So I was frustrated with the way the defense played against Northern Illinois.

I, by the way, I can't wait until I can stop saying the words Northern Illinois.

I don't know why I can't say that phrase very well or that word very well, but I don't say it well.

And I can't wait to stop talking about it.

And that's part of the reason I get so ticked off that they lost that game is because I have to keep saying Northern Illinois.

But that's where we are. I was not happy with how the defense played in that game.

But they didn't lose that game primarily because of the defense. The defense played a role.

You know, the first, the first bad thing to happen in that game was the defense.

Think about it. The offense got the ball, went down to score to touchdown first drive.

Special teams pins northern Illinois at its two-yard line.

Defense gives up a 98-yard touchdown.

The defense got the bad crap started, and the

defense kind of finished it by your offense has a horrible interception, doesn't take anything

away from how bad the offense was. But they got the ball with almost five and a half minutes left,

a little over five and a half minutes, and you didn't get the ball back to less than a minute,

and they went down and kicked the field goal. He had multiple chances to stop them from scoring and you

couldn't do it. So the offense was a bigger culprit, but the defense absolutely played a role,

but at the same time, it did only give up 16 points. The biggest issue for Notre Dame in a lot

of these games has been the offense. The defense had its chances to win the Marshall game,

but it was winning in spite of the offense.

The defense had chances to win the Stanford game in 2022,

but it would have been winning in spite of the offense.

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