Stock up: CJ Carr
Usually in articles, I will admit to being very cynical about freshman CJ Carr’s performance. However, this week I have nothing but compliments to give. Carr threw for 218 yards, helping lead the Irish offense in three of their touchdowns, while going 13-for-16 on passing. His first touchdown pass came in the back half of the second quarter when Notre Dame was up by 14 points.
Although the possession didn’t start the way the offense had hoped with a negative 3-yard pass, Carr made the decision to let the running backs drive the offensive line forward. He then thew a 27-yard pass to senior wide receiver Will Pauling, which set up a 5-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jordan Faison to mark the first Notre Dame throwing touchdown.
Carr’s other two touchdown throws came in the third quarter to sophomore wide receiver KK Smith and junior tight end Ty Washington. This was Smith’s fourth game appearance this season and Washington’s second. Smith’s catch was the only play of that possession, since Navy lost the ball on their 34-yard line on a turnover of downs and put Notre Dame up 28-10. Late in the third quarter, backup sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey saw time on the field.
Stock up: Jaiden Ausberry
Despite the weak defensive start that we watched during the first two games, Notre Dame defense’s performance has improved significantly since, especially standout sophomore linebacker Jaiden Ausberry’s. Although he has played in every game this season, totaling 41 tackles, his Navy game was his best performance so far with eight total tackles, three solo tackles, five assists, his second sack of the year and forcing one fumble. Despite his small impact on the stats sheet before this weekend, it’s important to note his impact during the matchup against the Midshipmen and keep an eye on him as the Irish close out regular season play.
Stock up: kicking
Last week’s performance against Boston College left much to be desired in terms of kicking game, missing two extra points and a field goal. However, freshman kicker Erik Schmidt had a perfect six-for-six performance against Navy, which was extra impressive given the slippery and cold conditions the teams had to play in.
Stock down: remaining schedule and snow
Notre Dame only has one more home game in the regular season, where it will face off against Syracuse in snowy conditions on Nov. 22. However, for both this game and next weekend at Pittsburgh, the snow will have no effect since no competitor schools are new to the snow. Differently, Notre Dame’s away game at Stanford during Thanksgiving weekend will be the team’s moment in the sunlight as Palo Alto’s sun welcomes the Irish.
The Irish matchup against Pitt will be an interesting watch since both teams are 7-2, but the Irish’s games against Syracuse and Stanford will be great opportunities for the team to improve their playoff ranking statistics.
