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Here was living proof that football isn't life. Bob Davie might need a reminder. His supply of loyal fans is dwindling.

"Let's face it," Davie said after the game, "we're in this by ourselves now."

There are problems on the field -- a 1-3 record for the seventh time in school history, and the second time in Davie's three years.

And there are problems off the field --- Notre Dame acknowledging the possibility of academic fraud. An athletic department counselor might have done a paper for an unnamed Irish athlete.

That's on top of reports that recently-dismissed quarterback Eric Chappell violated NCAA rules by selling his complementary tickets, an accusation Chappell denied. And that's on top of impending NCAA sanctions in the case of generous and amorous booster Kim Dunbar.

Somebody throw a flag. They're piling on.

And a lot of people are enjoying it.

"We're 1-3, but we could easily be 4-0," Irish receiver Bobby Brown said. "It hurts to keep on saying that: 'We could be. We could be.' But people are going to cheer against Notre Dame from here until the Lord comes back to earth. Deal with it. I do. I just deal with it."

The problem Saturday was that Notre Dame couldn't deal with losing the football five times by turnovers. Two of them came when Michigan State players ripped the ball out of the arms of Irish players. One of them came on an interception of a Jarious Jackson pass. Another came on a fumble by Jackson. Another came on a handoff by Jackson.

The fifth-year senior is taking it hard. For the second consecutive week, Jackson, the lone captain on the team, wouldn't speak with the media.

"Jarious said he's emotional and doesn't know what to say and will be more than happy to talk Monday at practice," a school spokesman said.

That just doesn't cut it at Notre Dame, where the rules are different. Stand up and, as Bobby Brown would say, deal with it. This, after all, is the school with the unmatched tradition and its own network television contract.

Even before Saturday's game, Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press imagined Notre Dame football as an NBC comedy series. Of Davie, Sharp wrote, "He'll rip off his headset and shout: 'Live from South Bend! It's Saturday Afternoon!'"

It's a bad sign when people are laughing at you. But unlike the previous week at Purdue, clock management wasn't a problem for Notre Dame. Some tailgating Irish fans were concerned before the game, though.

"Hickory Dickory Dock. Irish, Watch the Clock," their sign said.

Those people have an extra week, a bye week, to think of something new before home games against Oklahoma, Arizona State and Southern California.

Quarteback Jarious Jackson and coach Bob Davie walk off the field after another frustrating loss. (AP)

"I don't think I'm busting anyone's bubble by saying, 'Was it going to be a national championship team? Was it going to be a Bowl Championship Series team?'" Davie said of the Irish. "I mean, when you graduate all the players we graduated and you play the teams we play ... We're a young football team with a tough schedule. And we're sitting here at 1-3. It's reality."

In times like this, reality is also damage control. Davie had to answer questions about Jackson's future as quarterback. The coach said he wouldn't trade this season to give back-up Arnaz Battle more experience for next season, which was supposed to be the big year all along.

Reality is also answering questions about why, on third-and-one with 3:16 remaining, the Irish didn't run.

"I just didn't feel confident making it, running the ball in there," Davie said.

That doesn't say much about his team. After an incomplete pass, Notre Dame punted, counting on its defense. But the Irish offense never saw the ball again.

Afterward, though not by name, Michigan State coach Nick Saban came to Davie's defense.

He might have been the only one.

"Whatever you do is the wrong thing to do when it doesn't work," Saban said. "That's the life of a coach."