Ran The Table: How Notre Dame Flipped 0-2 to 10-2

Brenden Duffy
2 days ago
7 min read

After beginning the season with back-to-back losses, it was easy to consider Notre Dame’s year over by mid-September. Two and a half months later, the Irish have rattled off ten straight victories and have forced the CFP Committee to strongly consider Marcus Freeman’s squad for the playoffs. So, how did they turn this seemingly sinking ship around?

When talking about “best losses” among CFP contenders, the Irish’s early-season faults appeared to have aged nicely. Miami finished the year 10-2 and is in a similar spot to Notre Dame in regard to being a “bubble team.” Meanwhile, Texas A&M completed an 11-1 campaign and appears to be a lock for the CFP.

Following the two losses by a combined four points, Notre Dame’s ten-game winning streak did not occur against nobodies. They handled Boise State, which is set to play for the Mountain West Championship this weekend, then fought off ranked foes in USC and on the road at Pitt. The Irish also did not just beat teams on this streak; they dominated them. Notre Dame finished the season with an average scoring margin of 24.4 points, the 4th-best in the nation, and ranked 1st across the last three weeks, defeating opponents by an average of 38 points.

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Below is a table displaying how Notre Dame has statistically improved since the loss against Texas A&M:

Stat	Value (through 9/13)	National Rank (through 9/13)	Value (through 11/29)	National Rank (through 11/29)
Total Offense	371.5 yards per game	80	458.5 yards per game	18
Scoring Offense	32 points per game	60	41.8 points per game	5
Total Defense	413.5 ypg allowed	108	312.7 ypg allowed	24
Scoring Defense	34 ppg allowed	117	17.6 ppg allowed	13
Red Zone Defense	87.5%	83	84%	69
3rd Down Conversion %	45.8	46	48.1	18
3rd Down Conversion % Defense	33.3	53	35.2	38
4th Down Conversion % Defense	75	110	45.5	30
Passing Yards Allowed	282.5 per game	124	213.4 per game	56
Passing Efficiency Defense	142.78	103	108.8	13
Rushing Offense	114.5 ypg	115	203.4 ypg	18
Rushing Defense	131 ypg allowed	68	99.3 ypg allowed	11
Sacks	0.5	131	2.92 per game	9
Sacks Allowed	2.5	111	1 per game	11
Tackles for Loss	2	132	5.8	47
TFLs Allowed	6.5	106	4.42 per game	28
Turnover Margin	-1	107	+1.08 per game	4

Below are players who have had a direct impact on Notre Dame’s turnaround:

CJ Carr

While Carr probably does not deserve too much blame for Notre Dame’s early-season faults, he has steadily improved throughout the year and quieted any previous QB concerns. In the first two contests, Carr threw two of his six total interceptions and took five of his 12 total sacks. Across the past ten games, Carr has thrown 21 touchdowns to just four interceptions. His passer rating of 168.06 finished 5th among FBS QBs and 2nd among freshmen, behind North Texas’ Drew Mestemaker. Carr’s future is exciting for all of Notre Dame as he is on a fast track to become the first Irish QB selected in the First Round of the NFL Draft since Brady Quinn in 2007.

Jeremiyah Love & Jadarian Price

Whatever Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock gameplanned against Miami was truly a fireable offense. Credit to the Hurricanes for only allowing 3.32 yards per carry, but the Irish ran the ball 28 times in the loss, the second-fewest carries in a game this season behind Syracuse. The worst part is that just 16 of those carries were taken by the Irish’s elite duo. Luckily, Denbrock did not make that mistake again. However, the run game was flat against Texas A&M, averaging 3.49 yards per carry despite adding three rushing scores. Since averaging 3.42 yards per carry in the losses, the Irish have feasted on the ground, averaging 6.11 yards per carry and 221.2 yards per game across the past ten games. Love has had at least six games with either 100-plus rushing yards or multiple rushing touchdowns on the Irish’s streak. Additionally, he has averaged 7.5 yards per carry with 17 rushing scores across the past ten games. In general, the Irish’s rushing game is capable of opening up the playbook with both of these talented runners able to bust a big play at any moment.

Jordan Faison, Malachi Fields, & Will Pauling

Notre Dame fans knew what Faison was capable of, with his shifty abilities known for turning a seemingly small play into a big gain. However, I am not sure how many would have guessed he would be the Irish’s leading receiver before the season, with Jaden Greathouse returning and Fields entering via the transfer portal. Faison and Fields played relatively well in the losses, with a drop by Faison against Texas A&M the only noticeable error. Pauling started the season off the bench with a healthy Greathouse taking the majority of slot reps, and saw no targets in the season opener at Miami. Against A&M, the Notre Dame Captain caught both of his targets for a modest 13 yards. Once Greathouse was officially out with his injury, Pauling pounced on the starting opportunity and impressed with a five-game touchdown streak, proving he can be a reliable option for the young QB.

Anthonie Knapp, Ashton Craig/Joe Otting, Guerby Lambert, Aamil Wagner

As mentioned earlier, this offensive line allowed five sacks during the Irish losses. Since then, the Irish front has allowed just seven sacks in ten games. As a group, you could argue Notre Dame was snubbed from being named a Joe Moore Award semi-finalist. The Irish’s one sack allowed per game finished tied-11th among all FBS teams. This is impressive for a group that has been highlighted by injury, and everyone has filled their role, but the big men listed above deserve extra praise in my opinion. Knapp has held it down all season at LT after allowing three of his nine total pressures against Miami and Texas A&M. Knapp has allowed one sack this season and is even better as a run blocker. Before his season-ending knee injury, Craig was playing relatively well at Center with a strong performance at Miami coupled with a struggling effort against A&M. Otting has stepped in, and the OL has not seemed to miss a beat with the sophomore having allowed just four pressures and no sacks across his six starts. When news broke in early fall of Charles Jagusah’s injury, questions immediately arose about the RG position. Lambert has stepped in and shown out all year after allowing his only sack in the Irish’s season opener. The freshman has allowed eight pressures across 329 pass block snaps this season. Similar to Lambert, Wagner has also gone on to have a good season after a brutal season-opening performance where he allowed four pressures, including a sack. Since then, the RT has allowed just three pressures with no sacks across the past 11 games. This group’s ability to keep their young QB out of harm's way has undoubtedly contributed to Carr’s success this season. Finally, I would add that the return of Billy Schrauth at LG would be huge for a deep Irish CFP run.

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Drayk Bowen

The LB Captain had Irish fans worried after four missed tackles at Miami overshadowed his eight-tackle performance. Luckily, this did not become a trend with Bowen finishing the season with a team-high 67 tackles and just 11 misses. Additionally, after recording no TFLs, sacks, or PBUs in the losses, the LB finished the year with 4.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and four PBUs. All-around, Bowen has proven to be reliable against the run, as a pass rusher, and in coverage.

Boubacar Traore

You could argue that Notre Dame’s premier edge rusher has not had a bad game this season. I would probably agree. Traore is one of the few Irish players whose performance consistently stood out. The sophomore finished the season leading the team in pressures (31), including at least one in every game played, and sacks (7.5). Traore recorded the Irish’s lone sack in the losses when he brought down Carson Beck in the season-opener. The edge rusher’s pass-rushing prowess has lent a hand to the success of the following DBs to be mentioned.

Christian Gray & Leonard Moore

Notre Dame’s starting CB duo split solid performances in the team’s losses. Gray held his own against Miami despite facing 12 targets, recording two PBUs. Moore bounced back from an uncharacteristic performance at Miami with a lockdown game against Texas A&M, where he recorded two PBUs and an interception. For Gray, outside of the USC game, he has been pretty consistent. In recent performances against Pitt and Stanford, the junior CB combined for three PBUs while allowing 46 yards on two receptions across ten targets. Not much needs to be said about Moore. The sophomore CB is a finalist for the Jim Thorpe and Bronco Nagurski Awards, with five interceptions and seven PBUs in ten games played. The fact that we get to watch Moore for another season can not be appreciated enough.

Adon Shuler & Tae Johnson

After tough games against Miami and Texas A&M that featured five of Shuler's 11 missed tackles, he has seemed to turn a corner. He is rarely burned in coverage, with three PBUs and an interception this season, and has been reliable against the run. With DeVonta Smith dealing with his lingering injury, Johnson has stepped in nicely as a freshman and looks to be the next great Irish DB. After barely playing at Miami and allowing a big play against A&M, Johnson finished the year with four interceptions and three PBUs. The freshman’s return from a hand injury could be vital to a deep CFP run for the Irish.

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