NOTRE DAME ANNOUNCES THEIR ARRIVAL WITH A STATEMENT 52-0 SHUTOUT VICTORY OVER RICE: The Irish improved to 2-0 and gave their home crowd plenty to celebrate.

The #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn't simply win their home opener, they obliterated the Rice Owls, delivering a 52-0 beatdown Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish improved to 2-0 and gave their home crowd plenty to celebrate.

And it didn't take long for the rout to begin.  Just 14 seconds into the game, safety Adon Shuler forced a fumble on Rice's second play from scrimmage, and Boubacar Traore scooped it up and raced 24 yards for a touchdown. The tone was set immediately.

The biggest offensive storyline was quarterback C.J. Carr, who looked every bit like the Heisman contender many expected him to be. Carr completed 16 of 20 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns, spreading the ball around and repeatedly finding ways to attack a Rice defense that simply couldn't keep up. He was pulled in the third quarter with the game well in hand.


Jordan Faison was one of his favorite targets, catching four passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Even more impressive was the distribution, 12 different Notre Dame receivers caught passes.

If the offense grabbed the headlines, the defense made sure Rice never had a chance to breathe. Notre Dame forced four turnovers, turning those takeaways into 21 points. The Irish also recorded eight tackles for loss while holding Rice to just 128 total yards.  The result? A shutout.


Rice couldn't find the end zone all afternoon, and Notre Dame's defense continued to make life miserable even after the starters began leaving the game.


The most impressive part might have been how quickly Notre Dame buried this game. The Irish entered halftime with a 42-0 lead, meaning the second half became an opportunity for Marcus Freeman to get younger players valuable experience while protecting his starters.


That's exactly what you want to see from a team with championship aspirations: handle business early, eliminate the drama and get the backups meaningful reps.


Was Rice a measuring stick for Notre Dame's championship potential? No. But after a convincing opening week victory over Wisconsin, Notre Dame followed it up by doing exactly what a top-three team should do against an overmatched opponent.


They dominated.
The Irish outgained Rice 478-128, played clean football, forced turnovers, protected Carr and pitched a shutout.


Now the conversation gets much more interesting. Michigan State comes to South Bend next.
That's where we'll get a much better idea of just how dangerous this Notre Dame team can be.
For now, though? 2-0. 52-0. And the Irish look damn good. ☘️🔥