Something happened at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday that hadn’t taken place in more than four full calendar years.
Something happened at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday that hadn’t taken place in more than four full calendar years. The home team lost. Not since Sept.9,2017, when Georgia escaped with a 20-19 win, had Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish fallen at The House That Rockne Built. Twenty-six straight wins followed, marking the second-longest home winning streak in school history. Two wins away from tying Frank Leahy’s 28-gamer from 1942-50, Kelly’s crew collapsed in the face of a favored visitor, a Group of Five program that’s been on the rise for several years under coach Luke Fickell. This 24-13 loss to No.7 Cincinnati, far more lopsided than that margin might indicate, came one week after Kelly passed the legendary Knute Rockne as the winningest coach in program history. “It sucks to lose at home and lose a streak,” Notre Dame pass rusher Isaiah Foskey said. “They were the better team today.” Barely a month into the 2021 college football season, two of the four-longest active home winning streaks have been stopped.
