And it's not just a Sunday morning reaction. It's good and bad during and after the game.
It does matter that ND wins except that they didn't against NIU. There are many, many examples in history of coaches turning to the backup mid game in an attempt to change things up and spark the offense. This is literally a thing!
Why can't a freshman or sophomore be ready to go? Why is RL a senior and still not ready to go? Wait, RL is what he is. A good runner. A good athlete. Probably a good leader and I'm sure a great person. But he is one dimensional and that won't win championships in today's game. Why stick with him? He is one and done for ND. He isn't a development project.