Marcus Freeman: Notre Dame 'Failed' with Mental Approach in Upset Loss to NIU

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman didn't believe that his team was mentally prepared ahead of a shocking 16-14 upset loss to Northern Illinois on Saturday.

"There is a physical approach to preparing for a game, and I think physically we prepared the right way, but there's also a mental approach and a mindset that you have to have every single week, and I think that's where we failed," Freeman said, per ESPN's Heather Dinich.

After losing to Ohio State in Week 1 of the 2022 season and Week 5 of the 2023 season, the Fighting Irish defeated Texas A&M to open their 2024 campaign. The Aggies owned the No. 20 spot in the Week 1 Associated Press Top 25 poll.

"This is the first time in my three years as a head coach that we have won the big game early in the season," Freeman said, via Dinich. "Two losses to Ohio State and then all of a sudden, we win and everybody says, 'Hey, you're going to the playoff. You've got an easy schedule.' We all hear it, and I think we started to believe that."

Notre Dame's passing attack struggled mightily against the Huskies, as Riley Leonard threw for just 163 yards and two interceptions without recording a touchdown through the air. The Fighting Irish were also unable to stop Northern Illinois on the ground, allowing 190 total rush yards.

Freeman's squad will attempt to get back on track physically and mentally in the team's next matchup, a clash with Purdue on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.