Wow, were ND fans taken in by all the hype and energy surrounding new head coach, Marcus Freeman.

We had blinders on and didn’t see - or want to see - that the 2022 Notre Dame football team is not very good, despite plenty of talent in many positions.

The embarrassing upset loss to 20-point underdog Marshall didn’t wake up the echoes. Instead, it brought back nightmares - at least for me, Last Saturday night in South Bend as I tried to get some sleep before the long drive home, I had nightmares. Flashing before me were the faces of Gerry Faust, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis - and even a quick look at Bob Davie.

After showing little or no offense, and having a defense that can’t hold a lead, it’s time for Freeman to drop the “rah, rah” stuff and get down to the basics of coaching. What looked like a 10-plus win season and a chance to make some noise for a playoff spot, has now all gone away. ND is out of the top 25 and now ND fans are wondering how many games will they be able to win - hopefully enough for .500 plus season.

Add to all this the shoulder injury to starting QB Tyler Buchner, who is more than likely lost for the season, and the Irish are now an after thought. A team that has 10 more games to play and no national spotlight on it. ND’s loss last week has set the program back in more ways than one.

Buchner injured his shoulder late in the game and it was announced last Monday that he will require surgery. There is some hope out there that he could return by November. But that seems very unlikely.

His backup, Drew Pyne, will lead the team today. Last week, he came in when Buchner went down. He was three of six for 20 yards, one TD and one interception. Pyne’s backups are now freshman Steve Angeli and sophomore Ron Powlus III. Powlus is the son of former ND quarterback and Berwick High School star Ron Powlus Jr., who is part of the football administration at ND.

Can Freeman rally the troops? Does he have what it takes to turn things around and salvage the season or his he over rated like the team was at the beginning of the season? Freeman told the media after the game, “We’ve got to take a hard look at ourselves.”

The team has to regroup. It heard “boos” from the fans at the half, something that rarely happens at ND. It is the first 0-2 start since 2011. Also, if Freeman loses today he will be the first new coach at Notre Dame to lose his first three regular season games. He is already 0-3 after losing to Oklahoma State in a bowl game last season, and is the first ND coach to start at 0-3 overall.

ND fans and the media were told that this team worked hard all summer long and had a great preseason camp in August. What happened?

There is plenty of blame to go around. Freeman brought in some very qualified assistant coaches. He had the full backing of the administration, alumni and fans. He had it all going into the Ohio State game. The Irish didn’t look that bad against the Buckeyes, but losing your home opener to a 20-point underdog is not acceptable at any school.

A new, high-powered offense was promised. Where is it?

We were told the defense was loaded with “play makers”. A defense that will shutdown a undermanned offense and be able to complete with some the the best unit in the country. Where is it?

The South Bend media has grouped Freeman in with Davie, Weis and Faust.

Today the Irish host the University of California at Berkeley. The Golden Bears enter the game at 2-0 with wins over UNLV, 20-14; and UC Davis, 34-13.

ND leads the series between the schools, 4-0. The last time they played was in 1967 in South Bend.’

The game will be televised nationally by NBC-TV with a 2:40 p.m. kickoff.

IRISH NOTES ... Some game stats from last week. Buchner was 18 of 32 for 201 yards and two interceptions. Receiving, Michael Mayer, eight catches for 103 yards and a TD; Lorenzo Styles, seven for 69; Kevin Bauman, two for 22; Chris Tyree, two for 14. Rushing, Buchner 44 yards on 13 carries, two TDs; Audric Estime, 33 yards on 10 carries; Styles 22 yards on one; Tyree 17 yards on three rushes, Logan Diggs seven yards on seven carries; and Pyne, seven yards on three runs ... Jon Sot punted four times, including a 61yarder. He averaged 42.3 yards per punt ... Defensively, Howard Cross II had 11 tackles followed by DJ Brown, Jack Kiser and J.D. Bertrand with nine each. Cross had .5 tackles for loss. ND had 364 yards of total offense of 364 yards, including 145 passing ... Last season Notre Dame’s defense forced 25 turnovers and only had one game - its 34-6 win over Navy - without recording one. Through two games this season, the defense have forced no turnovers ... For the record, Pyne is a redshirt sophomore, and Powlus a redshirt freshman. Angeli is a three-star recruit from Bergen (N.J.) Catholic High School ... The Cal quarterback is Jack Plummer, a Purdue grad transfer. Last year he played against ND in the Purdue game and went 25-of-36 with a touchdown and no interceptions. He has four TD passes and two picks in the Bears’ 2-0 start ... The big difference between Pyne and Buckner is Buckner’s speed and ability to run. Pyne has a stronger arm and is a more accurate passes ... Freshman kickoff specialist Bryce McFerson remains out with a groin injury that caused him to miss the first two games. Freshman walk-on Zac Yoakam has forced touchbacks on half of his six kickoffs ... Former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o will be in the tunnel and running onto the field today with the Irish team. It is his first return to ND stadium since 2018. Te’o was the subject of a two-part Netflix documentary about the catfishing incident that embarrassed Te’o after his emotional and very successful season in 2012. The documentary is entitled, “Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist.” ... The late collapse of the ND defense in both the Ohio State and Marshall games - allowing the opponents to drive the length of the field for fourth quarter scores, is the subject of much talk and pointed questions for Freeman and defensive coordinator Al Golden. Since Freeman’s arrival in 2021, the Irish defense has allowed 12 touchdown drives of 80 or more yards. Five of those have taken place in the final quarter with two more coming in the third. From 2018-20 under previous defensive coordinator Clark Lea, Notre Dame allowed 18 total touchdown drives of 80-plus yards .... Freeman announced earlier this week that he has converted to the Catholic faith. Freeman made his profession of faith, was confirmed and received his First Holy Communion as part of the conversion process, which took place in early September. His wife and six children were already practicing Catholics .... Today is a “big day” for Freeman, staff and players. Losing last week to a 20-point underdog opponent on your home turf is bad, very bad for the program and all associated with it. Despite losing to Marshall and also losing their starting quarterback for the season, the Irish are still a 10.5 favorite today. In my preseason picks I have the Irish winning today but that is no longer as solid a pick as it was when I made it back on Sept. 3. This will be a test of Freeman’s coaching and his leadership. I will stay with my original pick today.