When Tennessee State plays at Notre Dame — the first-ever Fighting Irish football HBCU opponent in 31 days — the Tigers will be decided underdogs in the historic matchup.
But Tennessee State, which will receive a $1 million payout, is confident that the Sept. 2 matchup at Notre Dame Stadium will be competitive.
“People expect us just to go in there and lay over and be a cakewalk,” TSU senior offensive lineman Romello Tarver recently told The Tennesseean. “It won’t be that. It will be a competitive game.”
Tennessee State head coach Eddie George, who is entering a pivotal third season at the program, understands the cultural importance of an HBCU matching up against one of the storied football teams in the sport.
The outcome aside, the former Heisman Trophy winner sees the opportunity as a possible springboard for Tennessee State football in its pursuit of further elevating its brand and reach beyond its Nashville home.
“Notre Dame is a strong brand. We relish the opportunity to show the entire country who we are, what we do, how we operate, and the future vision for Tennessee State,” said George.
Tennessee State has lost its last two outings versus FBS opponents, a 27-24 loss to Vanderbilt in 2018 and a 55-10 defeat at Mississippi State in 2021.
While the Tennesssee State contingent and even some within the Notre Dame athletic administration might be intrigued by the nature of the game, not everyone associated with the Irish appreciates it from a football standpoint.
Former Notre Dame quarterback and current FOX Sports college football analyst Brady Quinn did not mince words earlier this spring about how the matchup doesn’t benefit the Irish.
“You can’t schedule this and go, ‘Well, it’s historic for this reason.’ I get all that. I don’t care about that, Quinn said on the FOX Sports podcast “2 Pros and a Cup of Joe.” This isn’t about equity and all that stuff or trying to say hey, we’re helping out an HBCU school. It’s not about that. It’s about trying to win a national championship.”
Tennessee State will mark the first time Notre Dame has played an FCS opponent — something the program had intentionally avoided due to its independent status and wanting so desperately not to function like its FBS peers.
“This a no-win scenario for Notre Dame, no matter what way you go about it, said Quinn. “It does not help elevate their program. You’re not winning a recruit for this. You’re not winning in the eyes of the College Football Playoff Committee, or the Associated Press (voters), or whatever else you want to talk about recruiting.
“It’s just a dramatic departure from what it used to be, and it crushes me to see it. Notre Dame, in this instance, when it’s always kind of been something of its own, is now really trying to almost blend in with everyone else. And that hasn’t been their MO.”
