Former Irish fan, when it used to be a Catholic university. They simply got thrashed by a better and more experienced team. You could tell that ND’s young quarterback was shell-shocked and caved under the pressure. Surprisingly, the ND coaches did nothing to adjust for the size of the Alabama offensive line. They seemed to think that the defence that played well against lesser opponents could do the same thing against an offensive line where all 5 starters could play right now in the NFL. This year was definitely a positive for the Irish, but they have a long way to go before they can compete with the SEC - as do all those other midwest teams in the Big Ten.
Sounds like you still are . . .