Friends, it is with regret that I must return to this column for the 2025 season in the aftermath of a loss by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While the outcome was disappointing given the highs we experienced last season – including a season-opening win in a similarly difficult road environment – I still believe there are better things on the horizon for this Irish team, and I promise you we’ll talk about one of those here as well as breaking down a couple things that went wrong for the Irish in Miami.
Texas A&M at home can’t come soon enough – let’s get into it, then get on with it.
Where is the Love?
This is the kind of observation that no doubt makes some of you question the utility of this weekly column because it’s what all of us were thinking, but it must be addressed – the lack of involvement for Notre Dame’s best player on offense was probably the most puzzling and infuriating aspect of this game as an Irish fan. One can understand Mike Denbrock using Notre Dame’s first series to get CJ Carr comfortable with a series of short throws, as well as an eagerness to give Miami something they weren’t expecting. But as the game wore on and Notre Dame had series after series that did little or nothing – including key drives where the Irish needed to respond to Miami scores – these instincts started to look more and more like criminal negligence as the Irish seemed to simply have no plays ready to get Love in space.
This wasn’t a game like last year’s national championship game where Love was hurt – when Love got the ball with room to work, we saw his dynamism on display. Notre Dame needed impact plays and quick scores in this game. That they to simply forget about the player who gave them the best chance of doing so until they were down two scores and faced a narrower playbook (Love had FOUR carries until late in the third quarter, when the Irish were down 14) was bizarre. Decisions to keep the ball out of his hands, whether by Denbrock or CJ Carr on an RPO that led to an interception, are the most difficult thing to sit with following a loss where one more big play on offense would have likely tilted the game in Notre Dame’s favor.
O-Line Struggles
In the lead-up to this game many comparisons were made with last year’s opener against Texas A&M. One of the most important similarities there ended up being Notre Dame’s need to cover up suspect play by its offensive line, but in this game the ‘Canes made the Irish pay where the Aggies could not. Give credit to Reuben Bain for a terrific performance across from talented Irish offensive tackles, who looked like swinging gates at times even before the injury to Anthonie Knapp.
The inability of the Irish front to generate a push in the running game or give CJ Carr a consistent pocket severely limited Notre Dame’s options throughout the night (indeed, one suspects that part of the reason for Notre Dame’s reliance on screens in this game was a lack of confidence in their ability to hold Bain and his counterparts off). It also proved to be the final bane (pun unfortunately intended) of Notre Dame’s chances as Miami’s relentless pass rush ended their final bid to win the game. This unit should gel and get better over the course of the season, but in an opener that will likely be the biggest game of the season the Irish needed more, and didn’t get it.
CJ Carr’s Progression
I don’t want to dwell solely on negatives from this game as there was a lot to like from the Irish – solid if not perfect defensive play, the usual Freeman-era resolve amid adversity, big-play potential in the passing game – but perhaps the most encouraging for Notre Dame’s prospects this season was CJ Carr’s maturation and progression unfolding over the course of the game. Carr never flinched or wavered in an environment and set of circumstances that would have broken most guys starting their first game.
Apart from that one terrible decision on an RPO that he himself has – to his credit – said should have been handed to Love, Carr protected the football and showed a poise and belief in himself that will carry him far as he continues to learn. Given time, he threw accurate balls downfield in pressure situations, most impressively a pinpoint accurate toss on a contested ball won by Malachi Fields. While not quite filling the #13 jersey of Riley Leonard as an athlete, he did give the Irish a change of pace option in the run game and effectively extend plays, most notably showing off some Ian Book-esque improvisational skills that created Notre Dame’s first touchdown. As the Irish offensive line and receivers continue to settle in and gel, we should only expect better things from Carr moving forward.
Folks, there’s still a long season ahead and all of Notre Dame’s goals for this season are still on the table. One great thing about having a measuring-stick game like this early in the season is that everything after feels easier, and despite the issues this game did leave me feeling like this Irish team should have a great year. That starts now as they have two weeks to prepare for a great opportunity to get this season back on track, at home in another statement game. Give all the credit in the world to a Miami team that looks to be for real, and move ahead to the next one.
