Marcus Freeman Says Notre Dame Has Used NIU Upset as Fuel: 'Can't Lose the Pain'

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman revealed that the Fighting Irish have used an upset loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7 as motivation during their current six-game win streak.

"We can't lose the pain," Freeman said on Saturday, per ESPN's Heather Dinich. "That's what I want to make sure our guys understand. I don't want to lose the pain from that game because at times we are motivated by fear. We don't want this to repeat itself. We've got to use that."

He stressed the importance of using the loss as fuel and ensuring that his team doesn't get complacent amid the current stretch of victories.

"When you have success sometimes, you forget about that pain of what NIU left in all of our hearts and our guts," Freeman said. "There's moments I want to reflect on that and I don't want them to lose it."

The Fighting Irish improved to 7-1 following a lopsided 51-14 win over No. 24 Navy on Saturday. Freeman's squad wrapped up an exceptional performance on both sides of the ball, racking up 466 total yards.

Navy was also held to a season-low 14 points, which is even more impressive considering the Midshipmen surpassed the 30-point threshold in each of their first six games of the year.

Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes appeared to be shrinking following the 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois, falling from No. 5 to No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. It was an unprecedented outcome for the Huskies, as it represented their first victory against a top-10 opponent in school history.

However, the Fighting Irish have put themselves back in CFP contention following their win streak. As they attempt to earn a seventh consecutive victory against Florida State on Nov. 9, Freeman wants his team to keep the loss to Northern Illinois in mind.