Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 15, 2025 25 MICHAEL FLOYD SEES HIMSELF IN MALACHI FIELDS The Michael Floyd comparisons were real this past summer, but made in whispers, and in the context of where new Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields' skill set could possibly take the Virginia grad transfer. Not what his preseason freeze frame looked like. It was about taking the next step from who Fields was as a Cavalier. And inter- mittently he had shown flashes through the first eight games in an Irish uniform that could turn into more convincing stretches. Like the one Fields concocted against Navy with the real Michael Floyd — Notre Dame's all-time leading receiver — bundled up and in attendance for No. 10 Notre Dame's 49-10 rout in a steady cold rain that turned to snow by game's end. Fields finished with 4 catches for 97 yards, including a 52-yarder that set up the first touchdown of the night for the Irish, a Jeremiyah Love 1-yard run. The former two-star wide receiver recruit is now Notre Dame's No. 2 receiver, behind junior Jordan Faison, with 25 receptions for 497 yards and 3 touchdowns. "I see height and strength," Floyd told Blue & Gold on the WSBT Gameday ra- dio show prior to the game when asked about the Floyd/Fields comparisons just ahead of the 98th meeting between the Irish and Midshipmen. "And I see him taking the top off of defenses. And I think just at this level, like you've got to have a lot of confidence. "As a player, that goes a long way. So, hopefully, Malachi keeps that con- fidence, game in and game out, and makes plays. It just builds you up as a person inside and just gives you the mo- mentum that you need each and every week to be successful." Fields was familiar enough with Floyd's game to be humbled by his words. And Fields' surge is coming at a time opposing defenses have chosen to tilt their resources toward slowing Love and the Irish running game, and daring redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr and receivers like Fields to make them pay for it. Carr did to the tune of 13-of-16 pass- ing for 218 yards and 3 touchdowns be- fore giving way to redshirt sophomore backup Kenny Minchey late in the third quarter to finish out. "I think a little bit of both," head coach Marcus Freeman offered when asked whether the Carr-to-Fields chemistry was intentional or the prod- uct of Carr's progressions and reads. "But the execution was what matters. The decisions are decisions. The execu- tion was great, and I'm glad they were connecting." The two have invested a lot in those connections, including extensive film study. "He's just seeing everything so well," Fields said of Carr. "He's taking the challenges, never flinching, never hes- itating. He's out there having fun, just playing ball. I think just the pride he takes in getting it right. If we miss it in practice, we're staying after it and repping it just so we get it right for Saturday." And they're not alone. Eight different receivers caught passes from Carr or Minchey against Navy, including fresh- man Jerome Bettis Jr. getting the first of his career. Faison, redshirt sophomore KK Smith and redshirt junior tight end Ty Washington all caught touchdown passes. "I'm super satisfied," Fields said. "Everybody eats." And yet driven enough to stay hungry. — Eric Hansen DEVONTA SMITH MAKES STATEMENT WITH HEALTHY OPPORTUNITY While DeVonta Smith continued to work his way back from a right ankle in- jury that forced him to miss four of the NAVY GAME NOTES BY ERIC HANSEN AND TYLER JAMES Malachi Fields hauled in 4 receptions for 97 yards against the Midshipmen, including a 52-yard connec- tion that set up Notre Dame's first score of the game. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER