Blue and Gold Illustrated

6 NOV. 1, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED CARR PARKED AT NOTRE DAME This concerns the Steve Angeli/CJ Carr controversy. If Marcus Freeman had chosen Steve Angeli to be the starter after spring practice, CJ Carr would have left Notre Dame. CJ Carr would have called his grandfather Lloyd Carr, who had coached at Michigan. CJ Carr would have signed to play at Michigan. Today, he would have been the starting quarterback at Michigan. Joe Perillo Mr. Perillo, thanks for sharing your thoughts. In this era of instant gratifica- tion and the transfer portal, you would have to believe that thought would've at least crossed his mind, though I am not so sure Michigan would've been the destination with hot shot freshman Bryce Underwood firmly entrenched as the Wolverines' starter. Carr has not publicly commented on the matter but it was reported that sources said he was committed to Notre Dame before the starting job was de- cided . In addition , one of the reasons he opted to attend Notre Dame was the opportunity to "spread his wings" and choose a school apart from his family's football legacy at Michigan. The good news, though , is that we never had to find out if that would've happened. Carr seized the job and hasn't looked back since. QUESTION & ANSWER Hi, I am wondering if anyone else was as appalled as I was by the thought- lessly invasive question the interviewer Zora Stephenson asked of Coach Mar- cus Freeman at the end of the first half of the NC State game. In so many words, she asked him what he had been thinking about the two plays that cost the Irish a pair of scores in the first half. That is not her business, that is not our business. It is the business of Coach Freeman and his staff. Being the kind and courteous per- son he is, Coach Freeman answered her at some length. In general, I find the growing practice of interviewing coaches during games very inappropriate. They don't owe their personal thoughts to the public while they are trying to coach their teams. Joe Dickmann Thanks for sharing your thoughts Mr. Dickmann. There is no doubt that sideline reporters have been known to ask unusual or seemingly " intrusive" questions to gain an inside scoop. I think it is impor- tant to remember that is what they get paid to do. Just because they ask the ques- tion, doesn't mean you have to answer it. Kudos to Freeman for not getting frus- trated and conducting himself with the kind of class we have come to expect. In college football, other coaches have sometimes expressed frustration with the timing or nature of questions, leading to viral moments (e.g., Brian Kelly of LSU and Curt Cignetti of Indiana). FAN FORUM BE HEARD! Send your letters to: steve.downey@on3.com or mail to: Blue & Gold Illustrated, P. O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702 The Notre Dame-Southern Cal annual series appears to be in jeopardy. The Irish have expressed a desire to continue it, while the Trojans have waffled. With what could be the final game approaching in mid-October, Irish fans chimed in on our message board at BlueandGold.com with their thoughts on a column on that topic by our own Tyler James. Here is a snippet of that online conversation: Brettrappold: This article echoes exactly how I feel, if USC feels like playing ND annually is too tough of an obstacle to make the playoffs then that's an admission of how soft and overrated of a football program USC has been for the past decade plus. The culture issues with their program ensure they won't have any postseason success regardless of what happens. Still bad for the sport. sim_kev: Far cry from the Pete Carroll USC I grew up with. They weren't afraid of anyone. This is just pathetic. BoCeJ62: This is an excellent article explaining why these games matter and the last line is AWESOME! Flight on! Thanks @Tyler James. o_sjb75: Ask Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Ronnie Lott, and Marcus Allen their opinion. Ask Pete Carroll his opinion of continuing the Notre Dame series. Meanwhile, like you say, Lincoln Riley continues to be the "… mouthpiece" for USC, and the auto qualifier that the Big Ten wants will continue to be used as leverage. Extremely well-written piece, you channeled your inner Eric Hansen, and "Flight On …" to close was a mic drop. BlessedMother: Well done, Tyler. USC should relish the rivalry. It's not like their conference schedule will be riddled with top-20 or championship contenders every season. Java65: Great article! This is why Riley will never win a NC. HC like him and Franklin are looking for the easiest path possible to the playoffs but what they fail to realize is adversity builds strength. The reason USC teams are so soft is because their HC is soft and culture starts with the HC. TyWebb: The USC fan base should be disgusted with the school's leader- ship. The fans and alumni deserve better. Holland3626: "Flight On" is the perfect mantra for them as it's their head coach's mantra. He ran from the SEC cause he knew he couldn't compete at Oklahoma in that conference. He's soft, his teams are soft. FROM THE WEB .com .com JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT BLUEANDGOLD.COM! Sign up for just $1 for the first seven days! The Notre Dame-Southern Cal football rivalry, an annual series of 96 games that's only been interrupted by World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic, might not continue because of the Trojans. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER

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