The first catch of Malachi Fields’ Notre Dame career couldn’t have gone much worse. During the first quarter of the season opener at Miami, Fields hauled in a screen pass to kick off Notre Dame’s second drive of the gain. The simple play call shouldn’t have resulted in anything preposterous, but it did.
After gaining a couple yards, Fields fumbled just before he hit the ground, turning the ball over to Miami inside the Irish red zone. In a game where Notre Dame needed to avoid mistakes, the graduate transfer from Virginia made a big one.
However, Fields’ fumble did not prove costly. Notre Dame’s defense stalled out the Hurricanes, forcing them to try a field goal, which they botched.
Since his miscue, Fields has repaid the favor to his team, leading all Irish wide receivers with eight catches and 125 yards. Aside from playing in a venue that holds about 20,000 more people than his old stomping ground in Charlottesville, Virginia, Fields believes his game hasn’t changed too much since arriving in South Bend.
“The biggest difference I think is just the home games,” Fields said. “The electricity in the stadium was pretty cool this weekend, but once the foot hits the ball off the first kickoff, the ball’s the ball.”
Fields arrived at Notre Dame with plenty of promise, immediately slotting in as the top boundary receiver in Mike Denbrock’s offense. In 2023 and 2024, he posted nearly identical stat lines, catching more than 50 passes for at least 800 yards and five touchdowns in each season. Last year, he landed on the All-ACC Third Team, tallying 81 yards in his future home of Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 16 with the Cavaliers.
In just two games, Fields has already flashed plenty of the talent that set him apart at Virginia. Take, for example, a later moment in the Miami game, when Fields beautifully high-pointed a 26-yard catch in man-to-man coverage to set up Notre Dame’s first touchdown of the season.
“When we see man coverage one on one, we just think it’s me and [freshman quarterback CJ Carr] out there,” Fields said. “We’ve just gotta go make a play. That’s really been the communication between us.”
Last week, when he posted an impressive 77 yards on five grabs against Texas A&M, Fields worked as more of a zone beater. In several moments against the Aggies, the veteran wideout found a soft spot in the defense near the sideline and “sat down” in it to make himself available for the quarterback. Carr, meanwhile, delivered a handful of perfect balls to him, clearing Texas A&M’s linebackers while keeping the football in front of defensive backs positioned further downfield.
Fields isn’t surprised by his early chemistry with the young quarterback, crediting Carr for his relentless work to prepare himself for the season.
“His confidence, his competitive spirit — since day one, he’s just been ready to go, ready to compete no matter what defense is out there, no matter who’s out there, no matter who’s with him,” Fields said of Carr. “He’s just a competitor, so he’s gonna go compete.”
As Fields has observed, Carr’s fearless and confident demeanor has appeared not only in his delivery of the football, but also in the way he conducts the offensive huddle.
“He’s the guy,” Fields said.
In the larger picture, while surrounded by familiar faces like juniors Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love in the backfield, junior Jordan Faison and sophomore Jaden Greathouse out wide and senior Eli Raridon at tight end, Fields has carved out a major role in Notre Dame’s strong-starting offense. Through two games against ranked teams, the Irish have scored seven offensive touchdowns, an eye-opening number for a squad with a freshman at quarterback.
Fields attributes much of Notre Dame’s success on offense to its aggressiveness. Even though Denbrock has largely limited the playbook to settle Carr in out of the gate, the Irish have capitalized on moments where it’s available.
“I think we’ve been taking advantage of those one-on-one shots,” Fields said. “When we see [and] when we get what we want, we've been taking advantage.”
But of course, Notre Dame is still winless at 0-2. That’s certainly by no fault of the Irish offense, which has done its part, perhaps even outperforming preseason expectations.
Football remains a team game, though, and Fields won’t point the finger at any of his mates on defense or special teams, carrying out the point Love made in his postgame presser on Saturday night. Everyone in blue and gold, regardless of their performance through two weeks, is accountable, so Fields won’t be one to take his foot off the gas pedal as the Irish prepare for this week’s battle against Purdue.
“You gotta get it done,” Fields stated. “You gotta get a win, get back on track. So just going to work this week and [being] ready for the opportunity, excited for the opportunity.”
Against a Purdue defense that surrendered eight offensive touchdowns to Notre Dame just over a year ago, Fields could be primed for a productive afternoon. Regardless of his output, though, the threat No. 0 has already shown to hurt man defenses downfield or in pockets of zone defense should help the Irish offense remain active.
