Print Edition for The Observer for Monday, September 9, 2024

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VOLUME 59, ISSUE 6 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

Notre Dame falls to unranked NIU 16-14

By MATHEW CROW Sports Writer

This was a tough one to see coming. It’s not as if we haven’t seen it before for Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman, as the 2022 defeat to Marshall in the Irish home opener was a frequent discussion point in postgame press conferences in addition to likely being on the forefront of the minds of Irish fans throughout the afternoon.

But this Notre Dame team – in year three under Freeman – was supposed to be different. This team – that just one week prior had traveled to one of the toughest environments in college football and seemingly exorcized its demons with a gutsy win over Texas A&M – was supposed to be one that would reliably take care of business as college football’s elite programs do, one that had moved beyond the point of dropping home games

GRAY NOCJAR | The Observer

The Irish fell short 16-14 against Northern Illinois University in a stunning home open loss after defeating Texas A&M the week prior. The loss dampens the team’s hope for a college playoff berth in December.

Breen-Phillips Hall reopens following renovation

By ATHENA W ESTL AND News Writer

The return to campus this year looked a little different for the members of BreenPhillips Hall. After spending a year in the on-campus temporar y dorm, Zahm Hall, the Breen-Phillips “Babes“ moved back home into the newly renovated BreenPhillips Hall.

Notable upgrades include kitchens on ever y f loor, new lobby common space and expanded common spaces w ith new furniture.

Equipped w ith T Vs and plent y of seating, the variet y of common spaces prov ide a convenient space for residents to spend time w ith friends. “The Pen,“ BreenPhillips’ biggest common space located in the basement, now has additional seating to accommodate more residents for hall council.

NEWS PAGE 4

Breen-Phillips Hall was constructed in 1939 on North Quad and originally opened as a men’s residence hall. It has been a women’s residence hall since 1973.

The recent renovations are a part of the Universit y’s plan to renovate residence halls to have improved common spaces.

Breen-Phillips Hall v ice president, Molly Wilson, is happy to be back in the newly-renovated dorm.

“My favorite part of the renovation are the study rooms on ever y f loor,” Wilson said. ”They have ten study carrels each, so lots of space.”

W hen asked about her favorite part of the dorm, Gabrielle Fakunle shared how much she loved Breen-Phillips Hall as a whole, but was particularly fond of “Bett y’s,“ see BP PAGE 3

VIEWPOINT PAGE 5

as four-touchdown favorites.

On Saturday afternoon, though, it was the same old story, as No. 5 Notre Dame was stunned in a 16-14 defeat in South Bend at the hands of Northern Illinois.

“Obviously disappointing, disappointing in the performance.

You know, it’s our job as coaches to make sure these guys are ready to go,” Freeman said postgame.

“You go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a tale of two weeks, but we’ve got to own this thing. As coaches and players, we’ve got to own it, and we’ve got to fix it.”

It’s not as if this was the type of game in which the final score wasn’t indicative of how it was played. For 60 minutes, the Huskies came into Notre Dame Stadium and did everything that’s part of the usual formula of see NIU WRAP PAGE 11

Transfer students struggle to get on-campus housing

By KATHRYN MUCHNICK and SOPHIE HANAWALT Managing Editor and News Writer

At least 55 transfer students, mostly women, were put on a waitlist for on-campus housing this summer due to a lack of available space in dorms.

Transfer students who did not receive housing were notified on July 19 and given a place on the waitlist, according to an email from director of residential life: housing operations, Dan Rohmiller.

Approximately 25 students are still on the waitlist, as of Sept. 6.

“Most students” who applied for housing via the waitlist application — which includes transfer students — received a housing assignment and roommate information, Rohmiller said in an email. He did not respond to a question via email about how this year’s housing availability for transfers compared to last year’s.

Since July 19, residential life has offered approximately 30 students from the

SCENE PAGE 7

waitlist on-campus housing, Rohmiller said.

Lily Swiech, a sophomore transfer from Saint Mary’s College, said she started at spot 59 on the waitlist. She was not aware of students more than five places below her on the waitlist.

Swiech is living with two other ROTC transfers in a dorm located in the Pasquerilla Center.

“I’m so grateful that I got the opportunity to be on campus, but it does create kind of an odd predicament because it’s an academic building,” she said. “When I walk out of my dorm room at 8 a.m. people are going to classes.”

Sophomore transfers Maggie Tromp and Molly Greidy met on Instagram via an account started for the housing-less transfer students, Domeless Domers.

They signed a five-month lease at The 87 and are hoping to get off the waitlist and receive ND housing for the spring semester.

Swiech, Tromp and Greidy shared that many of their

friends were able to secure 5-month leases at The 87, as the apartment complex just opened and still had availability.

According to the University admissions website, housing is not guaranteed for transfer students. Transfer students gain access to the waitlist housing application after confirmation of their enrollment in May, which they must complete by early July.

They are then entered into a lottery for the available housing spots on campus. On-campus housing is guaranteed for incoming freshmen. Up to 75 Gateway students, who transfer to Notre Dame after a year at Holy Cross College, are also assigned to on-campus housing after they transfer, according to the admissions website.

Multiple transfer students who did not receive housing this year said they were under the impression that though on-campus

SPORTS PAGE 10

SPORTS PAGE 12

see TRANSFERS PAGE 3

2

TODAY

THE OBSERVER | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

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P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556 Editor-in-Chief Isa Sheikh Managing Editor Kathryn Muchnick Asst. Managing Editor: Caroline Collins Asst. Managing Editor: Thomas Dobbs Asst. Managing Editor: Madeline Ladd Notre Dame News Editor: Saint Mary’s News Editor: Viewpoint Editor: Sports Editor: Scene Editor: Photo Editor: Graphics Editor: Social Media Editor: Advertising Manager: Ad Design Manager: Systems Administrator:

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CHANCELOR GORDON | The Observer

Ritmo ND, founded in 2022, held their first meeting Sunday, Sept. 8 in Duncan Student Center’s Smith Center. Students gathered to learn more about the club and explore their interest in latin dance. Attendees met the board and were taught basic dance steps.

THE NEXT FIVE DAYS:

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Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

What is Sprituality?

Maladeva Hall 7 a.m.

Will be presented by Father Daniel P. Horan, come watch!

Best Buddies Karaoke Duncan Student Center, Ballroom 6:30 p.m.

Join for Karaoke.

Borromini- An Introduction Walsh Family Hall 5:15 - 6:15 p.m.

Lecture given by Joseph Connors.

Notre Dame Forum Leighton Concert Hall, DPAC 11 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Open dialogue by global leaders.

Inauguration Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m.

Mass open to all community members.

Junior Class Council Welcome Back Lemonade Stand Fitzpatrick Hall 2:30 p.m.

Fresh lemonade.

Tea@ND Projects Meeting 121 Mendoza 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Come design and showcase projects!

Inauguration Picnic Library Lawn 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Campus invited for free food celebrating the Inauguration.

SBD’s Annual Mosaic Alumnae Green, Saint Mary’s College 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Music and food trucks will be present.

Student Inaugural Ball Notre Dame Stadium 9:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Open to all students across the tri-campus.

NEWS

NDSMCOBSERVER.COM | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | THE OBSERVER

3

Transfers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

housing for transfers was not guaranteed, it was likely.

“They did say there was a chance [you won’t receive on-campus housing], but there was always a ‘but’ after that and kind of this unsaid but understood idea that I would get it,” Swiech said.

All three transfer students said they were made aware that on-campus housing was not guaranteed. But none of them looked for offcampus housing before July 19.

“My mom called them [Residential Life] and they were like. ‘Everyone always gets housing, no worries, don’t stress at all.’ Two weeks later they’re like ‘You’re actually 50th on the waitlist,’” Greidy said.

“I was actually really concerned about housing. I live 10 and a half hours away, so I knew I couldn’t come here if I didn’t get housed. When I called, I was told there hasn’t been a year when they couldn’t give pretty much everyone housing,” Tromp said.

After notifying them of their spot on the waitlist, residential life gave students access to a platform that enabled them to enter their information, create a profile and match with other transfer students looking for housing. They also shared a list of contact

KATHRYN MUCHNICK | The Observer

Multiple transfer students at Notre Dame enrolled in the ROTC program are residing in the Pasquerilla Center this semester in rooms adjacent to classrooms. Other transfer students this year who have not made it off the on-campus housing waitlist are living in apartments off-campus.

information for local housing options.

Students who are still on the waitlist or were unable to accept housing offers in the fall will be invited in November to apply for spring semester oncampus housing, Rohmiller said. Because more students study abroad in the spring semester, there are generally more available spots, he added.

“I feel confident that I’ll get housing next semester when a lot of people go abroad, but as a transfer student, I feel like every semester counts,” Swiech said.

Transfer students without housing have been

invited to participate in the hall connections program, becoming honorary members of a dorm with access to their community, building and events.

“I’m still able to go to SYRs and formals and be a part of intramural sports, so I really am grateful for that experience, even if it’s not the optimum solution,” Swiech said.

She added this helps to take away from the disappointment of her inability to fully participate in residential life.

“Notre Dame is synonymous with residential life, so not being able to be a part of that is like, ‘Okay, I came here, but am

I really part of the Notre Dame community?’” Swiech said. “I kind of uprooted my life at this other community so I could be a part of residential life, even though now I’m not fully.”

Tromp and Greidy are honorary members of Howard and Pasquerilla West, respectively. They said they appreciated the efforts of the Welcome Weekend committee members dedicated to transfer students in helping them feel connected to the Notre Dame community, although they are still looking for ways to meet sophomores after interacting with mostly freshmen during Welcome

Weekend.

“The hardest part about it is that dorm life is so big here.

When people ask what dorm I’m in I can say Howard, but not really. It’s good to have the program, but it’s not the same,” Tromp said.

Swiech added that it’s hard to be “fully invested” in the Cavanaugh community after learning that transfer students may not stay in their hall connections dorms, as they’ll be offered housing in whichever dorm has available space.

Contact Kathryn Muchnick at kmuchnic@nd.edu and Sophie Hanawalt at shnawal@nd.edu

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

BP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Breen-Phillips’ share table located in the new lobby common space.

“I love Bett y’s,” Fakunle said.

W hile many changes have been made to the dorm, efforts were also made to keep renovations consistent w ith BreenPhillips original, charming character.

The original doors and transoms (the w indow located above the doors) have been kept intact. Residents shared that this was especially important for former residents coming back to v isit. They emphasized Breen-Phillips does not feel like a completely new building, but rather a refreshed version of its old self.

Residents are excited for what these renovations mean for communit y building. Senior McKenna Grigoli has lived in the old Breen-Phillips Hall, Zahm Hall and now calls the newly-renovated Breen-Phillips Hall home.

“During our time in Zahm last year w ith the new addition of our

rector, Sarah Motter, I got to w itness the [BreenPhillips] communit y take on a stronger sisterhood than ever before,” Grigoli said. “It was incredibly heart warming to return back to our physical home w ith a bond that has been cultivated stronger than ever before.”

In the year ahead, Grigoli is excited to uphold BP traditions and create even more lasting memories.

A lready, Breen-Phillips Hall residents and hall staff have been utilizing renovated spaces for fun events.

A mocktail night was recently hosted by one of the resident assistants in the new lobby area. During the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game, residents took full advantage of the newly renovated kitchen just dow n the hall from their rooms to prepare snacks — something that wasn’t possible before. Breen-Phillips Hall also boasts a new patio and grill, which they plan to use for hosting events w ith other dorms.

Contact Athena Westland at awestlan@nd.edu

4

NEWS

THE OBSERVER | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

New ice cream store opens

By ROSE ANDROWICH News Writer

When Anna Salentine discovered she was gluten-free three years ago, she wasn’t met with many gluten-free ice cream options — until she visited the newly opened Murphy’s Ice Cream Shoppe. Salentine, a junior at Notre Dame, said she visited the ice cream shop the day before classes started Aug. 26 and has returned twice since.

The store, located near the corner of Eddy Street and Angela Boulevard, opened this spring to serve the Notre Dame and South Bend communities.

Murphy’s boasts 24 flavors of ice cream on the menu plus three pre-scooped flavors that are switched.

Tess Reinhart, a junior at Notre Dame, said when she visited the ice cream shop the line extended past the neighboring O’Rourke’s Public House. She added even as people realized how long the line was they remained in line. Similarly when Salentine visited the shop, she said the line was out the door.

“I just think it is pretty universally accepted as being something that people enjoy eating, enjoy partaking in,” Reinhart said. “No one’s ever really said no to ice cream before and I think you can always rally the troops when it comes to going.”

When Reinhart visited the shop, she ordered the dairyfree mint oreo ice cream. She noted that she likes to avoid dairy products as much as she can.

“I think ice cream shops are doing a pretty good job of being inclusive to all sorts of allergens and sensitivities,” Reinhart said.

Finding birthday cake ice cream at Murphy’s was something Salentine found “very nostalgic” since it was her favorite flavor of ice cream as a kid. She added that Murphy’s has nutritional information on

a sheet by all of the ice creams.

“I think most ice cream shops have a variety of flavors. But the thing that I liked so much about Murphy’s is that there’s such a wide variety and a lot of different options for different kinds of dietary needs,” Salentine said. “I’m pretty sure I saw no sugar added ice creams, vegan ice creams.”

Salentine noted that the shop’s walking distance from campus will be a huge advantage. Salentine joked that having an ice cream shop so close to campus was “dangerous.”

“I think it just really adds so much to the campus experience,” Reinhart said. “We’ve never really had anything like that — so it’s a fun little outing.”

Salentine said she will continue to visit the shop, even as the weather cools.

“I can eat ice cream in all seasons, it doesn’t matter,” Salentine said.

Mary Williams, a sophomore at Notre Dame said she has visited the shop six times with three friends who she’s doing the ice cream challenge with.

Williams said she’s spent hours sitting in Murphy’s and that she’s enjoyed getting to know the owners.

“They’ve got fun articles on the wall, and you can see how the family’s connected to the Notre Dame community,” Williams said.

“So it’s just really nice to kind of sit and go into a Notre Dame place and celebrate Notre Dame.”

Salentine said visiting the ice cream shop was really fun for her adding that she enjoyed the shop’s outdoor seating.

“It was really fun because I went with all my friends, and we walked over there after dinner,” Salentine said. “It was kind of like the perfect way to get a sweet treat, which we all really enjoy after meals.”

Contact Katelyn Waldschmidt at kwaldschmidt01@saintmarys.edu

ROSE ANDROWICH | The Observer

The newly opened Murphy’s Ice Cream Shoppe, located near Eddy St. on Angela Boulevard, has become a favorite spot among students.

SMC hires three new mental health counselors

SAMANTHA GERBERT | The Observer

Newly hired mental health counselors I’Vory Woods, Lauren Cooper and Isela Garcilazo, provide mental health and wellness support to the student body at the Health and Counseling Center at SMC.

By SAMANTHA GEBERT and MARIELLA TADDONIO News Writers

This year, Saint Mary’s College welcomed three new counselors to the Health and Counseling Center (HCC) on campus, which provides health services, referrals, general health education and counseling services. The three counselors are I’Vory Woods, Lauren Cooper and Isela Garcilazo. The HCC is located in the Angela Athletic and Wellness Complex across from Murphy’s Cafe.

I’Vory Woods Woods, a graduate of Indiana University South Bend, shared her journey to becoming a counselor.

“I got my bachelor’s in 2023 in social work, and I got my masters this year in social work, with the concentration [in] mental health and addictions,” she explained.

Woods emphasized she has always been drawn to the profession of counseling.

“I wanted to be a counselor because I’ve always had a heart for people. Ever since I was younger, my family always called me the therapist of the family,” Woods said. “I think mental health is such a taboo topic, especially for people of color, and so I wanted to kind of like break that negative stigma surrounding it.

I love people and I love talking about mental health.”

Woods shared that part of her motivation to become a counselor was influenced by personal mental health struggles.

“In the winter of 2022, I was in a really fatal car accident. I broke my back and a lot of stuff was broken on my body … that situation really had a toll on my own mental health,“ she said. “It was hard and was also the reason

why I wanted to be in mental health as well.”

Woods learned about Saint Mary’s from Alexa Zapata, the Bells Against Violence office (BAVO) coordinator. She was planning on moving to Florida but instead decided to stay in South Bend.

“I can’t think of anyone else like, more fitting for the job,” Woods said of herself. “I sense a good sense of community here.”

Woods stressed the importance of the role of counselors in the community.

“Whether it’s personal issues that they’re going through, or academic issues, we are just a listening ear for students. We create a safe space for them to come and talk about their problems,” she said.

Lauren Cooper Originally from Ohio, Cooper went to the University of Central Florida for her bachelor of science in psychology and Kapala University for her graduate studies in clinical mental health counseling.

Cooper noted how she has been able to find her passion in her career.

“I realized how big of a role counselors play in advocacy, you know, being a voice for the voiceless, and that’s something that I’m really passionate about, especially for the LGBTQ community,” she said.

Cooper expanded more on what drives her work.

“I just love being there for people and … help them hold their pain and process things,” she said.

Since being on campus, Cooper has dove right in at Saint Mary’s.

“I enjoy being able to be in different places and like to take my expertise and not only be a counselor, but to also be on the wellness

committee, to be part of helping plan different events and being allowed to run the Instagram account,” she said.

Cooper urged students not to hesitate to visit the HCC if they are dealing with any problem.

“We’re here for you, whether it’s a pimple that’s bothering you or you want to help dealing with trauma,” Cooper said.

Isela Garcilazo Garcilazo has been familiar with Saint Mary’s College for most of her life, having grown up in South Bend and attending the school for her undergraduate degree before earning her masters of social work at Indiana University South Bend.

“Saint Mary’s has always been a special place for me, my time at Saint Mary’s as a student contributed to the person I am today,” Garcilazo shared.

She emphasized her desire to become a counselor “to be that safe person anyone can go to, to feel empowered and supported.”

So far her favorite part of working at Saint Mary’s College is the sense of community in the department.

“Everyone is so welcoming and easy to talk to,” she said.

“I hope to absorb as much as I can and grow as a counselor.”

Garcilazo urged students “to enjoy every day they are at Saint Mary’s because it goes by faster than you realize.”

“We are here to talk whenever needed throughout the school year, do not hesitate to reach out. These services are voluntary so even if we meet once that is okay,” she emphasized.

Contact Samantha Gerbert at sgebert01@saintmarys.edu and Mariella Taddonio at mtaddonio01@saint marys.edu

5

THE OBSERVER | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

Foregone moments, forever buildings Carlos Basurto Eudaemonic Banter

Visiting your childhood neighborhood.

Driving by your elementar y school. Returning to your hometown after quite a long while.

Walking back into your dorm, excited to reunite with your friends. Visiting campus after graduation. A distant warmth surrounds you, and yet, an innate coldness emerges from within.

Regardless of your age or particular experience, I would like to believe that you hold some place to be important. Perhaps it is your grandparents’ home, where you grew up in their warm embrace and learned to be who you are now. Maybe it is the scrawny path you once took into the fated park where you would receive your first kiss. Or it may be that there is no complex reason, you simply hold dear that nearby street crossing, with the smell of food stands and the roar of the crowds marching by. There is something unique — something sacred — about that place that will forever remain. It is as if when we interact with it we leave a part of ourselves there, deep within the folds of these spaces. We car ve our ver y own home in the fabric of space-time to claim as our own and bur y within, lovingly enveloped in the warmth of static memor y. We may not realize it, but we have made the space ours, for eternity.

Or so, we would like to believe. Is that really the case? Can any thing ever truly remain in stasis?

For better or worse, ever y thing changes.

A lways, always ever y thing does. Yet, some things change much faster than others.

As you return to your dorm, as you recount your summer misadventures with your friends, there is a hurt unlike any other lurking behind your words that could never be properly expressed. You are certainly most glad to rejoin your dear friends, but there are evident gaps, as a handful have now graduated. And so, the realization alas cements: they will never again reside in these same halls as you. Your paths may cross again in the future, most certainly, but it will simply never be the same. The dorm will not be the same without them.

Never, never is any thing the same.

And yet the dorm remains. The building still stands, as it always has.

Would you say that is the same dorm?

You may pass by your elementar y school, even walk the halls you raced and laughed through at a much younger age, but your teachers have long since departed, your classmates moved, the curriculum updated, the menu changed, the smells replaced, the memories over written.

And yet, and yet, the school remains; the building still stands, as it did before, its layout untouched. But to attempt to consider it the same school is somewhat repulsive of a thought.

This place of yours is not truly yours, is it? Not anymore.

It is as if that place of yours is dead. Your reunion is tainted, for you are not truly reuniting at all, you are merely visiting that place’s grave.

There is an innate clash that occurs when we visit places that are no longer ours. There

are two overlapping realities, but neither seem to quite capture reality: the vivid past and the lifeless present. We stand in the coalescence of these — in the crux of space and time — and we are swallowed by the collision in our hearts.

Our relationship with places that die is not merely one that can be explained away by some vague sense of nostalgia or recognition that we age, that time passes and that things change.

No, it is something much more intimate. There is something smear, nay painful, about enveloping oneself in the empty, cold embrace of a space that no longer is yours to claim, your relationship ruptured beyond redemption by the passage of time. You stand in the absolute perfect spatial coordinates, you are where it once was.

However, regarding your position in time, you are perpetually f loating away from that ancient memor y. You may physically take a step for ward or backward, you may ex it the building or lay within, you may hide in ever y crevice or even shatter the entirety of it, but naught stops time as it proceeds, indifferent to your hurt.

You are here, and yet, you are not here at all.

Cursed we are with the power to move in space but frozen, shack led by time. For some, this is a comforting recognition; for others, a maddening one; and for the rest, it may perhaps be rather tragic. Above all else, there is an ache that accompanies that feeling of craving for that which no longer ex ists. The building remains as merely a husk, a reminder of your place’s death.

We are watching our small home in spacetime, our childish rebellion against the unwavering pace of the universe, fade away.

Yet, once again, the produced feeling cannot be merely reduced to sadness. Because, in truth, there is joy in revisiting something that is gone. After all, do we not visit graveyards?

To say we enjoy standing there, drenched in rain, facing a loved one’s gravestone is not an appropriate description, but sadness does not capture the feeling either. There is something respectful — something sacred — about the act.

We can replay the moments we shared together in our minds, we can laugh at the thought of their most ludicrous jests and we, too, can cr y, mourning the love we never got to give.

They may not be here, but their memor y remains. And what a beautiful memor y that is.

Maybe, just maybe, that is forever.

And thus, defiant we remain. We are here, after all, carr ying that special place of ours in our memories.

Carlos A. Basurto is a junior at Notre Dame studying philosophy, computer science and German.

He’s president of the video game club and will convince you to join, regardless of your degree of interest. When not busy, you can find him consuming yet another 3-hour-long video analysis of media he has not consumed while masochistically completing every achievement from a variety of video games. Now, with the power to channel his least insane ideas, feel free to talk about them further at cbasurto@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

INSIDE COLUMN

Destined for ‘great’-ness Marissa Panethiere Graphics Editor

With two semesters between me and the conclusion of my time at Notre Dame, now more than ever I feel lost as to how I can make my senior year truly “great.” The concept of “great”-ness (not to be confused with greatness … I’m not shooting for perfection here) has plagued my entire summer and even these first few weeks of my senior year. Every first of the year is also a last: last first day of class, last first drummers’ circle, last first home football game (let’s not talk about that one).

As roughly 2,000 first-year students experienced this August, an introduction to Notre Dame can be a lot. So many life-changing, “corememory” moments happen within a three-day stretch, and you’re supposed to have all this time to process.

Sometimes it feels as though I’m still recovering from the marathon of my Welcome Weekend way back in 2021. As I’ve navigated the last few weeks with a “new year, new me” mentality (will I actually have perfect attendance this time around?), I am transported back to my first few weeks here at Notre Dame three years ago, preparing to cultivate my college identity and live the hype I had only seen on Instagram.

My first weeks of senior year have brought a familiar Welcome Weekend-ness to life. I open my socials, and I see groups of people I have somewhat known for the past three years documenting some part of their senior year. Apartments in Irish Row, block parties at Irish Crossings, the Texas A&M game at College Station.

It feels bizarre. There is this familiar and unavoidable “hype” that senior year brings — I’m brought to this realization that the end feels exactly like the beginning. I’m witnessing this weird second round of Welcome Weekend and it all holds that air of “great”-ness that I’m still trying to find.

My camera roll during my time at Notre Dame has entirely surpassed the thousands, and if I actually counted how many times I’ve looked at my camera roll in the past three years, I

unfortunately would not get very far. The usual protocol for photos in my life has been: 1) Take picture.

2) Upload to Instagram.

3) Forget about it until I see the inevitable “your iPhone is out of storage” notification that requires I skim through my photos to clear out what’s unnecessary.

Sometimes I grow melancholy over the fact that the moments I’ve documented within my time at Notre Dame are so forgettable and so centered in documenting how “great” my college experience has been. I’m not trying to say that college isn’t one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me, but I do wish former-me took pictures that she looked back on instead of pictures that sit dormant on her social media until a necessary feed clear out. Chasing the high of attending a “great” school, portraying a “great” social life, doing “great” in all ways did not necessarily paint the truest picture of how complicated college life has been for me and likely for everyone else.

A picture, in this case, is worth only the words you want to say.

I have so many pictures of my first weeks on campus ridiculously captioned with a transparent black bar and sans-serif font indicative of my now-defunct Snapchat.

Unsurprisingly, the moments which evaded digital documentation are probably the ones I remember the best. At this point, I don’t remember the “insane” (the word “insane” is used very generously) dorm parties I attended or the random tailgates my friends and I thought we were so cool for being at. But I remember how beautiful a South Bend sunset can be. I think about how lucky I am for the life I have here on the daily.

It can prove difficult to find what made my time here so special. I know Notre Dame has shaped me in a meaningful way, but I don’t think a photo album in my camera roll titled “college” even begins to cover the best parts. Life can be amazing if you take a second to document without proper lighting or adjusted saturation. College is “great,” just do not define your terms for greatness based on whatever everyone else has defined it as.

Contact Marissa Panethiere at mpanethi@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

6

THE OBSERVER | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

INSIDE COLUMN

They are human. They deserve to be served.

Aynslee Dellacca Saint Marys News Editor

It was a 40-minute commute from my home in Greenfield, Indiana to my summer job just south of downtown Indianapolis. I worked at a thrift store associated with Saint Vincent DePaul, a Catholic-based charity dedicated to offering education and support for the most vulnerable in our communities. In addition to working the storefront, I volunteered with a branch of their unsheltered ministries. It changed my life, to say the least.

Every week I left my world of ‘the haves’ and entered the world of ‘the have nots.’

I came in and helped prepare food, organize clothing and put out shoes, hygiene products, blankets, suitcases and more for those in need. By 11 a.m., a line of people would wrap around our warehouse, comprised of those who began the journey to our location from miles away, needing all that we could give them.

The team and myself would see around 50 people a day on average. Many were regulars I knew by name, others came in once and we wouldn’t serve them again.

Despite all that the other volunteers and I would accomplish in the mornings and early afternoons, I always left that space wishing I could do more, that what we would offer wasn’t enough.

In the two hours we opened our doors to them, some would share their experiences on the streets with me. Their stories would bring me to tears.

A mother of four came in every week

for clothing and food to provide for them.

She would tell me updates about each of her kids — especially her three month old — and how her boyfriend is readjusting to life outside of prison.

A man, who had only been on the streets for a few weeks, told me some hard truths he had come to accept about people and civility as he struggled to find a job that would hire him. By the end of the summer, he was hired at a Whole Foods, and I helped him pick out a uniform and work shoes.

A woman came in one day, begging for new shoes. Her feet and ankles were bruised and swollen from walking. I’ve never seen eyes so sad and lost.

Another woman, one we considered a regular, confessed to another her struggles with being assaulted nightly and having her personal items stolen often.

One day, we stopped seeing her come back.

Linda Clodfelter, the director of homeless services for Saint Vincent DePaul Indy, told me her own story one day.

Around 16 years ago, one of her daughters became terminally ill at the same time Clodfelter was battling colon cancer.

She made the choice to become homeless, selling her house and everything they had to continue to pay for her and her daughter’s medical bills. Together, they lived on the streets for a year and a half. The doctors were able to extend her daughter’s life for five more years.

Clodfelter discovered Saint Vincent DePaul following her escape from homelessness, and the volunteers there were able to help her and her daughter settle in

their new apartment. Soon after, she became involved with volunteering for their unsheltered ministries, starting with Beggars for the Poor.

Clodfelter cited a specific interaction, however, which became the transformative moment where she recognized her life’s vocation.

A homeless man came in one day needing a suit. His sister had been murdered while living on the streets, and he wished to look presentable at her funeral.

Clodfelter and another volunteer, Mac, found him in a gray pinstripe suit, pink shirt, gray shoes and a nice gray and pink tie. They allowed him to change into the outfit they made for him, and when looking in the mirror, he teared up and said aloud, “I look human.”

After that day, Clodfelter dedicated her life to aiding the homeless, and helped found many of the homeless services Saint Vincent DePaul offers today.

“Some people call me obsessive, and I probably am,” Clodfelter told me. “But my brothers and sisters are still out there.

[They] deserve the best that I can give them, because they are human … They deserve to be served.”

The homeless are more than a problem that needs to be solved or a statistic relating to a city’s welfare. They don’t simply disappear when you avoid eye contact or go home at the end of the night after a day of begging at the side of the road.

They are everyday people, just like you and me and our families and friends and coworkers, who fell into a state of vulnerability. Whether through financial problems, addiction, familial instability or

just poor luck, these people deserve to eat well, sleep safely and receive the help and education they need to pull themselves out of homelessness. They deserve respect and dignity, to be recognized as human beings rather than a nuisance to others’ day-to-day life.

Professor emeritus of american studies Benedict Giamo pointed out profoundly the necessity of better federal policies surrounding homelessness and poverty prevention in a letter to the editor in April. I agree with his statement wholeheartedly, and further advocacy and legal change is needed to permanently address the country’s failure to aid the hundreds of thousands experiencing homelessness.

But while our country attempts to not fall apart, more needs to be done for immediate care. Hundreds of people in our own South Bend community are in need for people to see and treat them as human, to give them help and recognition of their existence.

As we enter a new school year, I urge people to consider putting some time aside to volunteer and serve others who are less fortunate not to boost resumes or to get a better college experience, but because simply put, it’s the right thing to do.

So many of us chose to attend college to make a positive impact on the world.

Positive impacts are desperately needed now.

Contact Aynslee Dellacca at adellacca01@saintmarys.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Notre Dame and its brat but its not Connor Marrott Lefty With a Laugh

Game days at Notre Dame usually mean sweaty, bright green t-shirts and the occasional green laser. Visually, it looks at lot like the viral underground bunker sets of Charli XCX — an artist who has come to embody the ethos of a cultural movement that can only be described as “brat.”

For the uninitiated, brat isn’t just a phase; it’s a way of life rooted in rebellion and selfdetermination. If you find yourself confused, this column probably isn’t for you.

The Observer doesn’t give me enough words to explain the seismic cultural and political earthquake brat summer was. But for those who get it — like me — we must collectively mourn the end of brat summer by bringing its essence to the very institution we hold dear: Notre Dame.

Brat culture and Notre Dame could not be more diametrically opposed. On one end of the spectrum, brat is an unpredictable force, much like the lime-green album cover of Charli XCX’s music or genre-bending electronic mixes. It represents a rejection of conformity, an open disdain for pre-existing norms around what we should wear, say, and do. As XCX herself declares, “I went my own way, and I made it.”

Take for instance, the icon of brat culture, “the reference,” as Charli says, Julia Fox.

With her anarchic sense of fashion — clothing (or lack thereof) chosen as a declaration of independence from societal expectations — Fox uses her platform to challenge patriarchy and even capitalism.

Brat summer, with its rebellious nature, was a cultural cry for the end of rigid societal structures, especially those that regulate women’s bodies and autonomy. XCX’s line “It’s so obvious I’m your number one” in the song “Von Dutch” was more than a cheeky lyric; it was a direct nod to the power that comes from women defying expectations.

On the opposite end of this cultural spectrum sits Notre Dame. Attending this institution often means embracing predictability (see: every boy who thinks NBA jerseys are going-out tops). Here, we’re not just students; we’re participants in a deeply ingrained system that reinforces heteronormativity and toxic masculinity, the very ills that brat culture seeks to cure.

Notre Dame forces us to uphold antiquated rules without challenging their foundations. Take parietals, for example: rules that, on the surface, aim to maintain order but, in reality, restrict adults from making adult decisions. Worse yet, these rules reflect a belief that LGBTQ+ students don’t exist and that women must preserve themselves to maintain the status quo of patriarchy. Parietals are more than just a campus rule — they’re a mechanism of sexual control that denies women

full autonomy. Nothing about that is brat.

This is precisely what XCX meant when she sang, “the apple is rotten right to the core.” In this case, the apple is Notre Dame, and its core is the purity culture the university is so desperate to protect, despite the untold numbers of STIs circulating on campus. While Charli XCX might sing about driving to the airport to escape this rottenness, she confronts systemic oppression head-on in her music. In tracks like “Sympathy is a Knife,” she explores the tension between conforming to societal norms for the sake of “commercial success.” Yet, it’s her very rejection of these norms — the same brat ethos — that propelled her to success. It’s a lesson Notre Dame students could stand to learn.

Brat culture is inherently political because it is confrontational. It became a cultural phenomenon, fueled by Generation Z kids who finished their semesters in tents. It sent shockwaves not just through the music industry but through society, asserting that women can achieve success through vulnerable assertiveness, and that queer people are the ultimate tastemakers. Brat is a culture of liberation.

Yet, at Notre Dame, brat culture is loathed, both by the administration and by many students. The lack of recognized housing for trans students? Not brat. Systematically denying women’s dorms equal resources?

Not brat. Over-surveilling anti-genocide

activists? Definitely not brat.

And it’s not just the administrators; the student body is equally guilty of maintaining an anti-brat culture. Look no further than the recent drag show on campus — a radical display that shattered gender norms. The university may have allowed it to happen, but it was the students who showed up to protest.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Anti-brat behavior permeates our daily interactions.

A friend recently told me, “I forgot people here are racist.” This, too, is a symptom of Notre Dame’s culture: a place that is explicitly anti-diversity, anti-fun, anti-liberation and anti-brat.

As we say goodbye to brat summer, we must acknowledge the University’s deeprooted aversion to the very liberation that brat represents. The choice is ours to make: do we conform, or do we, like Charli XCX, declare, “I went my own way, and I made it”?

I’ll see u at the club this weekend <3.

Connor Marrott is a senior from Cleveland, Ohio His writing has appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cincinnati Enquirer. He serves on the board of SoildarityND and is always eager to discuss any and all ideas. You can contact Connor at cmarrott@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily

7

THE OBSERVER | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

By ANDY OTTONE Scene Writer

Not everything needs to be a movie. Sure, you can turn odd concepts into amazing movies (e.g. what if you had to set up your own mom with your dad in the past), and even the most bizarre of products can get a movie (see: “Blackberry,” a movie about the cell phone company). But just because one can make a movie doesn’t mean it should be made — no matter how popular its source material may be.

“Minecraft” is categorically the best-selling video game of all time. At a staggering 300 million copies sold since its November 2011 release, that’s roughly 2 million copies sold per month, every month. And it’s still going. Receiving spinoffs, LEGO sets, gaming crossovers and continual updates, “Minecraft” is more than a brand — it’s a cultural moment.

And as such, it is now a movie starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa. (As for internet culture getting movies, I eagerly await the movie based on the nonsensical online self-dubbed “brain rot” that is “Skibidi Toilet,” produced by Michael Bay. Yes, this is real. No, I can’t explain it more in depth than I already have).

By LUKE FOLEY Scene Copyeditor

Ronald Reagan’s legacy is currently in a precarious place.

The left abhors him and believes almost all of our country’s current problems stem from his presidential administration.

And while once emphatically lionized by the right, Reagan has become increasingly irrelevant to the GOP as it becomes more consumed by Trumpism and more opposed to the neoliberalism that defined his administration. It seems like nobody loves Ronald Reagan anymore. Therefore, the stakes couldn’t be higher for the recently released Reagan biopic “Reagan.” Can it reignite this country’s love for Reagan?

Can it remind generations old and young alike why he is so awesome?

After seeing the film, I can confidently say it utterly failed to do any of this. While a stereotypical biopic in many ways, “Reagan” has a somewhat unique framing device. The film unfolds from the perspective of a retired KGB agent, Viktor Petrovich, played by Jon Voight in a very silly Russian accent.

Petrovich recounts Reagan’s entire life to a young Russian politician to explain how the Soviet Union collapsed. This structure quickly reveals the film’s primary focus: Reagan’s fight against communism.

On Wednesday, the trailer for the officially titled “A Minecraft Movie” released online. I don’t play a lot of the game, so I might be out of line when I say this, but visually, it reminded me less of the game and more of someone trying to emulate it. “Minecraft” is stylized heavily with blocky textures, sharp edges and low-resolution textures. So, naturally, the movie’s visuals lean in towards hyper-realism and softer — but still cubic — proportions and edges on creatures and terrain. Beyond that, the game’s stock default character (known as “Steve”) is just a fully human Jack Black. This is his third role in a movie based on a video game (following his turn as the villainous Bowser in the “Mario” movie and the irritating Claptrap in that “Borderlands” film that came out and fizzled immediately). Additionally, he features prominently in the rebooted “Jumanji” films, based around video games over board games.

The trailer also shows glimpses of characters played

by Jason Momoa (“Aquaman,” “Game of Thrones”) and Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks (the 2024 version of “The Color Purple”) as well as a younger cast featuring Emma Myers (Netflix’s “Wednesday”) and newcomer Sebastian Eugene Hansen. Additional cast members not shown in

the trailer include Jermaine Clement from “Flight of the Conchords,” Matt Berry from “What We Do in the Shadows,” Kate McKinnon from “Saturday Night Live” and Jennifer Coolidge, from “that one impression your friend thinks is really good but is just alright” — that and “Legally Blonde,” “White Lotus” and “Promising Young Woman.”

As a game, “Minecraft” is simple yet infinite. As such, there isn’t much story. Sure, the credits sequence tells a story, but that’s more of a meta-commentary on gaming and media as a whole. There are implicit storytelling elements if you look hard enough, but none that the developer’s expect you to pick up on in order to enjoy yourself. The game is as simple as “build cool things, make cool armor, go through cool portal, slay cool dragon.” The story is what you, the player, do within the world. It is the closest thing to a pure open sandbox for anyone to do whatever they want in it, and that just doesn’t make for a good narrative. But hey! Maybe you could’ve said the same thing about LEGOs 10 years ago. But, until I get a sign of better things to come, “A Minecraft Movie” is a game I’m not willing to play.

Anti-communism is the driving force of the entire movie.

All of Reagan’s life is examined through the prism of his vicious hatred of communism and how he unwaveringly railed against it throughout his whole life. And yes, while anti-communism is a crucial aspect of Reagan’s career, this monomania is a disservice to his prolific life and makes for a boring film. The film is not interested in dissecting Reagan’s interiority, examining how he both reflected and refracted American culture or exploring the impact of his domestic policies such as Reaganomics instead. The film is preoccupied with arguing he was a saintly, flawless man who heroically defeated the Soviet Union (it even suggests that God specially blessed Reagan to become president and destroy communism). But even then, it doesn’t do a good job at this. The film’s banal rants against communism are unmoving, and its attempts to portray Reagan’s foreign policy with the Soviet Union as some political masterclass are unconvincing. It’s all maddeningly dull. There’s even a very self-conscious scene that feels like the screenwriter trying to justify the film’s obsession with communism. Someone asks Reagan if he can start discussing domestic policy instead of communism, to which Reagan angrily replies no because communism is an existential threat to our domestic life. I giggled.

The filmmaking ranges from amateurish to serviceable.

Some scenes have awful editing and awkward compositions, but most of the time the movie is competently crafted. The film’s strongest formal element is it’s production design, even though the directing sometimes obscures it. Dennis Quaid’s central performance as Reagan is decent. I hate Reagan’s voice — it always sounds tepid and congested — and Quaid sadly does a good job recreating it, which made the two-hourplus runtime an absolute joy for me. The script does not give Quaid much to work with, but he convincingly assumes the role. Conversely, I found Penelope Ann Miller’s performance as Nancy Reagan sloppy and obnoxious. It felt like she was always reaching for emotions she couldn’t entirely sell, especially during the scene where she tries to convince Reagan to more aggressively defend himself during the Iran-Contra affair, one of the only controversies of his career the film chose to mention.

“Reagan” is a cowardly, vacuous mess. Devoid of any critical commentary or analysis of Reagan, the film is a cloying highlight reel where the highlights are not highlights but rather vague gestures towards highlights. If you’re going to make a hagiography of Ronald Reagan, at least make it good.

Contact Andy Ottone at aottone@nd.edu

Contact Luke Foley at lfoley2@nd.edu TREY PAINE, MARIA TOBIAS | The Observer

Movie takes? Music opinions? Yeah, we print those. (Email them to scene@ndsmcobserver.com)

8

SPORTS

THE OBSERVER | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

Moments

ND FOOTBALL COLUMN

Reidy: ND lost. Again. Now what?

By TYLER REIDY Sports Editor

Just under two weeks ago, when I ranked all 12 of Notre Dame football’s regular-season opponents by difficulty, I led off with this note about Northern Illinois week: “I rank this game with respect for Notre Dame’s 2022 home opener. That year’s Irish came home from a physical, Week One loss at Ohio State and proceeded to lose to Marshall. This game sets up similarly, coming on the heels of what projects as a grueling season-opener at Texas A&M.” What do you know — the Marshall loss just happened all over again. With 26 more games of head coaching experience under Marcus Freeman’s belt, Notre Dame is ranked No. 5 in the country, rather than No. 8, and the Irish are playing as fourtouchdown — not three-touchdown — favorites at home.

Now, I don’t bring up that Marshall comparison to pat myself on the back for predicting the greatest upset in MidAmerican Conference history. I ranked Northern Illinois as the second-easiest game on Notre Dame’s schedule. I write that the Irish should take care of business against the Huskies.

Heck, I predicted a 45-10 Notre Dame win in last week’s Irish Insider!

But who could have seen it coming? Why would anyone have seen it coming? A yearthree Freeman-led team was supposed to be past that type of loss. The head coach even said as much in his postgame press conference, which, like the game, I just found so confusing. Watching the same Marcus Freeman that so confidently led the Irish into College Station a week prior mutter through an opening statement before having to awkwardly pause and let the band go by just felt so strange. I couldn’t help but think to myself, “What in the world are we doing here?”

Sure enough, we’re here.

Northern Illinois defeated Notre Dame as a 28-point underdog in South Bend. You want answers.

There might not be good answers right now. But the Irish just made a mess of themselves on national television, and the cleanup has to start somewhere.

I’ll preface this conversation with one request from you, the reader. Do not lean on the fact that the College Football Playoff now admits 12 teams. If you’re a fan, use it as a source to keep hope alive. But otherwise, don’t bank on the expanded playoff healing all wounds. If you watched 2022, Freeman’s first head coaching season, you know that 11-1 itself is far from a guarantee. The 2022 team, which opened with a loss to Ohio State — much like this year’s win over Texas A&M — didn’t shake Irish

fans’ confidence despite the later loss to Marshall, ultimately finishing the regular season at 8-4. With Louisville, Georgia Tech and USC still waiting, 10-2 feels almost like a certainty, 9-3 a clear possibility.

That doesn’t mean the Irish should ditch their playoff hopes entirely (although if doing so helps them avoid a fourth loss as a multi-touchdown home favorite in three years, go for it). Any team should want to win all of its games and keep its long-term goal in view to drive short-term progress. But this program is now inexcusably one loss away from having to ask itself some extremely difficult questions, and it all starts with the man in charge.

Look, I’m not going to use the Northern Illinois game as a reason to view Marcus Freeman’s head coaching tenure through manure-colored lenses. He’s won some big games and had Notre Dame well-prepared to fight tooth and nail in several more. He’s an excellent player’s coach, motivator and ambassador for his institution. Let’s not forget that, within the past week, Nick Saban sung his praises.

But if you’re going to truly succeed as the head football coach at Notre Dame — which means championships — you must be much closer to perfect than he is right now.

Put simply, Freeman — and in turn the team that follows his lead — has to become more consistent. This season’s start provides a microcosm of that issue. Notre Dame went into Kyle Field picked against almost unanimously on College Gameday and won in front of 107,000 people. Many called it Freeman’s best win. We all know what happened a week later.

As is the case with players, any good coach can lead a great practice, game or season (remember when Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis went 10-3?). But the best of the best don’t just do it one time.

They do it on almost every occasion across a long period of time. That element of consistency is missing on Freeman’s résumé, and it shows in the team’s mental focus lapses.

There are the macro lapses, found in Notre Dame’s inability to perform after going all out — whether in preparation or play — for a difficult road game.

There was the Ohio State-toMarshall transition two years ago. Then the dud in Louisville that followed last season’s gutty, primetime win at Duke. Now it’s Texas A&M and Northern Illinois. It’s like the Irish step on the gas pedal for one stretch of the highway, take their foot off expecting cruise control to kick in, only to realize that the car is slowing and the next week’s opponent is about to speed by.

What about the micro lapses? Putting 10 men on the field for last year’s game-deciding play against Ohio State certainly qualifies. So far this season, it’s been a matter of timeout usage. Against both Texas A&M and Northern Illinois, the Irish burned their first timeout of the second half on relatively inconsequential plays early in the third quarter of close games. On Saturday, Freeman couldn’t remember exactly why he used the suspicious timeout. As if it wasn’t the timeout that could’ve given Notre Dame an extra 30 seconds to extend its final drive and win the game with a closer field goal. If the Irish want to rank among college football’s elite programs, which right now I don’t believe it does, their leaders must be sharper at all times.

Perhaps the second-most important leader behind Freeman, of course, is the quarterback, the second area where Notre Dame faces major scrutiny. I get it. Riley Leonard has not looked good as a passer. He has offered the Irish offense barely more than Tyler Buchner did at the start of the ‘22 season. But, unlike many Notre Dame fans I’ve heard voice their opinions, I’m not quite ready to bench him.

Let’s look back at the last time Notre Dame made a clean change at the quarterback position: 2018. I won’t consider 2021’s brief replacement of Jack Coan, because Tyler Buchner had already been receiving significant reps before the benching and no functioning program should look to operate with the three-quarterback carousel the Irish deployed in that Cincinnati game.

In 2018, Notre Dame started the year ranked at No. 12 with Brandon Wimbush, the fulltime 2017 starter. Wimbush, somewhat like Leonard, had always been a bit suspect through the air but lethal as a runner. He started the season with a three-game slate fairly similar to the one Leonard faces in 2024 — Michigan at home, Ball State at home, Vanderbilt at home. He was 42 of 76 passing for 589 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions while rushing for 136 yards on 49 attempts. With Notre Dame off to a 3-0 start but averaging less than 24 points per game, Wimbush gave way to Ian Book for Week Four.

The early numbers on Leonard’s Notre Dame tenure are similar. He’s been more efficient (38 of 62) while throwing for fewer yards per game (160.5) with zero touchdowns and two interceptions, one of

them a badly underthrown game-changer in the fourth quarter against NIU. As a runner, he’s performed only slightly better, collecting 79 yards on 23 attempts. For me, Leonard deserves more patience than Wimbush due to his captaincy and the fact that Notre Dame brought him in to be the starter. However, that added patience fades because the Irish have populated the loss column. Still, two games in, I believe a move to bench Leonard signals unwanted panic from the coaching staff.

Let him have the Purdue game and evaluate for a three-game homestand after that.

Regardless, the Riley Leonard problem goes beyond what he has or hasn’t done on the football field. Notre Dame seems to have an identity crisis at quarterback. Irish fans know it, and I think it’s why many have been so quick to call for Leonard’s benching.

Since Ian Book’s departure, the Irish have developed absolutely nothing at quarterback. In 2021, they went to the transfer portal for Coan.

They did the same for Sam Hartman a year ago. The only two homegrown signal-callers who have made regular-season starts — Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne — are now a wide receiver and a backup elsewhere, respectively. With Leonard in the picture as another transfer, it’s easy to lament that recruited pieces like Steve Angeli and CJ Carr lose a year of game-speed development or worse, consider transferring.

If Leonard continues to perform at his current rate and Notre Dame loses another September game, that’s when you really think about making a move. Until then, stick with the guy you brought in to lead your offense and let him figure it out with three transfer wideouts and a brand-new offensive coordinator. In my eyes, hitting the panic button now sends the wrong message to the team and guarantees you lose another game by October.

The bottom line is this: the dream of Marcus Freeman’s year-three ascension is on life support. With every game from here on out, Notre Dame’s playoff aspirations undeniably hang in the balance.

Coach like it, practice it, play like it and restore faith with a dominant win at Purdue.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

a 53-yard field goal attempt that Kanon Woodill sprayed wide to the left.

Presented with an opportunity to turn momentum early in the second half, Notre Dame did not miss out. Leonard hit Greathouse and graduate wideout Kris Mitchell for first downs, setting up a highlight-reel run from Love. From 34 yards out, the young running back charged up the gut of NIU’s defense, hurdling a wouldbe tackler before accelerating away from additional pursuers and reaching the end zone. On Love’s second touchdown of the season, the Irish broke into a 14-13 advantage midway through the third quarter.

Leonard’s second interception puts the game in NIU’s hands Throughout the second half, Notre Dame’s defense constantly gave its offense a chance to close out the game. The Huskies remained at 13 points for the first 29 minutes and 29 seconds of the second half, but the Irish never pulled away.

In fact, they put the game right back into the Huskies’ grasp. Inside the final six minutes, Leonard took a deep shot for Mitchell with the wind at his back, but the badly underthrown ball fell into the arms of Amariyun Knighten.

Knighten’s return stretched all the way back to midfield, where the Huskies began a methodical march to the game-winning score.

Northern Illinois bled the clock down to the two-minute timeout on approach to a fourth-and-2 at the Irish 31.

Hampton converted with a run to the right side, allowing 90 additional seconds to come to the clock. With 31 ticks remaining, Woodill knocked in the go-ahead field goal from 35 yards out.

The Irish could have opened their final drive down two with a minute to play, but a timeout burned early in the third quarter left them with 24 seconds to reach field-goal range. They came close, reaching the Husky 44-yard line on a completion to Mitchell. With five seconds left, out came Jeter for a 62-yard attempt to win the game. With the wind at his back, Jeter’s big leg may have had a chance, but his boot never cleared the line of scrimmage. The Huskies’ second blocked field goal of the evening won them the game as time expired.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

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CROSSWORD | WILL SHORTZ

9

HOROSCOPE | EUGENIA LAST Happy Birthday: See the sites, explore, and expand your vision, mind, and soul.

Changing location or rearranging your routine will give you a new lease on life. Refrain from limiting what you can accomplish, due to fear of failure. Turn everything you do into a learning experience and evolve into the person you aspire to become. Dismiss temptation and excessive behavior, and embrace knowledge and perfection. Your numbers are 3, 11, 16, 28, 35, 41, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take precautions, abide by the rules and regulations, and update records, documents, or promises that need revision. Standing by your word or addressing pending problems will help reduce friction and interference.

Use your wisdom, choose your words wisely, and turn a negative into a positive.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Make memories; a precious moment will bring you closer to someone you love. Engage in acts of generosity and use your charm and attributes to make someone’s life better. Let your actions lead the way and make your feelings known. Be bold, kind, and genuine.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Be factual, passing information along, or someone will misinterpret your words, putting you in a vulnerable position. Uncertainty will require insight on your part to differentiate between fact and fiction. Don’t give in to emotional manipulation; use your connections to summon the truth. Make personal growth a priority.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You have options. Get out, participate, and connect with people who have valuable insight and information to relay. Take better care of yourself by eliminating excess stress and unnecessary bullying or criticism from your life. Make creativity and friendship with like-minded, supportive individuals a priority.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Make up your mind. Inconsistency will be your downfall.

Focus on what you want and the best way to achieve your objective. Rely less on emotional input and more on facts, honesty, and integrity; you’ll gain momentum. An active pursuit of happiness will pay off.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Put your energy into something worthwhile. Selfimprovement, taking care of unfinished business, adjusting your lifestyle to fit your budget and physical abilities, and making your life less complicated. Don’t fear what you don’t know, embrace change and march forward. Write your story and live your dreams.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Explore the possibilities, live, learn, and experience what life offers. A day trip, convention, or researching an interest will lead to something new and exciting. Embrace introductions, communication, and finding out what others think and can contribute. Refrain from sitting at home when an adventure awaits you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t let anger set in when movement and having fun serve you better. Choose to get together with people of interest and pursue pastimes that challenge you to look, feel, and do better. Put your energy into something that matters to you and make a difference.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t underestimate the competition. Someone you least expect will disappoint you. Be on guard, don’t share secrets, and choose a minimalist lifestyle. Protect your reputation and outshine anyone who tries to rain on your parade. Turn your attention toward achieving what you set out to do.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Discipline will pay off regarding health and finance. Refrain from following the crowd; do what works best for you and set an example for those around you. Pay attention to detail and do your best to uncover information to help you make better choices.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t count on getting help from others. Rely on your strengths to overcome any obstacle, and you’ll find an outlet for what you can offer. Explore the possibilities and let your entrepreneurial spirit take over.

Personal gain is favored, and romance is in the stars.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Trust your intuition and say no to excessively persuasive people. Stay intent on pushing toward your goals and finishing what you start. Stand tall, be proud, and pursue your dreams. It’s up to you to build the foundation to house your prospects. Put yourself first.

Birthday Baby: You are inventive, charming, and capable. You are persistent and charitable.

SUDOKU | THE MEPHAM GROUP

JUMBLE | DAVID HOYT AND JEFF KNUREK

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SPORTS

THE OBSERVER | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

ND MEN’S SOCCER

Irish beat No. 15 Louisville

By TYLER REIDY Sports Editor

For the second consecutive season, the Notre Dame men’s soccer team is off to a 1-0 start in ACC play. The Irish traveled south to face No. 15 Louisville on Friday night, securing a 2-1 victory. As they prepare to play each of their next six matches at home, the Irish are 1-0-2 through their toughest three-game scheduling stretch of the season.

After spotting Louisville three goals in last year’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal matchup, the Irish made sure to score first on Friday.

Only seven minutes passed before a brilliant move by Notre Dame resulted in the game’s opening goal. Sophomore midfielder Nolan Spicer ran onto a teammate’s flick near the right corner, charging to the edge of the 18-yard box to find a service angle. Spicer used that angle to send a grounded pass in the direction of sophomore forward Jack Flanagan, who ran over the ball with a dummy move to misdirect the defense. As a result, a lane opened up for senior midfielder Bryce Boneau, who ran in behind Flanagan and twisted a shot into the net’s far corner. Boneau’s first goal of the season marked his third in the last two meetings against Louisville.

Once again, seven minutes would tick by before the game’s second goal. This time, Louisville

turned an unassuming possession into a quick-developing attack through the midfield, as JP Jordan slipped a through ball behind the Irish back line and to the left corner of the 6-yard area. There, Ethan Subachan ran onto the feed and hammered a left-footed strike into the top of the net. Subachan’s second goal in as many contests leveled the score at one apiece less than 15 minutes into the match.

After another quarter of an hour elapsed, Notre Dame reclaimed the lead for good. In the 29th minute, a blocked Irish shot from the left side fell to junior midfielder KK Baffour at the right edge of the penalty area. With time and space available, he sent a looping cross that skimmed the head of a Louisville defender and landed atop the 18-yard box.

There, freshman midfielder Jacob Bartlett stepped up to the ball and smashed it underneath the bar for his first collegiate goal. Bartlett’s tally marked the first by a Notre Dame freshman this season.

The rest of the way, another freshman held down the lead for Notre Dame en route to his first career win in goal. Blake Kelly, whom head coach Chad Riley once again compared to a veteran, finished the night with two saves for the Irish, including a big one against Subachan in the 74th minute. Moments later, the high-flying Cardinals threatened again with a cross behind the Irish back line,

but Sander Roed — the man who registered a hat trick against the Irish in 2023 — one-timed it off the underside of the bar.

Notre Dame also found several chances to create breathing room after building the 2-1 lead. In the 32nd minute, Spicer’s close shot from the right edge of the 6-yard caught the foot of stretching Louisville keeper Harvey Sellers.

Less than 60 seconds later, the Irish nearly earned a penalty kick as senior forward Matthew Roou went down on a physical play in the box. The 62nd minute saw Roou partake in another major chance, barely missing left with a one-timed shot off of freshman midfielder Ian Shaul’s pass.

Despite the missed opportunities, the Irish still walked out of Louisville, the place where their magical 2023 run to the College Cup ended, with an important three points. Looking ahead, they’re in position to extend momentum earned from Friday’s win with six straight games at Alumni Stadium. In fact, Notre Dame will play only one match away from home between now and Oct. 26 — a stretch that covers more than a month and a half. During the upcoming homestand, the Irish will meet Duquesne, No. 5 Stanford, Chicago State, Detroit Mercy, No. 2 Clemson and Trine.

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

Irish senior forward Matthew Roou (21) challenges Clemson’s Arthur Duquenne (33) for a header in the College Cup Final on Dec. 11, 2023.

ND WOMEN’S SOCCER

Irish shut out NIU, Marquette to prolong streak

By BEN HICKS Sports Writer

The No. 9 Notre Dame women’s soccer team continued its impressive shutout streak this week, collecting wins over Northern Illinois on Thursday and Marquette on Sunday.

Sunday’s 5-0 win over the Golden Eagles wrapped up the seven-game non-conference slate for the Irish, who will head into ACC play at 6-1. The lone defeat came on opening night at the hands of Michigan State, who ranked fifth in the Sept. 1 edition of the United Soccer Coaches national poll.

Freshmen shine in rout of NIU Notre Dame began the week by welcoming Northern Illinois to Alumni Stadium on Thursday evening for the first meeting alltime between the two programs.

Despite being picked to finish seventh in the Mid-American Conference, the Huskies entered this tilt unbeaten.

It didn’t take long for the Irish to open the scoring, however, as sophomore forward Paige Buchner was taken down inside the box in the 10th minute, leading to freshman midfielder Grace Restovich calmly converting a

penalty to give Notre Dame an early 1-0 edge.

Fellow freshman phenom Izzy Engle doubled the advantage just two minutes later, as her pressure caused a turnover in the NIU backline, allowing her to beat Husky keeper Ary Purifoy for her seventh goal of the season.

Engle, the forward and Edina, Minnesota native, continued her furious start to the campaign by collecting a brace on the other side of halftime. A counterattack ignited by freshman goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica positioned Engle with an easy tap-in to hand the Irish the three-goal advantage in the 65th minute.

Midfielder Lily Joseph, yet another of the highly touted freshmen, put the finishing touches on Thursday’s blowout as she connected on junior midfielder Berkley Mensik’s cross for the fourth and final goal of the evening.

Despite the 4-0 scoreline, NIU tested the Irish backline, but the aforementioned Kasica saved all seven shots she faced, preserving the shutout streak in her third career start.

Irish defense stymis Marquette in shutout A quick turnaround had Notre Dame hosting 1-4-1 Marquette

for the final non-conference affair of 2024. After an even start to Sunday’s match against the Golden Eagles, the Irish struck first in the 17th minute when Engle netted her ninth goal of the season, beating Marquette keeper Chloe Olson with a rightfooted shot from the edge of the 18-yard-box. The goal was the work of three freshmen, as Joseph controlled a Marquette goal kick down to Restovich in the attacking third, who played Engle into a 1-on-1 opportunity, which she slotted into the bottom left corner to open the scoring.

Joseph then doubled the lead eight minutes later with a wellpaced shot from the same area as Engle’s opener. Joseph’s third career goal was assisted again

by Restovich, who will enter ACC play with six assists to her tally.

After numerous Irish chances were turned away by Olson, the Irish found a third goal in the waning minutes of the first half, as freshman forward Ellie Hodsden notched the first of her career off a nice feed from Mensik. Hodsden was mobbed by her teammates as the sides made their way to the dressing rooms for halftime before Notre Dame Athletics honored the 20th anniversary of the 2004 National Champion women’s soccer team.

The high-powered Irish offense scored yet another right out of the intermission, as Restovich once again found Engle, who scored her second of the match from eight yards out.

Mensik then provided a feelgood moment for the Irish faithful to conclude the match, as she scored her first career goal in the 88th minute. Following a doubleknee surgery which caused her to medically redshirt all of 2023, Mensik has recovered strongly to record four points in her five appearances thus far. After a corner kick in which Marquette placed all 10 outfield players in the Notre Dame box, Mensik received a through ball from Buchner to ignite the counterattack, and all that was left to do was beat the keeper, which she did with a cross-body shot into the side netting.

The Irish dominated the match from start to finish, and the shutout streak was never truly in jeopardy. The Golden Eagles’ only real threat was when a 61st-minute corner kick found the head of Ella McAleenan before ricocheting off the crossbar. The Golden Eagles managed only eight shots, just four of which required a save by sophomore netminder Atlee Olofson. The victory marked Olofson’s fourth shutout in as

many appearances.

All totaled throughout the nonconference slate, Notre Dame outscored its opponents 23-2.

The Irish backline, led by the goalkeeping pairing of Kasica and Olofson, has not conceded in over 584 minutes of game action. Engle’s 10 goals are tied for the national lead, while Restovich leads the club with six assists.

Notre Dame’s success has also come mostly without preseason all-ACC selection Leah Klenke, as the junior midfielder from Houston has been away from the team since August 19, as she represents the United States along with two Irish teammates at the U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.

What’s next Notre Dame will now travel to Chestnut Hill on Thursday to battle Boston College to open the 2024 ACC campaign. Led by firstyear head coach Chris Watkins, the Eagles went 7-1 in the nonconference, already doubling their win total from a year ago, when they also failed to record a conference win. The match will be nationally televised on ACC Network starting at 7 p.m. Trine.

Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu

SPORTS

NIU Wrap CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

winning games. They outgained the Irish by over 100 yards, they won the turnover and time of possession battles, they broke off more explosive plays and they rose to the occasion to convert in key third and fourth-down scenarios. And in the end, after Northern Illinois kicker Kanon Woodill drilled his third field goal of the afternoon with just 31 seconds to play, that was just enough to push them past the Irish and send the visiting Husky fans into euphoria.

Essentially, Northern Illinois did what Notre Dame was able to do last weekend against Texas A&M. Meanwhile, the Irish played the role of the Aggies this week: crucial turnovers, an inability to string together any semblance of consistent offense and costly defensive miscues that allowed for several huge plays. What had looked like a potential dream season for the Irish is all of a sudden on the ropes just two games in.

“We’ve got to go back and evaluate the way we prepared and figure out exactly the mishaps [that] occurred in the preparation,” Freeman said. “I’ve always said performance is a reflection of preparation. We’ve got to figure out where we failed in preparation.”

In the moments after the Irish received the opening kickoff, they seemed to be picking up right where they had left off the week

NDSMCOBSERVER.COM | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | THE OBSERVER

before. Senior quarterback Riley Leonard worked the ball down the field with his arm and legs as Notre Dame capped off a masterful 13play, 75-yard drive with a Leonard rushing touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

That would be the only moment Irish fans had to cheer about in the first half, however. Just minutes later, the Huskies silenced the Notre Dame crowd with an 83-yard passing touchdown to level the score.

And after putting on a clinic their first time out, the Irish offense mustered just three total yards on its following two possessions and would close out the first half with three punts, an interception and a blocked field goal as time expired in the first half. Meanwhile, the Huskies continued to gash the Irish defense with chunk plays, surprising after Notre Dame was able to so effectively limit the Aggies offense just one week prior.

After being on the receiving end of the 83-yard score, Northern Illinois running back Antario Brown continued to dominate, adding a 28-yard rush and 43yard reception in the first quarter alone before finishing with over 200 scrimmage yards on the afternoon. The Irish defense was able to bend while avoiding breaking to hold the Huskies to a pair of field goals, but Notre Dame still went into the halftime locker room facing a 13-7 deficit.

Just seven days (and just 30 minutes of gametime) after morale

and confidence around the Irish program was as high as it’s been in recent memory, Notre Dame was booed off the field by its own home fans.

And despite the team’s best efforts, the second half preceded eerily similar to the first.

“In the first [half], I was like, ‘Okay, we need to – I don’t know exactly why we’re not executing the way we need to, but maybe that was the wake-up call we needed to go out and change this [in] the second half,’” Freeman said. “It started to go that way, and [the] defense started playing better in the second half. We just couldn’t capitalize off [of] it on offense. We could not.”

As was the case in the first quarter, Notre Dame came out of the gates firing in the third. The Irish defense forced Northern Illinois into a long missed field goal, and the offense once again began the half with a long touchdown drive, this one capped off by a 34-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love that featured a SportsCenter-worthy hurdle that sent the Irish crowd into a frenzy. Love was a standout for the Irish, finishing the day with 79 rushing yards on 11 carries.

Suddenly, Notre Dame was back in front, 14-13, and it felt like the Irish were poised to shake off the rough first half and get back on track.

But just like in the first half, that opening possession would represent Notre Dame’s only addition to

the scoreboard. The Irish defense seemed to turn the corner, shutting down the Huskies on their ensuing three possessions, highlighted by crucial third and fourthdown pass coverage from graduate student safety Jordan Clark and sophomore safety Jaiden Ausberry to get the Northern Illinois offense off the field.

As Freeman lamented, though, the Irish were unable to capitalize and extend their lead to gain some breathing room. After two quick three-and-outs, they finally seemed to get something going late in the fourth quarter when a pair of completions to graduate wide receiver Beaux Collins netted them 17 yards and their first first down in over a quarter of action. On the very next play, though, Leonard missed on a downfield shot intended for graduate wideout Kris Mitchell that resulted in his second interception of the game.

“We couldn’t move the chains either. That’s the other thing,” Freeman said about the Irish offense in the second half. “We can’t go three and out, and we can’t turn the ball over. Those are areas we’ve just got to get fixed.”

Unlike Notre Dame, the Huskies were able to capitalize on the miscue, working the clock all the way down to 31 seconds before sinking a go-ahead field goal with just 31 seconds left.

A long kickoff return and a 19yard completion to Mitchell set the Irish up to give graduate kicker

11

Mitch Jeter a chance at a 62-yard field goal attempt as time expired, but in a cruel twist of fate, Jeter’s kick was blocked again, repeating the events of the first half once more as Northern Illinois sealed the 16-14 win.

While Notre Dame fans may feel like the sky is falling, Freeman and several Irish players reinforced the theme postgame that the story of this Irish team has only started being written, and that this group will be defined by what happens over their next 10 games rather than what transpired on Saturday.

For now, the only thing the Irish can do is put this disappointment behind them, get back to the drawing board and do everything in their power over the next week to make sure that they earn a different result on the road against Purdue next Saturday to turn 1-1 into 2-1, before doing the same thing the next Saturday, and every Saturday that follows until there are no more games left to play.

And they have no intention of letting anything get in the way of doing just that.

“This is as low as it gets,” Freeman said. “We’ve been here before, right? We’ve been here before. Now it’s time to get it fixed.

We’ve got to get it fixed and get back to playing football the way we know how to play, we’ve played before, and we can, and we will.”

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

ND VOLLEYBALL

Irish split at StarkVegas Classic in Mississippi

By TYLER REIDY Sports Editor

After starting the season 2-0 with a Catholic Challenge title in Santa Clara, California, the Notre Dame volleyball team played in Mississippi at the StarkVegas Classic this weekend. The Irish went 1-1 in Starkville, dropping a 3-1 match to Michigan on Saturday before hanging on for a 3-2 defeat of Mississippi State on Sunday. Heading into a weekend that will feature three games in three days, the Irish carry a record of 3-1.

Michigan erases one-set deficit to clinch first Irish loss Entering the weekend with momentum, Notre Dame kept rolling in set one against Michigan. With the Wolverines having already faced Mississippi State the night before, the Irish looked fresh en route to a 25-20 victory in the first set. Notre Dame and Michigan played close early on, and the Wolverines held a 15-13 edge at the media timeout. Fueled by their block, the Irish would tally the game’s next five points after that timeout and take a 21-16 lead via an 8-1 run.

That five-point Notre Dame advantage would go final on a kill from freshman middle blocker Grace Langer. Easily

Notre Dame’s best set of the day, set one featured an Irish hitting percentage of .361 and a combined nine kills between junior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo and senior setter Phyona Schrader.

Michigan would even the game score with a set two victory of 25-18 despite Notre Dame’s closing of the gap to 21-18. In the second set, the Wolverines upped their hitting percentage from .175 to .303, while Notre Dame’s plummeted to .088. Michigan continued its success in set three, posting yet another 25-18 win to pull ahead in the game score. Four service aces and another elevated hitting percentage of .297 helped the Wolverines turn an 8-8 tie into a 20-13 lead and never look back.

The decisive fourth set unfolded similarly to the third, as Michigan used a 7-1 run to break out of an early deadlock and force Notre Dame into the rearview mirror. Michigan’s attack, which hit efficiently at a .317 clip that cleared Notre Dame’s by more than 100 points, finished strong for a 25-20 set victory. The Wolverines’ Allison Jacobs notched seven of her gamehigh 19 kills in the fourth set. Just behind her, Ella Demetrician stepped up for Michigan with an 18-kill day at a .368 hitting percentage.

On Notre Dame’s side, Palazzolo doubled her nextclosest teammate with 18 kills. That teammate, Phyona Schrader, added a doubledouble that included 19 assists and 16 digs. She just missed out on a triple-double, totaling nine kills at an impressive hitting clip of .333.

Irish start fast again, outlast Mississippi State in five sets As it did in the Michigan game, Notre Dame thrived out of the gate Sunday against Mississippi State. The Irish opened up a 2-0 lead and this time, though it became dicey, made it hold up for a happy trip home to South Bend.

Set one, a 25-20 victory for the Irish, opened with Notre Dame in front by an 8-1 score.

Mississippi State would move back into contention at 10-8, then 17-15, but the Irish never allowed a closer set score than that. Palazzolo thrived for a Notre Dame squad that hit .302 in set one, posting eight kills on only 15 attacks while adding four digs. On the other side, Kailin Newsome collected eight kills for the Bulldogs, but only seven additional kills piled up from her teammates.

The second set featured 14 different ties, more than in any other single set. Once the Irish pulled within a 16-14

score midway through the set, neither team led again by more than two points. In fact, the only multi-point lead that appeared after that juncture was Notre Dame’s set-clincher at 26-24. Overcoming a less effective set of attacking, Palazzolo picked up the winning kill, her sixth of the set.

Schrader helped her out in set two, attacking at a 6-for-10 rate while contributing seven assists. Junior libero Cailey Dockery also pitched in, totaling six digs in the set.

With Notre Dame on the brink of a sweep, Mississippi State battled back in sets of three and four, stymieing Palazzolo and the Irish attack.

In set three, Palazzolo swung at a negative hitting percentage, opening the door for the Bulldogs to climb back. They took full advantage, leading from 3-2 onward to comfortably claim the set at 25-20.

In set four, Palazzolo struggled again but Schrader picked up all the slack, tightening the set to the point of a 2927 Bulldog victory. Schrader posted six kills at a .357 hitting clip, nine assists, two service aces and a block. Her work surged Notre Dame out to a 20-17 lead late in the set, but Mississippi State would not quit. Facing game point two times, Mississippi State remained in the fight and stole the set on a Newsome

kill. Set four featured a major step forward from Rebecca Walk, who posted seven kills on only nine total attacks for the Bulldogs.

Heading into set five, Notre Dame apparently grew tired of going down to the wire with Mississippi State. The Irish, rolling at a gaudy hitting percentage of .444, marched out of Starkville with a 15-7 win that opened with a 4-0 scoring run. Palazzolo returned to her typical form with a pair of kills and service aces, while junior outside hitter Lucy Trump emerged with a teamhigh three kills. Overall, Trump joined Palazzolo (20 kills) and Schrader (18 kills) in double digits with 11 kills.

Palazzolo mixed in 16 digs for a double-double, while Schrader totaled 25 assists and 14 digs for a triple-double.

Up next, the Irish will play on three consecutive days for the first time since August 2022. They will make a short trip to Northwestern for an 8 p.m. matchup on Thursday night before hosting Colorado State (Friday, 6 p.m.) and Northwestern (Saturday, 6:30 p.m.) at Compton Family Ice Arena. The game against Colorado State will begin a stretch in which the Irish play seven of eight games at home.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

12

THE OBSERVER | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

ND FOOTBALL FEATURE

Cross, Watts stay confident despite setback

By MATTHEW CROW Sports Writer

When graduate students and defensive standouts Howard Cross III and Xavier Watts — a sixth-year defensive lineman and a fifth-year safety, respectively — entered a somber press conference room at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night, it was almost as if they could predict the barrage of questions that would be thrown at them following No. 5 Notre Dame’s 16-14 upset loss at the hands of Northern Illinois that was equal parts shocking and disheartening.

Both players had battled on the field for 60 minutes, they’d no doubt heard the loudly-expressed frustration and disappointment of the crowd and they’d experienced several similar moments over the past half-decade at Notre Dame.

What went wrong? Was it a bad week of practice? Was the team not as prepared as it should have been?

How do you respond as leaders of the team? Where do you go from here?

Cross ruefully joked that he’s the player the Irish public relations staff trusts most to handle “damage control,” given that he’s often tasked with speaking to the media following disappointing defeats, specifically citing losses to Cincinnati in 2021 (which snapped a 26-game home winning streak) and Marshall in 2022.

He made no effort in beating around the bush or downplaying

the hurt that everyone involved in the Irish program was feeling.

However, having been in this type of situation more often than almost any college football player in the nation, he expressed full confidence in his team’s ability to take the pain in stride and keep moving forward. After the Cincinnati loss in 2021, the Irish rattled off seven straight wins to close out the regular season. After the 2022 Marshall defeat, they won nine of their last 11 games, including a blowout victory over No. 4 Clemson.

“Yeah, this sucks. Alright, we know that, everybody knows that, all of our fans know that … all of our coaches and everybody [from the] top down knows that,” Cross said after the game. “But I’m going to tell you all what I told everybody [on the team]: use that. Use what everybody’s telling you. You’re going to be hearing it all week, ‘We suck.’ Alright, use that. Because with all due respect, in seven days, we’re on the field again. So are we going to be like, ‘Alright, I guess it’s over,’ in game two or are we just going to keep rolling? And I think that’s what we’re going to do, is keep moving.”

Cross emphasized the importance of preparation as the Irish look to get their once-promising season back on track, noting that there are no easy answers or quick substitutes for hard work.

“We need to prepare like [Northern Illinois is] one of the best teams in the nation. I don’t care if

we go against them, I don’t care if we go against Alabama, that’s how we need to prepare, and we did prepare,” Cross said about the team’s approach prior to the game.

“But we need to really lock in on what we need to focus on. From the top down, we all need to really know what we want, and I think we do. And I’m going to say the same thing I say every time: we know we’re a good team — and we can be a good team — and I have full confidence in that.”

Watts echoed Cross’ unwavering confidence in the ability of his teammates and coaching staff to respond in the face of adversity.

As the reigning national defensive player of the Year, Watts (along with Cross, a preseason First Team All-American) could have easily decided to move on to the NFL. Instead, he chose to come back to South Bend because of his belief that this Irish team could be special, and one bad day did nothing to shake that belief.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating that we lost,” Watts said. “But it’s not like I’m regretting the decision [to return for a fifth year] at all. I came back because I know I believe in this team, [that] we’re going to come back and bounce back from this. At the end of the day, we lost, we’re 1-1, but we’ve got to figure out what the problem is, and we’ll come back stronger.”

Watts highlighted the importance of taking responsibility as a leader of the team to work to build

Notre Dame’s confidence back up after the loss, focusing on maintaining a consistent mentality regardless of outcome.

“Just bring the young guys up, older guys, just bring the whole team together,” Watts said about how the Irish can avoid letting one bad loss derail the season in the same way they’ve been able to effectively do during his previous years with the program. “Like I said, we’re 1-1, we have to accept that fact, but we still have 10 more games. [It’s a] long season ahead of us, so [we’ll] just get ready for the next week and just continue to improve.”

As far as getting back on track for next Saturday’s road matchup with Purdue, Watts again prioritized keeping things simple and staying the course.

“You know, we just wanted to find a way to win, and we didn’t find that way to win,” Watts said. “[We’ll] just come back in the film room, watch this game, clean up our mistakes, figure out what we did wrong and then start preparing for Purdue. Obviously, they’re going to try to exploit some of the things that happened this game, so [we’ll be] just getting ready for anything that can come at us.”

Some Irish fans might have been hoping for comments that were flashier or more concrete, a direct pledge to shake things up in a major way that would ensure that a performance like the one on Saturday won’t happen again.

But for the leaders of the Notre Dame defense — a pair of AllAmericans and two of the longesttenured Irish players who have experienced all of the highs and lows that college football has to offer while in South Bend, players who have been a key part of teams that have suffered similar losses before overcoming them — to step up to the podium mere minutes after a gut-wrenching defeat and be cool, calm and collected, to publicly state full belief and support in their teammates and coaches and to be just as steadfast in their leadership and responsibility to their team as they were after the previous week’s win over Texas A&M? That’s about as strong an endorsement as you could hope for.

Now, all there’s left to do for Cross, Watts and the Irish is to get out on the field and prove it. And in just one week’s time, they’ll travel to West Lafayette to face Purdue with the chance to do exactly that.

“Yeah, this is awful, but like, [it’s] game two. We’ve got 10 games left, at least,” Cross said about his message to the team after Saturday’s game. “We’ve got to move because we literally just started the season. So if we’re done, then that’s it, but that’s not us and I know that’s not us. So we’re going to come out strong next week, and honestly?

I’m excited. I really am excited for next week.”

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

FIVE KEY MOMENTS

Five key moments: Notre Dame vs. N. Illinois

By TYLER REIDY Sports Editor

On Saturday afternoon, Notre Dame football lost its second of three home openers under head coach Marcus Freeman. In both losses, this one a 16-14 defeat to four-touchdown underdog Northern Illinois, the Irish were favored by at least 20 points. These five key moments fueled a massive Husky upset in South Bend.

Leonard leads the Irish on an opening-drive march Throughout his first drive at Notre Dame Stadium, senior quarterback Riley Leonard showed off his skill set. The Duke transfer used his mobility to set up Notre Dame’s first move of the chains, improvising to find graduate receiver Beaux Collins for seven yards before gaining seven yards with a run to the left.

Later in the drive, Leonard’s pocket passing kept the Irish moving. After a midfield holding penalty set Notre Dame back to a third-and-12 situation, Leonard converted with a tight-window pass to senior tight end Mitchell Evans.

Two plays later, Leonard made another quality read, hooking up with sophomore wideout Jaden Greathouse for 11 yards in a soft spot of NIU’s zone defense. Finally, after back-to-back runs from sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love set the Irish up 11 yards from paydirt, the signal-caller finished the job.

On a designed run to the right, Leonard hopped over a fallen defender before powering to the goal line for a touchdown.

Overall, the Irish quarterback accounted for 73 yards (40 passing, 33 rushing) on the drive.

Huskies respond, overcoming disastrous kickoff

with a shot play Playing on the road against one of the nation’s top defenses, the worst thing a special teams unit can do is back its offense up. But that’s exactly what the Northern Illinois kick return team did on the kickoff that followed Notre Dame’s touchdown. Both deep men let the ball fly, expecting a touchback, but it bounced mere inches from the goal line and remained in the field of play.

By the time the Huskies recovered, several gold helmets arrived to start NIU’s opening drive at the 2-yard line.

Even with the Irish student section right on top of them, the Huskies handled the opening series with poise.

They gained positive yardage on all three plays, moving the chains on a physical, thirddown run by quarterback Ethan Hampton. Two plays later, the Huskies broke through the vaunted Notre Dame secondary. Hampton made a

precipitous pass between two Irish defenders down the left hash, but it found running back Antario Brown, who split them and ran to the house for an 83-yard touchdown. Just like that, Northern Illinois had tied the game at 7-7.

Brown burns the Irish to keep momentum with the Huskies Well before the season started, Antario Brown stood out as the offensive player to focus on for not just Notre Dame’s defense, but Notre Dame’s entire team. Still, Brown had his way with the Irish, picking up 163 yards from scrimmage in the first quarter alone. After Notre Dame went three-andout following the NIU touchdown, Brown set up a Husky field goal with his 28-yard run.

On the ensuing Irish drive, Leonard threw a tipped interception near midfield, setting up another breakout from Brown. The senior caught

a 43-yard pass inside the red zone on the NIU drive’s opening play, positioning the Huskies for another field goal and a 13-7 lead.

That lead would carry into halftime, as Cade Haberman blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt from graduate kicker Mitch Jeter late in the second quarter.

Burnham’s brick wall, Love’s leap push Notre Dame ahead Coming out of halftime, Northern Illinois got the ball and threatened to build a twopossession lead. The Huskies quickly marched inside the Irish 35-yard line on consecutive chunk plays through the air. But on a key third-and-4, NIU went backward on an outside handoff to Brown.

Junior defensive lineman Joshua Burnham spilled him for a three-yard loss, forcing see MOMENTS PAGE 8