By Pete Sampson, Stewart Mandel and Justin Williams

No. 5 Notre Dame suffered a shocking upset against Northern Illinois, losing 16-14 on Saturday in South Bend after missing a 62-yard field goal on the last play.

The Irish were 28.5-point favorites, per BetMGM, and it’s the first time NIU has beaten a top-10 team in school history.

After Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard threw an interception with 5:55 left while holding a 14-13 lead, NIU drove 31 yards in 11 plays and got a 35-yard field goal from Kanon Woodill to take the lead with 31 seconds left. The Huskies had converted one fourth down en route to the field goal but were denied another first down by a questionable spot a few plays later, forcing them to attempt the go-ahead field goal earlier than hoped. Notre Dame completed a pass into NIU territory in the final seconds before its long field goal attempt was denied.

The loss comes one week after Notre Dame seemingly made an early College Football Playoff statement with a 23-13 win at Texas A&M. Now, the Irish are left picking up the pieces following a loss to a MAC team, the second time the Fighting Irish have lost at home to an opponent from the Group of 5 under third-year coach Marcus Freeman.

“Disappointing. It’s our job as coaches to make sure these guys are ready to go,” Freeman said afterward. “I’ve always said performance is a reflection of preparation.”

This is what it’s all about.

NIU’s @NIUCoachHammock is overcome with emotion after leading his team to the win at Notre Dame! @NIU_Football | @NIUAthletics | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/K7oS9tsrTC

— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 7, 2024

What happened to Notre Dame?

Notre Dame can check its College Football Playoff hopes, which fell to 34 percent immediately after Week 2 in The Athletic’s model from 73 percent — and may look far bleaker than that.

Even if the Irish had held on against Northern Illinois, Notre Dame looked like a shell of itself after last weekend’s statement win at Texas A&M. It all left Freeman exposed at the start of his third season, which looked like a make year last weekend and a break year on Saturday.

For Notre Dame, the loss deflates a season that was supposed to define Freeman’s tenure, one way or another. Now he’s left to explain another loss to a Group of 5 team, after previously losing to Marshall in 2022. Back then, Freeman had the benefit of time. He was supposed to learn on the job as a first-time head coach. This is different. Freeman was supposed to have matured in the job entering his third year, both in roster construction and staff assembly.

Retaining defensive coordinator Al Golden and hiring offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock felt like master strokes. Plucking Leonard out of the portal from Duke felt like genius move. Instead, Notre Dame is nearly drowning in questions two weeks into the season. — Sampson

Notre Dame’s offense deflates Playoff hopes

For the second time in as many weeks, Notre Dame’s new-look offense failed to inspire — and this time it cost them the game. Last week against Texas A&M, the Irish admirably rode a couple of long touchdown runs to victory in College Station, which was enough against an even worse A&M offense. But Saturday’s loss to Northern Illinois put the spotlight squarely on those struggles, particularly in the passing game, as Leonard finished 20-for-32 for 163 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, after throwing for just 158 yards last week. In total, NIU outgained Notre Dame 388 to 286.

Freeman hired Denbrock this offseason specifically to address these concerns, bringing in a veteran play-caller and someone he worked alongside for a number of years while they were both coordinators at Cincinnati. At LSU last season, Denbrock led the most potent offense in the country in terms of points per game and yards per play, and produced a Heisman-winning QB in the process. Neither that explosiveness nor the familiarity has manifested for Notre Dame yet in 2024, but it needs to if the Irish still have any hopes of reaching the Playoff. And after Saturday, they may not. — Williams

NIU scores biggest win in program history

NIU had its moments over the year — beating No. 21 Alabama in 2003, going to the Orange Bowl in 2012 and producing Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch in 2013 – but beating a top-five Notre Dame team in South Bend is without question the biggest win in program history.

The previous highest-ranked win for the Huskies came against No. 15 Maryland on Aug. 28, 2003. It’s also the highest-ranked opponent a MAC team has ever beaten. The last time the MAC had a top-10 win was on Sept. 20, 2003, when it had two, plus NIU’s win over Alabama on the same day.

Sixth-year head coach and former NIU star running back Thomas Hammock led the Huskies to 2021 MAC championship game, but the team had been just 11-15 since then. NIU tied for third in the MAC’s preseason poll, and we’ll see if this upset becomes the prelude to another championship run.

Remember: The highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion makes the Playoff. — Mandel

Notre Dame has a quarterback problem

For all the praise directed at Leonard during the past nine months, Saturday was a reminder that little of it has been directed toward his right arm. Leonard has leadership qualities and run-game skills, but he has been a developmental passer two games into his Notre Dame career. For a quarterback with designs on playing at the next level, that must improve before the end of this season.

Leonard didn’t complete a pass of at least 20 yards against Northern Illinois and barely attempted any. He often looked hesitant reading the Northern Illinois defense and was picked off in the first half on a late throw over the middle to Jaden Greathouse. He was later picked off in NIU territory, setting up the Huskies’ winning drive.

The best of Leonard remains his rushing ability, which was ominously obvious on Notre Dame’s touchdown drive to open the game. Leonard had five rushing attempts during that drive, including the touchdown. It was as good as the Duke transfer looked in the game.

During training camp, Denbrock referenced how it took Jayden Daniels until his second season at LSU to master his offense, often not trusting his wideouts during that first fall. Leonard doesn’t have that kind of time. — Sampson

Why Notre Dame’s defense struggled

Notre Dame’s defense staged a professional performance last weekend at Texas A&M. The Irish didn’t allow a run of 10 yards or more. They didn’t allow a pass beyond 20 yards. They gave up just 13 points.

That all fell apart against Northern Illinois as the Huskies worked misdirection into the game plan at the expense of the younger Irish linebackers. Ethan Hampton hit running backs Antario Brown for an 83-yard touchdown in the first quarter with Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa in coverage. Brown put up a 43-yard reception later in the quarter. The Huskies also posted a 28-yard run.

.@ethan_hampton4 finds @S1imeBrown and takes it 83-yards to the HOUSE!! @NIU_Football | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/ei7PTsK81U

— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 7, 2024

It’s hard to square how Notre Dame’s younger linebackers — Viliamu-Asa, Drayk Bowen, Jaylen Sneed and Jaiden Ausberry — could regress so much in a each, although Ausberry made a big third-down stop and a fourth-down pass break-up in the second half. Whatever the reason, Golden and linebackers coach Max Bullough have a problem to solve heading toward next week’s game against Purdue.

Jack Kiser might be a reliable captain of the defense, but he needs help. — Sampson

“We’re 1-1. We have to accept that fact. But we have a long season ahead of us.” – Xavier Watts

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 7, 2024

What’s next?

Notre Dame resumes its in-state rivalry against Purdue with a trip to West Lafayette next Saturday, followed by home games against Miami (OH) and Louisville before an Oct. 5 idle date.

NIU has an off week to celebrate its monumental win in South Bend before hosting Buffalo on Sept. 21 and visiting NC State for another chance at a Power 4 upset on Sept. 28.

 (Photo: Brian Spurlock / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner defeated American Taylor Fritz to win the 2024 U.S. Open for the first time in his career.

It’s the second Grand Slam victory for Sinner. He won the Australian Open earlier this year.

Sinner made quick work of Fritz at Flushing Meadows, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. He won eight straight sets to finish the U.S. Open. He defeated Jack Draper in straight sets in the semifinals and won the final two sets against Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.

Sinner was the top seed heading into the tournament, but his entrance was under a shroud of controversy. He tested positive for low levels of metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use. Still, he was allowed to play in the U.S. Open and took advantage of it.

He received support from Andre Agassi during the tournament, believing that it was an honest mistake.

TAYLOR SWIFT, BRITTANY MAHOMES HUG IT OUT AT US OPEN AMID CHIEFS STAR’S WIFE’S TRUMP CONTROVERSY

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, to win the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, in New York.  (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

“Was that material? I don’t believe it was material, nor do I believe he would ever take a risk to put that little of – it’s not possible,” he told Fox News Digital in August. “Nobody is going to purposely take that risk. So, I do believe it.”

He defeated Michael McDonald, Alex Michelsen, Christopher O’Connell and Tommy Paul before moving through Medvedev, Draper and finally Fritz.

Fritz was in search of putting American tennis back on top of the men’s side for the first time since 2003. An American men’s tennis player hasn’t won a Grand Slam tournament since then.

Taylor Fritz defeated fellow American and friend Frances Tiafoe in five sets to advance to the U.S. Open final. (Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK)

It was the best finish of Fritz’s career.

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Lee Carsley was one of the first men out from the England dressing room, almost an hour before kick-off. He only had the England goalkeepers for company and he stood arms crossed in the middle of the pitch watching them work.

Eventually, the outfield players and the rest of the staff came out to join him. Carsley stood, arms behind his back, discussing the drills with Ashley Cole. But he wanted to get involved and so with just half an hour to go before his England tenure began, Carsley was there near a mountain of footballs, firing in passes to Kobbie Mainoo and Declan Rice so they could take the ball on the half-turn and drive forward.

Closer and closer to kick-off, Carsley was still out there working with his players. He would stand on the edge of the box, grappling with an attacking player who would then get past him and try to convert a cutback. Only with 20 minutes left before kick-off did Carsley run back into the England dressing room.

Carsley said on Friday, when explaining why he does not sing the national anthem, that in the period immediately before kick-off he is wary of his “mind wandering off” and that he is thinking obsessively about how the game will go and how the opposition will set up. Maybe that explains why he accidentally walked into the home rather than away dugout when he emerged from the tunnel.

But what is certainly clear is that Carsley lives for this stuff: the little details with players, the precise work of preparation, the tactical scenarios he might have to face. The characterisation of the old regime was that Gareth Southgate was the public-facing leader while Steve Holland oversaw the nuts and bolts of the football. Carsley, however, appears to relish the football minutiae more than anyone.

Even at half-time, you could see Carsley, before he went in to speak to his players, sat in the dugout with his iPad. He explained afterwards that this is where he keeps all of the notes he made during the long thinking time before the game. “If they change to a four, this is how we can build. If they change to a three, this is how we can build.” So he refreshed his memory on key tactical points before going in and giving his players a few key tactical messages, just two or three bullet points for them to take on board.

This is just one small aspect of what has been a fascinating first look at Carsley in his first game in the England job. This weekend has made clear that as much as Carsley might talk about how he wants to build on Southgate’s work — he was very keen to say this was not a “fresh start” — the reality is that he is his own man and will do things his own way.

There was a lot to like about the football England played in the first half, the small tweaks Carsley had made to his Southgate inheritance. Anthony Gordon played as a high and wide winger, running in behind, and his run led to England’s first goal. Declan Rice was released to go box-to-box thanks to Trent Alexander-Arnold shifting into midfield behind him. Rice scored the first goal and set up the second.

Goals from Rice and Grealish gave Carsley victory (Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Carsley denied that we were watching the launch of ‘Carsball’ and insisted that this was not his style, but rather that of the players, so they should receive the credit. And yet the fact is players did things today that they did not always do under Southgate — and Carsley is the man responsible for that.

This international window was always going to be a learning experience as Carsley stepped into the senior job for the first time. He looked as if he loved the occasion, saying it was the proudest day of his career. Just to see him crouched down in the technical area, you could see a man living every minute, trying to process every little detail in front of him on the pitch.

And if the England job was only about picking players, coaching, tactics and systems, then you might well say that Carsley was perfect for the job. Here is someone who understands the system, knows the players, and can now fine-tune the team into winners.

But the other lesson of this weekend is that there is another side to being England manager. It involves being the public face and voice of English football, expected to have a considered view on almost everything. It means being able to speak comfortably on endless non-football topics (you might remember the row about the amended St George’s cross on England’s collars) and at times having to choose your words very carefully under great pressure.

This was the side of the job Southgate was exceptional at, pitch-perfect on almost every topic, so much so that he swiftly became the spokesman for the soul of the national game. (No one expected Roy Hodgson or Fabio Capello to do this.) Carsley has only been in the job for one game but has already found himself at the centre of one big controversy over whether he will sing the national anthem.

He gave an honest, genuine and entirely justifiable answer to the question on Friday, but it was also the type of situation Southgate was so good at defusing. Instead, it made the front page of two national newspapers and the back of many others, with The Telegraph saying he “can’t expect to manage England” if he doesn’t sing the anthem and a columnist in fellow right-wing paper The Daily Mail calling for him to be sacked before kick-off. It feels as if this is the side of the job, being that public spokesman, with every word scrutinised, where Carsley will have to learn fast.

Carsley does seem to accept that this comes with the territory. He will also know there will be more issues like this down the line. “I think you’ve probably got to accept that with that (job) does come a bit of judgement,” he said when asked if the fuss was all worth it. “I don’t feel hard done by. We move forward.”

(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)