Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 19, 2026 23 NOTRE DAME PASSING OFFENSE: A+ Junior quarterback CJ Carr has many positive traits, including his arm talent, his accuracy and his command of the Notre Dame offense. But the one that stood out against Rice was his ability to recognize what the defense is trying to do and im- mediately attack it. Rice is in Cover 4? Here comes the deep post to senior wide receiver Jordan Faison. Rice is in single-high man coverage? Here comes the slot fade to fellow senior wideout Jaden Greathouse. The junior quarterback pressed all the right but- tons in Week 2, much like he did in Week 1. Only this time, it was more satisfying to casual observer. Carr completed 16 of 20 throws for 253 yards with 4 touchdowns, and each of his starting wide receivers had productive days. His best work came late in the first half, when he rolled to his right and directed junior wideout Micah Gilbert toward the right corner of the end zone. Two defenders kept him close, but Carr fired a frozen rope where only Gilbert could get it for a 39-yard touchdown. By the end of the afternoon, nine different wide receivers had at least 20 yards through the air. Sophomore Jerome Bettis Jr. paid off his produc- tive offseason with a team-leading 61 yards, in- cluding a 56-yard reception that included signifi- cant yardage after the catch. Notre Dame also got its first look at freshman backup quarterbacks Noah Grubbs and Teddy Jar- rard, with Grubbs seeing the majority of the ac- tion. He connected on 7 of 11 passes for 78 yards, while leading a drive that led to an Irish field goal. Grubbs was late on a couple of throws toward the end of his outing, but he showed decisiveness and accuracy that should give Notre Dame confidence moving forward. NOTRE DAME RUSHING OFFENSE: C+ Despite an encouraging second half against Wis- consin, the run game still isn't clicking quite yet. Five Notre Dame running backs combined for 118 yards on 32 carries (3.7 yards per attempt). Sophomore Nolan James Jr. (6 carries for 29 yards and 2 touchdowns) looked the best in the first half, flashing his shiftiness and toughness. Freshman Jonaz Walton (8 for 48) played well, too. However, explosive plays are still tough to come by. Notre Dame's longest run went for 15 yards. To use some coach-speak, we'll have to watch the tape to see whether the offensive line isn't creating open holes or the backs aren't seeing them. Odds are, it's some combination of the two. NOTRE DAME PASSING DEFENSE: A+ You — yes, you — had more net passing yards than Rice until the final play of the first half. The Owls had -6 at that point, and they finished with 64 on 12 attempts. Rice quarterback Jacurri Brown completed a few downfield throws once Notre Dame put its back- ups in, but only one qualified as an explosive play. Option teams don't pass a lot, but when they do, they want to sneak their pass catchers behind the defense. The Irish didn't let that happen. Ju- nior defensive end Bryce Young also picked up his first sack, which is well deserved after the way he played in Week 1 against Wisconsin. NOTRE DAME RUSHING DEFENSE: A+ Here's the thing about option football: It is al- most entirely dependent on beating the defense to your spots. If you're constantly one step ahead of each defender, even against superior athletes, you can cause some problems for the opposition. Against Rice, you saw the consequences when that does not happen. Notre Dame was immediately on top of every- thing Rice tried to do, limiting Owl ball carriers to 64 yards on 34 carries (1.9 yards per attempt). The dive, the keeper and the pitch were dead, deader and too often on the ground. Rice fumbled 5 times and lost 4, and even when the Irish didn't jar the ball loose, they can be credited with forcing the Owls into mistakes. Several individual performances deserve rec- ognition. Up front, Young had 1.5 tackles for loss against the run. Senior linebacker Jaiden Ausberry, who has been a prolific option stopper for three years now, had 5 tackles and 1 stop for loss. So did junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, who brought down a jet sweep for a 7-yard loss in his return from injury. Finally, safeties who run the alley are critical for beating option teams. There will often be holes be- tween the defensive front and the cornerback re- sponsible for contain on keepers and pitches that safeties need to fill. Seniors Adon Shuler and Luke Ta- lich were phenomenal, with Shuler forcing a fumble that senior defensive end Boubacar Traore picked up and returned for six on the game's second play. Rice did not cross midfield until its final posses- sion, and senior linebacker Kahanu Kia forced a fumble that was recovered by freshman defensive end Rodney Dunham to end the threat. NOTRE DAME SPECIAL TEAMS: A- Faison returned a punt for 37 yards, blowing by his previous career high of 23. Junior kicker Spencer Porath made a 36-yard field goal, staying perfect on the season. Otherwise, not much happened. Touchbacks and fair catches for days. The Irish didn't let anything beat them on special teams, and in this game, that's all they really needed. NOTRE DAME COACHING: A+ There's a postgame quote from Faison that il- lustrates just how far Marcus Freeman and his coaching staff have come. Contrast that to pretty much the exact same situ- ation in 2024, when the Irish ate complacency for breakfast, lunch and dinner in their loss to North- ern Illinois. Freeman eliminated that complacency this time around, and it showed on the field. Notre Dame controlled this game from the open- ing kickoff. The Irish played as fast and physical as they would against Miami, and that's a major credit to the coaching staff. REPORT CARD BY JACK SOBLE Junior defensive end Bryce Young notched his first sack of the season and also registered 1.5 tackles for loss against the run. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER