Notre Dame fans are an infamously impatient group. Unsurprisingly, after their team’s 27-24 loss to No. 10 Miami in the season opener, frustration and disillusionment were the prevailing sentiments. Irish faithful were quick to distribute blame, criticizing the play calling of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, a man many touted as one of the best in college football only days prior, and questioning why new defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s defense underperformed. These gripes have some merit. Jeremiyah Love did not get enough touches. The defensive line did not get enough pressure, and the offensive line struggled to get push in the run game or protect Carr on critical passing downs. With that said, this Notre Dame team showed enough on Sunday to give reasons for hope. Unlike devastating defeats in past seasons, from Marshall to NIU, this one is anything but an indictment of the program.
Making the trip to a sold-out Hard Rock Stadium to face a top-10 opponent in week one was always going to prove a tall task, especially with a first-time starter at the helm. Notre Dame was outplayed and deserved to lose. But like in any close game, a few key plays swung in one team’s favor. Producing the highlight of the game and maybe of the weekend, Hurricane wide receiver CJ Daniels beat Leonard Moore on a double move before laying out for a one-handed touchdown grab right in front of a tentative Adon Shuler. Those are two things you may never see again this season, no less on the same play. A tip-drill interception that was kicked into the air by a Miami defender would prove to be the other defining moment. Beyond those two plays, Miami dominated the middle eight minutes and won the turnover battle 2-0, two areas where Notre Dame didn’t just thrive last season, but were the best in the country. Despite all of this, head coach Marcus Freeman’s team showcased resilience when it seemed they might tap out early.
“It was a top-10 fight,” Freeman said after the game. “Comes down to a three-point game against a hell of a football team. Our guys got a confidence to build off of.”
Of the many reasons for optimism, CJ Carr’s performance is at the top of the list. The sophomore proved to everyone why he deserved the job after a full offseason of drama. The coaching staff made a point to give Carr easy reads early in the game and placed full trust in him to make the right decisions. He looked comfortable getting the ball out on time in the face of pressure from a Miami front that terrorized Notre Dame’s offensive line for much of the contest forcing three sacks and two intentional groundings for Carr. Trailing 21-7 on his first offensive possession in the second half, Carr was let loose to unleash more vertical throws, connecting with Malachi Fields multiple times downfield. He also displayed his rushing ability, carrying the ball 11 times, many of them designed runs.
After leading his team down the field with under five minutes remaining in the fourth, he punched in the game-tying touchdown after withstanding serious contact. The play nobody will forget, however, was a scramble that took him from the 3-yard line all the way back to the 29-yard line before tossing a no-look pass to a wide-open Micah Gilbert in the corner of the end zone.
“I said throw it away,” Freeman said when asked about his inner dialogue during the play. “Those are plays that CJ Carr can make.”
It is that high-level playmaking ability that makes Carr so tantalizing as a prospect. But with the highs were a fair share of lows as well. None were more costly than the fourth-quarter interception on second-and-2 with Love waiting in the backfield. Carr made the read to pull the ball and throw a screen pass that was tipped airborne and secured by the Miami cornerback, halting Notre Dame’s growing momentum. His ability to respond after that moment is what stood out most, though.
“He came back and drove us down for a field goal, and the next drive after that was a 75-yard touchdown drive,” Freeman said. “He’s a gamer, man. He performs when the lights are on … He’s gonna do great things, it’s just the start for him.”
As much as that mistake can be placed on Carr’s bad decision, questions should be asked of the coaching staff, not just on that play, but throughout the game, regarding the lack of touches for Love and his backfield partner, Jadarian Price. The two combined to see only 16 carries for 78 yards, with Price not taking a handoff outside of the second quarter. Carr led the team with 11 carries, while Love only knotted 10. As important as it is to give Carr opportunities to make reads, sometimes the ball needs to be placed in your best player’s hands, and Freeman admitted it.
“There’s times where you got to take away the read and say, ‘just hand the ball to your running backs,’” Freeman said. “We started to say later in the game, stop reading it and hand the ball to J Love.”
It ended up being too little too late.
Beyond play calling, the bigger questions for Notre Dame will need to be answered in the trenches, an area that many expected the Irish to dominate, but were a clear second-best on Sunday. A unit that was placed in the inner circle of Joe Moore Award contenders before the season looked overwhelmed. The late departure of Anthonie Knapp from the game due to cramps did not help matters, and left Guerby Lambert and Sullivan Absher rotating throughout. The Irish also missed the play from projected starting right guard Charles Jagusah, who is recovering from a fractured left humerus.
On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame’s defensive line rarely got home with their four-man rush, allowing a 28-yard touchdown pass to CJ Daniels the only time they did. Hardly ever dialing up the blitz, Ash’s game plan relied on the production of a highly-touted group of edge rushers. They were unable to provide it.
“You’re not gonna be really successful on defense if you can’t get pressure on the quarterback with four-man rushes,” Freeman said. “My expectation for that unit is to dominate the game … credit to Miami, we weren’t able to do that.”
The immense potential is there for both lines. They will need to reach it for Notre Dame to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Losing by three points on the road to a top-10 opponent should not cause anyone to press the panic button. While the margin for error has gotten tighter, chances of a spot in the postseason remain high for the Irish. Unlike after the losses of years past, Freeman has built a foundation of trust. Improvement was never a guarantee then. It looks far more realistic now.
A lot will come down to week three, coming out of a bye week to face Texas A&M in the first home game of the season. There is reason to believe this Notre Dame team will be up for the challenge. Freeman’s sentiment after the loss rings true.
“Every goal we have is still ahead of us.”
