matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, September 14.

Related: NIU Coach's Postgame Interview Goes Viral After Stunning Notre Dame