Notre Dame Football: Fighting Irish Stunned by South Florida, What Does It Mean?

The 16th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish have lost their season opener against the South Florida Bulls. The 23-20 defeat on a stormy night in South Bend marks the first time since 2007 that the Irish lost the first game of the season.

What happened?

Notre Dame started the game with an eight-play, 79-yard drive that ended when Jonas Gray fumbled and Bulls' cornerback Kayvon Webster picked it up and ran 96 yards the other way to give South Florida a 7-0 lead.

Dayne Crist, who was named the starting quarterback less than two weeks prior to the contest, struggled mightily. He completed just seven passes for 95 yards in the first half. It was a half that saw the Bulls score 16 unanswered points and head into the locker room with all the momentum.

During the intermission, thunderstorms rolled into the area and caused the fans to be evacuated from Notre Dame Stadium. The ensuing delay lasted two hours and 10 minutes and when it ended, Tommy Rees became the Fighting Irish quarterback.

Rees was much more effective than Crist, completing 24-of-34 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately for Notre Dame supporters, his arrival came too late as the rally (broken into two parts by another weather delay) fell short.

Cierre Wood had a strong performance for the Irish, gaining 104 yards on 21 carries, including a one-yard touchdown plunge to pull Notre Dame within 10 with 7:50 left.

Rees found Michael Floyd with 40 seconds left to make it 23-20, but the Irish were unable to recover the onside kick and South Florida ran out the clock.

Who's the goat?

Big things were expected from Dayne Crist after he won the quarterback battle in training camp, but he failed to deliver. He didn't appear to have enough mobility in the pocket when facing pressure and, when he did manage to escape, his throws were erratic.

There is little doubt that Tommy Rees will be the starter against Michigan next week.

How far will they fall?

Losing to an unranked South Florida squad as 10-point favorites will likely drop Notre Dame out of the Top 25. Most of the other teams within the rankings took carry of business, which doesn't help the Fighting Irish cause.

Who Benefits the Most?

The Texas Longhorns were the first team on the outside looking in of the preseason poll and will likely join the Top 25 if they can defeat the Rice Owls. The Longhorns are trying to prove they are still a formidable opponent with Garrett Gilbert under center.

National Implications

Several teams will be disappointed that Notre Dame lost to an unranked team.

Michigan State, USC and Stanford are all currently ranked and were hoping the Fighting Irish could become a marquee win on their résumés. Unless Notre Dame bounces back in a big way moving forward, the win will be nothing more than a footnote now.

Perhaps the most frustrated team is Air Force. The Falcons received Top 25 votes in the preseason poll and were hoping Notre Dame could become one of three ranked teams on their schedule. Instead, they are left with just TCU and Boise State to prove their worth.

Next Game: Sept. 10 at Michigan, 8:00 p.m. EDT

Can Notre Dame rebound in the polls?

It's not looking good for the Fighting Irish returning to the Top 25 this season. They have road games against Michigan, Pittsburgh and Purdue over the next four weeks. The only home game during that span is against 17th-ranked Michigan State.

The other ranked teams on their schedule include USC and Stanford. The only realistic chance Notre Dame has of returning to the rankings this season is if they are 7-4 heading into the season finale against Stanford.

That would allow the Fighting Irish to pick up a huge win against what should be a highly-ranked foe and that could conceivably push them back into the Top 25 prior to bowl season.

Other than that, Notre Dame is shooting for six wins and a bowl invite after a season where expectations were through the roof. A somber day in South Bend to say the least.