Northwestern vs. Notre Dame: Score and Twitter Reaction

In a game riddled with costly blunders, Notre Dame received its second consecutive loss as it fell 43-40 to Northwestern in an epic overtime upset.

Both schools moved the ball easily since neither defense put up much resistance outside of forcing turnovers. The Fighting Irish and Wildcats had four giveaways apiece, and the last one allowed Northwestern to tie the game in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter.

After a late Notre Dame fumble helped send the game past regulation, a second missed field goal cost the Irish dearly in the overtime period. ESPNU was just as shocked as everyone else after Northwestern kicker Jack Mitchell knocked down the game-winning 41-yard field goal:

But Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald wasn't surprised, per Rachel Terlep of The Elkhart Truth:

Terlep had Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly's thoughts after the game as well:

"

BK on defensive decline: (takes deep sigh) “There’s a lot to it. We’re obviously playing a lot of young guys that are struggling."

— Rachel Terlep (@eTruth_Irish) November 16, 2014"

Last week, a 55-31 loss to Arizona State eliminated the Fighting Irish from the College Football Playoff discussion. Although no longer in the championship picture, they were eager to redeem an ugly loss marked by four Everett Golson interceptions.

The junior quarterback wasted no time getting down to business Saturday, as he took a 61-yard run to the house within the game's opening minute. Per Michael Bertsch, the school's director of football media relations, it marked Notre Dame's quickest touchdown strike in three years:

Notre Dame would score 20 points in the opening quarter, causing many to think the game was over. After all, Northwestern entered Saturday afternoon's clash with only 50 combined points produced through its past four games—all losses.

Yet the Wildcats engaged in an early shootout by generating a nine-play, 74-yard opening drive capped off with a Matt Alviti touchdown run. They returned to work with another 75-yard series resulting in a four-yard touchdown grab from Kyle Prater to open the second quarter and reduce Notre Dame's lead to 20-16.

Early in the game, Northwestern was on pace to shatter its recent offensive production, according to the South Bend Tribune's Eric Hansen:

Yet drops plagued its receivers throughout a cold Saturday in Indiana. During the opening quarter, Garrett Dickerson was stripped after a seven-yard catch, and Notre Dame safety Austin Collinsworth took the recovered ball into the end zone. However, the point-after attempt (PAT) was blocked, and Northwestern returned the loose ball to the end zone for a rare defensive two-point conversion.

Wildcats receiver Tony Jones continued a brutal first half by dropping a potential touchdown. WSBT-TV's Pete Byrne chronicled the senior's struggles:

Later in the same drive, Austin Carr dropped a spot-on throw on fourth down. Even in their best offensive performance of the season, the Wildcats left plenty of opportunities on the table.

Golson extended his streak of games with at least one interception to seven, but it came on a fluke play. Pressured in the pocket during the second quarter, Golson threw a hurried pass that deflected off his offensive lineman's helmet and into Anthony Walker's hands for an interception and 65-yard return.

Freshman Justin Jackson, who ran for 149 yards, punched it in on the first play to give Northwestern a surprising 23-20 lead that suddenly made an upset look feasible. 

Golson has now thrown 12 picks over that seven-game stretch. ESPN's College GameDay broke down his turnover woes coming into Saturday's game: 

Yet he settled down after the blunder and reclaimed the lead with a 23-yard touchdown pass to William Fuller. Northwestern QB Trevor Siemian threatened to retaliate before halftime, but Matthias Farley picked him off in the end zone to give the Irish a great chance to take some momentum with them into the locker room.

Instead, Kyle Brindza missed a 38-yard field goal, and Notre Dame had to settle for a 27-23 halftime advantage.

The scoring subsided during the second half, but the mistakes did not. After zooming down the field, Jackson coughed up the ball deep in Northwestern's own territory. Two plays later, Golson lost a fumble on a read-option, gifting the ball right back.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

A smarter coaching choice, however, led to Fighting Irish points. Given a fourth-down decision during the third quarter, Kelly kept his offense on the field. His confidence—or lack thereof in his kicker—was rewarded with a 4th-and-7 conversion at the 36.

Two plays later, Fuller went 23 yards on a screen pass from Golson to extend Notre Dame's lead to 34-26.

The two teams again traded turnovers in short succession. After Notre Dame's Chris Brown fumbled reaching for the end zone, Siemian returned the ball to the Irish by throwing an interception.

With 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Golson and Fuller hooked up for the sophomore's third receiving touchdown on the day, increasing his season total to 13. That score extended the Irish lead to 40-29 and made Terlep wonder how Fuller is not considered one of college football's best wide receivers:

After a late Siemian rushing score and a two-point conversion closed the gap to three with four minutes remaining, the Wildcats received life on yet another Irish turnover. This time it was a Cam McDaniel fumble while attempting to run down the clock.

Mitchell, who hit a 46-yard field goal earlier in the game, nailed a 45-yard attempt with 20 seconds left to send the thriller into overtime.

Sports Illustrated's Brian Hamilton described this unnerving matchup heading into extra play:

While Notre Dame missed a field-goal attempt on their possession, Mitchell booted home the winning shot to stun the Irish crowd and solidify a disastrous set of games for the Fighting Irish, who have now lost three of their last four.

Notre Dame's defense was especially exposed in the loss. Before the game, Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith talked about the young unit's struggles to the The Associated Press' Tom Coyne.

"We understood coming into this year that we were a developmental group," Smith said. "We're so young and really just trying to get better. We're not surprised by the outcomes of the last four or five games of teams scoring 30 points. It's just about how can eliminate that?"

The defense clearly wasn't able to eliminate those weaknesses Saturday versus Northwestern. Traditionally a proud staple for the prestigious school, Notre Dame's deteriorating defense has now yielded 211 points through the past five games.

Once a title contender, the Fighting Irish are now likely to lose their Top 25 ranking after two consecutive losses. As for Northwestern, they have now shocked Wisconsin and Notre Dame in an otherwise disappointing season.