After showing improvement and racking up three straight wins to move above the .500 mark at 3-2, Notre Dame took two GIANT steps backwards last week in losing to undermanned and 1-4 Stanford in South Bend, 16-14.

After winning those three games against California, North Carolina and BYU - two away from home over creditable opponents - the Irish looked just “terrible” last week. A team should not falter as bad as the Irish did, six games into the season with another six to go.

Last month ND was a 20-plus favorite over Marshall and got upset. Last week they were a 15-point favorite over the Cardinal, and lost ... and looked bad in losing.

ND looked anything like the team that had just won three straight with sights on a possible run for a seven or eight win season. Now, the Irish are looking at possibly three more losses which would leave them with a .500 record.

Head coach Marcus Freeman had the same talking points at the end of the game. Things like being disappointed (of course), not getting the job down (of course) and righting the ship (again).

ND went from a very promising football team to just a run of the mill type school that will have to play the schedule out and hope they can at least avoid a losing season.

The Irish defense, which needs work, did a credible job and did enough for ND to win the game. The defense allowed just one touchdown - on Stanford’s opening possession of the game. After that, the Cardinal had to settle for field goals. Stanford tried its best to give the Irish some presents, fumbling twice, but ND never recovered the loose ball.

Also, Stanford’s very good QB, Tanner McKee, looked like an All-American. ND’s defense never challenged him. No sacks of McKee, little or no pressure on him either. Think of it, Stanford’s offensive line was rated 92nd in pass-blocking efficiency, and ND never got a sack.

We must note that defense leader - tackle Jayson Ademilola - missed the final 2/12 quarters with a rib contusion and Howard Cross, his sidekick at tackle, played despite having a high ankle sprain that kept him out of the BYU game.

During his press conference, Freeman said, “Today was a day we needed the defense to play perfect. It didn’t happen.”

But lets get to the real problem, the real reason the Irish are 3-3 today. The offense.

Coordinator Tommy Rees game plan (a lot of people doubt he had one), was hard to understand. His play-calling was the subject of a lot of commentary from the game announcers, post game talk-shows and the Irish faithful. Nonexistent was the sum total of the opinions concerning the offensive game plan.

And to add to it Quarterback Drew Pyne, who looked so improved each week since he became the full-time starter, looked so uncomfortable in his position. There was no run game. How could a run game that looked so good the previous three weeks - opening big holes for the running backs - suddenly disappear. No offensive linemen were missing, the running backs were all there. What happened?

There were a lot of questionable play calls throughout the game but the most curious one was the call when the Irish were in the red zone and near the goal line. On a fourth and two from the Cardinal five yard line, Rees called a reverse which went nowhere. With a big offensive line and a bruising back like Audric Estime, why not pound the ball into the end zone?

In the end, ND is back to where it was five weeks ago. A limping offense and a defense still trying to find its way.

The “boo birds” were even heard after the game was over. NBC didn’t show that, but it happened.

The game stats help tell the story of how bad the offense ran. Estime finished with just 57 yards on eight carries; Logan Diggs had 57 on nine and Chris Tyree 35 on eight. Pyne completed 13 of 27 for 151 yards and a TD. TE Michale Mayer, who Stanford double-teamed most of the night, caught five for 60 yards. Defensively Brandon Joseph had six tackles, Justin Ademilola and JD Bertrand had five each. ND had a grand total of 97 yards rushing with 160 for the Cardinal. McKee completed 26 of 30 for 288 yards.

Today the Irish host UNLV. The Rebels enter at 4-3 with wins over Idaho State, 52-21; North Texas, 58-27; Utah State, 34-24; and New Mexico, 31-20. The losses have been to California, 20-14; San Jose State, 46-7; and Air Force, 42-7.

The Rebels are led by QB Doug Brumfield, who has completed 106 of 155 passes for 1,231 yards and eight TDs with just two interceptions. Top running back is Aidan Robbins with 591 yards on 125 carries and eight TDs. He also has caught 14. Top receiver is Ricky White with 444 yards on 33 catches and four TDs. This will be the first meeting between the two schools. The game will be televised on NBC’s Peacock streaming channel with a 2:40 p.m. kickoff. No other broadcast outlets will have it.

IRISH NOTES ... The painful facts are that with currently unbeaten Syracuse ahead on the road, and games with Clemson (home) and USC (Los Angeles), ND is facing the real possibility of three more losses. Also add to the mix an away game with Navy and a home final with Boston College ... Notre Dame has been outscored 27-6 in the opening period this season and has not reached the end zone in the first quarter ... ND is tied for 106th in the nation in fourth-down conversion rate at just 40% ... On the injury front, freshman cornerback Jaden Mickey remains day-to-day with a strained abductor muscle near his hip after missing the Stanford game. Defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola (rib contusion) missed Sunday’s practice due to having breathing issues. Senior slot cornerback TaRiq Bracy was able to practice this week and should play today. Safety Ramon Henderson, who filled in at slot corner for 28 snaps, returned to practice this week after tweaking his ankle against Standford ... The start time for ND’s visit to Syracuse on Oct. 29 is on hold by ESPN, which will televise the game. The start time will be either noon or 3:30 p.m ... Notre Dame is favored today by some betting sites by 24 points. Based on two prior games in which the Irish were big favorites, Marshall and Stanford, that means nothing. Freeman and his staff and team are running out of time to “find themselves”. In my preseason picks I have the Irish winning today. I will stay with it but in my opinion this has now become a toss-up game. And that is just embarrassing for the Irish on their home field.