By: Evan J. Thomas

​FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Irish offense was hitting on all cylinders as quarterback CJ Carr tied a Notre Dame freshman record with four touchdown passes as the No. 22 Irish blew out the Arkansas Razorbacks 56-13 on Saturday.  Running back Jeremiyah Love became the first player in 30 years to rush for two TDs and two receiving TDs in the rout.

Carr completed 22 of 30 passes for a career high 354 yards in just his 4th career start and he matched the school TD passing record set by Ron Powlus who tossed four scores in his first career game against Northwestern in 1994.  The Irish offense tallied 643 yards of offense, their most prolific feat since the 2017 season.

Carr and the offense in the first half was unstoppable, he threw for 294 yards and all four TDs while leading six straight scoring drives.  Kenny Minchey relieved Carr in the fourth quarter when the Irish were up by 36 points. 

The victory puts the Irish at 2-2 on the young season after starting off 0-2 with three straight home games coming up and Boise State next on the docket. 

Running back Jadarian Price who tallied four TDs last week scored twice with one being a 35 yard catch from Carr and pounded into the end zone on a 3 yard scamper.  Aneyas Williams added a 17 yard run and Carr connected with Will Pauling on a 23 yard bullet.

The rumblings in the first three games was the demise of the defense led by new defensive coordinator Chris Ash.  The passing offense ranked 130th coming into this game but held the Razorbacks to 207 yards through the air and a total of 367 yards and a mere 13 points.  The best so far this season.  

The Irish's two early-season losses put Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes in jeopardy, but Saturday’s win showed they’re far from a mediocre team.  With an offensive output the past two weeks and a defense hopefully hitting a turning point on the season.

Catch this week's We Are ND Nation Podcast with Evan J. Thomas & Dennis Stover as they break down the victory and what is next for the Irish. 

By: Evan J. Thomas

We Are ND Nation we have a problem.  First off, this 2025 is NOT the 2024 team and the Irish have new players throughout the roster, new coaches and new foes.  But the problem we are having after 2 games is what is this Irish’s teams identity?  Notre Dame was supposed to be one of the best defenses in College Football.  After giving up 41 points last night and 488 total yards on defense to a Top 20 Texas A&M squad and 2 weeks prior giving up 27 points and 324 yards to a Top 10 Miami team the Irish defense under new Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash looks pedestrian.  Many times being out of position, bad tackling, no push up front and basically zero pass rush doesn’t make it any easier on the defensive backs in coverage.  I’m also seeing a lot of zone where the opposing offenses are picking the Irish defense apart.

The offense is learning with a young CJ Carr taking over the reins from the departed Riley Leonard.  Carr, after 2 games is 39/62 for 514 yards in the air along with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.  With a completion percentage of 62.9% and a QB rating of 142.1 I’m not pinning the losses on Carr.  What I am seeing is stagnant play calling from OC Mike Denbrock.  In week 1 he called way too many RPO’s which led to an abundance of bubble screens.  Last night he called way too many direct snaps to the running backs or wildcat formations, many leading to runs for losses or being stuffed.  At least against Texas A&M Denbrock did open up the playbook a bit more for Carr to throw the ball downfield.

Here are my 5 reasons on why Notre Dame lost to Texas A&M:
      1. Lack of Pressure Up Front
Over the first two games, the Irish defense has only registered one sack. Sure they have gone up against 2 top 20 teams but for any success on defense pressure is important.  Without consistent pressure, Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed had time to find Craver, stretch the field deep, and exploit holes in coverage.  I’m not seeing any push from the DLine, let’s change that against Purdue.
       2.​ Big Plays & Explosive Passes Allowed
A&M’s Mario Craver tallied 207 receiving yards, including an 86-yard touchdown just in the first quarter where there were blown tackles.  The secondary has been vulnerable: yards per completion allowed was over 21 yards—a number more typical of weak secondaries.  Christian Gray struggled all night with coverage as well as having a bad personal foul penalty late in the game.
      3. Turnovers + Special Teams Slip-Ups
Irish defense can’t be expected to carry the game if the offense or special teams frequently gives away opportunities. Notre Dame has forced just one turnover in two games while giving up multiple turn overs.  The failed extra point  on a botched snap after their go-ahead touchdown was a special teams breakdown that directly made a difference in the final margin.
      4. Being Predictable with Play Calling on Offense
Week 1 it was the abundance of RPO calls that turned into bubble screens that became predictable.  Last night it was Wildcat/ direct snap calls to the running backs that became predictable.  The offense currently doesn’t have an identity and with a young play caller sometimes playing it too safe turns into miscues.
5. Being Aggressive Can Hurt I’m going to say here that I love that Marcus Freeman is aggressive on 4th down but last night it backfired.  With the game tied he went for it and the offense got stuffed.  Win or lose, being aggressive is important but this time it went for naught.

There are still games on the schedule that can produce quality wins, one being this coming week at home against Purdue but there are fewer of them. Notre Dame will need to capitalize in those matchups to rebuild its resume for both playoff and bowl stakes. Blowouts are necessary, defensive consistency will be key: giving up chunk plays or late drives, as Texas A&M did, isn’t going to fly against stronger or more opportunistic offenses.  Let’s get a win this week against the Boilermakers!

2025 is a NEW season, not the same team that rallied last season after an early loss to NIU to making the National Championship game only to lose to Ohio State.  Notre Dame has a NEW quarterback, a redshirt freshman in CJ Carr making his first ever start and seeing his first significant time at the helm.  ND has a NEW defensive coordinator in Chris Ash and most of the game the defense was playing on its heals.  ND does have Marcus Freeman guiding this team and as you saw in the 27-24 opening loss to Miami there was no give up.  The Irish came back from a 21-7 deficit to tie it at 24 before a late interception basically sealed the Irish's fate. 

1. Offensive Flatline Until Panic Mode
CJ Carr, in his first-ever start, flashed upside with two passing touchdowns and a scrambling TD late in the fourth—but it came after the Irish were down 14 and the game was already slipping away. Until then? Ice-cold. Notre Dame’s cherished ground game, anchored by Heisman hopeful Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, was largely AWOL—combining for just 78 rushing yards on 16 carries. As Freeman leaned on his arm, not his offense, the illusion of balance crumbled.

2. Road Jitters: Broken by History and Habit
This wasn’t just a loss. It was déjà vu. The Irish have now lost seven straight road games against the Hurricanes since 1977.  A rivalry game—just not one they understand anymore.

3. Defense Overpowered, Special Teams Tickled
Miami ran two consecutive 75-yard touchdown drives—one to open the second half and another right after halftime to blow the game open. Defensively, Notre Dame folded. And special teams? Carter Davis knocked in a 47-yard game-winner with barely over a minute left—after Notre Dame’s unit had blitzed the Hurricanes with heat-free opportunities. That is the final, pitiful checkbox: simply surrendering a game-winning field goal.

4. Blame-Free Zone… Seriously?
Coach Marcus Freeman described it as “a top-10 fight” and claimed “the effort was there”.  Effort alone doesn’t win games. Preparation, schemes, and execution do. For all their hype, the Irish looked sluggish, overconfident, and completely unprepared—especially in the trenches.

** Final Score Snapshot**
Miami 27, Notre Dame 24

• Beck led Miami with 205 yards and two touchdowns; Notre Dame’s Carr had 221 yards, two passing TDs, one INT, and a late rushing score.
• Notre Dame was out‐possessed (26:03 to 33:57) and out gained by a whisker (314 to 324 total yards).

In Summary: A Humiliating Start to the 2025 Season
Notre Dame came into this game with swagger, pre-season prestige, and national attention. What they delivered was stale offense, woeful defense, and a special-teams fiasco. Miami made all the big plays—a one-handed miracle catch, timely turnovers, 75-yard marches, and ice in the kicker’s veins.
The Irish? A meltdown in four acts:

1. Zero offense until desperation time.
2. Routined on the road by a bitter rival.
3. Defense lost the trench battle twice in a row.
4. Allowed a gut-punch 47-yard bomb in crunch time.

No excuses, no salvaging words—just a brutal statement: Notre Dame looked unprepared, unbalanced, and unwilling to adjust. Miami handed them the football reality check they ignored all summer. Now they’d better start listening.

​What do you think?