Forget the Light Show: Make Notre Dame Stadium Loud Against vs Miami

Notre Dame is really proud of the atmosphere its trying to create for Saturday night's showdown against Miami

Oct 18, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Fireworks go off as Notre Dame Fighting Irish players run onto the field before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are big games and then there are absolutely massive games and when No. 4 Notre Dame plays host to No. 1 Miami on Saturday night, it'll be the biggest the Fighting Irish have hosted in over 20 years.

Win and a chance at the national championship that has eluded the program since the 1988 season is very much in play - with a First Round bye in the College Football Playoff seemingly likely.

Lose, and just getting to the College Football Playoff might be a pipe dream.

The atmosphere at Notre Dame Stadium will be one of those that you only see a few times a decade, if even that often.

The 2024 CFP game against Indiana, 2022 vs. Ohio State, and before that - perhaps a couple of games against USC, but I'm struggling to come up with anything besides those that touches what Saturday night will be, since the 2005 "Bush Push" game against USC.

Notre Dame Reveals Light Show for Miami Showdown

The athletic department is very proud of what they've cooked up for Saturday night.

On Monday, Notre Dame revealed plans for a light show that will be built off of LED wristbands that will be given to fans, and during the game, they will light up to say different words and make pictures.

Notre Dame will give wristbands to fans on Saturday that will use a technology never used before at a college football game. LED wristbands can spell out words and pictures.

The band will honor Lou Holtz at halftime and former captains under Holtz will present the flag.

— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) November 2, 2026

That's great and all, but I have two simple requests for Saturday night that have nothing to do with the LED wrist bands.

Request No. 2: Lose 'We Will Rock You'

Before Notre Dame runs out of the tunnel at Notre Dame Stadium this season, "We Will Rock You" by Queen has blarred over the soundsystem.

There is nothing wrong with Queen, but if you're trying to pump a stadium up to get loud, going with the most generic stadium anthem of all-time is hardly the way to do it. There is a reason it has been replaced seemingly everywhere by "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes and a few others.

"We Will Rock You" right before the team runs out reminds me of my junior year of high school when the Touchdown Club at Coal City High School was able to purchase a new sound system.

That was great and all but they decided to replace our touchdown song, "Song 2" by Blur, with "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang.

I don't know who officially made that decision, but Notre Dame running out to "We Will Rock You" is just as inspiring.

There are literally dozens upon dozens of better songs to use for that moment. Heck, the "I'm Good" (Blue remix) that was used a few years ago would even set a far better tone.

Request No. 1: Be Loud on Your Own if You're Going

When it comes down to it, I don't care at all about the LED wristbands or the songs that are played.

Notre Dame Stadium needs to be loud, just like Marcus Freeman requested on Monday.

“I hope it’s so loud when we’re on defense that it really doesn’t matter what Coach Ash is telling the green dot.”

Freeman then cited how loud it was at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami last year for the season-opening loss to Miami, and how much of a difference fans can make in that regard.

What always amazes me is how loud Notre Dame Stadium was when you watch old clips from the 1988 Catholics vs. Convicts game. Seriously, just click through the video below and hear how loud the crowd of roughly 60,000 was that day compared to the crowds of 80,000 today.

How, in 2026, with the addition of a video board that tells fans to get loud, and a sound system that makes the Earth vibrate a mile away, do the fans not make the atmosphere louder when it's their turn?

Go click on the last three minutes or so of that call above.

That's the standard.

If you're in attendance, make Notre Dame Stadium sound like that for three hours on Saturday night, and make life a living hell for the Miami Hurricanes.

Nick Shepkowski's Thoughts

Regardless of what I said above, only one thing matters: Just win, baby.