Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539676
4 SEPT. 27, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED W ith an uninspiring 18-20 overall record for Arkan- sas from 2022-24, many believed the Sept. 27 road game for Notre Dame at Razorback Sta- dium in Fayetteville, would end up a tasty hog roast for the Irish. But a funny thing happened through the early part of this sea- son that has changed all percep- tions and made this first-ever meeting between these two proud programs a game that could ei- ther jump-start or tank the rest of the Fighting Irish season. While Notre Dame was still searching for a team identity and massive defensive improve- ments during their 0-2 start, Arkansas was quietly piling up some of the best offensive numbers in the country on the Heisman-esque play of one of the nation's best quarterbacks. Granted, Razorback wins over Alabama A&M and Arkansas State in their first two games didn't exactly qualify as a mur- derers' row takedown, especially given Notre Dame opened its season against No. 10 Miami and No. 16 Texas A&M. But add a third impressive perfor- mance for the Arkansas offense to start this season — albeit in a 41-35 road loss to 17th-ranked Ole Miss Sept. 13 — and more evidence grows into how danger- ous an opponent and important a game this is for Notre Dame. Even in a losing effort to a playoff hopeful Ole Miss team, Arkansas still piled up 526 yards (221 rushing, 305 passing) of total offense, and averaged 7.3 yards per offensive play against the Rebels. The explosive offensive numbers for Arkansas matter because through two games and two losses, the Irish shock- ingly allowed 413.5 yards and 34.0 points per game. Both of those marks ranked among the worst in the country heading into Notre Dame's game last weekend against Purdue. Also during the 0-2 Irish start, the Notre Dame defense recorded only 1 sack and 4 tackles for loss. It forced just 1 turnover and ranked 103rd out of 134 teams in passing efficiency defense, a telling statistic that the Irish led the na- tion in each of the last two seasons. Through it all, Irish head coach Mar- cus Freeman still provided a vote of confidence for first-year defensive co- ordinator Chris Ash, who has taken the bulk of the blame for the Irish defen- sive collapse after Ash's predecessor Al Golden fielded one of the best units in the country last season. "Whose defense is it? It's our defense," Freeman said after the 0-2 start. "It's Notre Dame football. It's mine. Head coach. It's no person's fault. It's ours." Dual-threat fifth-year quarterback Taylen Green is the catalyst for the Ra- zorbacks' hot offensive start. Through the first three weeks of the season, the veteran Boise State transfer led the nation with 391 total yards of offense per game. He was also fourth in the SEC in passing yardage at 288.7 per game and first in the country in quarterback rushing at 102.3 yards per game. A SEC Academic Honor Roll member, Green enters this game with 45 career appearances and 39 career starts. "A lot of the things that people don't see is just his knowledge of the game right now and just the way he commands the game, controls the game," Arkansas redshirt senior offensive line- man Fernando Carmona said. Another dual-threat quarter- back with a similar playing style to Green's — redshirt sophomore Marcel Reed of Texas A&M — hit Notre Dame for 360 passing yards with 2 touchdown throws and added 37 rushing yards in a 41-40 upset win over the Irish Sept. 13. Something else Arkansas and Texas A&M have in common? They play together in the pow- erful SEC. Through the first three weeks of this season, SEC teams owned a 35-3 mark (.921) in nonconfer- ence games — the second-best winning percentage in this category this century — and a 10-2 mark (.833) against Power Four opponents in the nonconference. Simply put, Arkansas is a really good opponent from a really good conference in another must-win game for the Irish. This story isn't meant to instill panic into the Irish faithful before a winnable game that Notre Dame will likely be a slight favorite in. This story instead is meant to call at- tention to how an overlooked opponent in the preseason has become possibly the most important opponent of the year, with Notre Dame still trying to find its defense and the bullying iden- tity that lifted it to the national cham- pionship game last season. ✦ The Fighting Irish surrendered 413.5 yards (108th nationally) and 34.0 points (tied for 117th in the land) per contest during their 0-2 start. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com. UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Arkansas Provides A Difficult Litmus Test For The Irish