Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 OCT. 31, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED A s we crossed the half- way mark of a 2026 season that lived up to every expectation through its first six games, this is a great time to take stock of what has made this version of Notre Dame football as dominant as any in program history. T h e goa l o f a n a t i o n a l championship remains very much within reach with a roster as deep, talented and disciplined as any the Irish have featured in decades. This team starts fast — it outscored its first six op- ponents 165-34 in the first half — and it finishes strong, outscoring opponents 99-32 after halftime. Heading into the BYU game Oct. 17, Notre Dame ranked No. 2 in the country with a +33.0 scoring margin (Miami was No. 1 at +39.8). That's the highest mark for an Irish team since 1912 when it out- scored its seven opponents that season by an average of 51.7 points — including a 116-7 win over St. Viator — when Knute Rockne was a junior end for the Irish. "It confirms what I thought," head coach Marcus Freeman said when asked what he learned about his group through the first half of the season. "I thought this was a tough, talented football team, and it's being confirmed every week." So with the ease with which Notre Dame handled its business through the first half of this season as a back- drop, let's take a look at two of the less- discussed but important reasons why Notre Dame remains a great candidate to make a deep run in the College Foot- ball Playoff. YOUTH MOVEMENT Despite a talented veteran roster that typically would force its freshmen to study, learn and wait their turn, Notre Dame has instead received key contri- butions from its freshman class. Topping the list is tailback Jonaz Walton. Out of seemingly nowhere, this fabulous freshman rose from his No. 3 spot in the Irish tailback rotation to the team's leading rusher through six games with 409 rushing yards and an eye-popping 7.9 yards per carry. In a 58-7 blowout of Stanford Oct. 10, Walton took his first carry 97 yards for a touchdown and finished with a single- game record for an Irish true freshman by posting 181 rushing yards. Before Walton busted onto the scene and caught everybody's attention, Notre Dame ranked only 106th nation- ally in rushing offense at 130.0 yards per game through three games. Yet, in the next three games — with Walton driving the needed improvement — the Irish averaged 259.7 yards and climbed to a respectable 37th in the coun- try in rushing with 194.8 yards a game. "That's what we're going to have to continue to do. I pride myself on that. We pride ourselves on that," Freeman said. "We have to be an offense that has to find ways to run the ball." We'd also be remiss in this category without sending flowers to true fresh- man safety Joey O'Brien, who's building a growing role out of talent and trust. With senior Luke Talich (wrist) and preseason All-American junior Braun- tae Johnson (foot) sidelined at the safety position for the Purdue game Sept. 26, O'Brien made his first career start and filled in admirably with 5 tackles and 0.5 sacks in the 49-10 rout of the Boilers. Freshman defensive line- man Rodney Dunham also appeared in each of the first six games as a backup and re- corded 9 tackles, 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery. DEPTH ON DISPLAY Despite injuries to multiple NFL-caliber defenders, Notre Dame still entered the BYU game Oct. 17 ranked first na- tionally in total defense, third in turnovers gained and fourth in scoring defense (11.0 points allowed per game). These remarkable results came while at least three po- tential All-Americans — junior line- backer Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, junior cornerback Leonard Moore and John- son, among others — were sidelined to varying degrees. Seemingly shorthanded, the Irish de- fense actually improved with contribu- tions from backups such as Talich at safety and sophomore cornerback Mark Zackery IV in the secondary, along with juniors Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray on the defensive line. Whether Freeman is speaking to his rookies or to his reserves, this story is meant to celebrate the simple message the fifth-year Irish coach uses to keep his program rolling and ready under any and all circumstances. With that directive, Freeman delivers the same message to freshmen and re- serves alike: Know your role and prepare like a starter, because you just might become one. "I've just been pleased with the way they've practiced and prepared and challenged themselves to work at our process through the week," Freeman added. "We all challenge ourselves to be better at the things we do in terms of how we prepare and that's what I've been really pleased about." ✦ Despite injuries to stalwarts such as Brauntae Johnson (left) and Leonard Moore (right), the Irish defense put together a dominant start to the 2026 season. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at toddburlage@gmail.com UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE A Tough, Talented And Deep Team