No Contest: Notre Dame Blows Out Arkansas
- Bruce Straughan
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
Coming into this game, there were a lot of questions surrounding this Notre Dame defense, and rightfully so after they went from one of the top defenses in the country to ranked No. 117 nationally in points allowed and No. 99 in yards per play allowed.
Art by The Irish Tribune
The defense was on the field immediately as Arkansas received the ball to start the game, and there was a sense of holding one's breath waiting to see if any changes had been made since the Purdue game. Arkansas immediately drove down the field with little to no trouble from the Irish defense, which led to instant worry that it might be another long day for the defense.
The Irish were giving up huge chunks of yardage on run plays, particularly up the middle, with a 14-yard run by Taylen Green and another 7-yard run by Braylen Russell. The secondary gave up a huge completion for 33 yards, but the Hogs' offense stalled after two incomplete passes, leading to a field goal. Arkansas struggled to get going on its second possession, but once again on their third possession, Notre Dame gave up another huge run, this time for 21 yards courtesy of Mike Washington Jr., and Arkansas continued to march down the field with ease on 14 plays for 75 yards, resulting in a touchdown.
This would be the last time the Notre Dame defense would fold until the middle of the second quarter, when yet again, they gave up a huge run, this time for 54 yards by QB Taylen Green. The Irish defense finally got pressure when Boubacar Traore sacked Green for a loss of 10 yards. Arkansas once again failed to pick up the first down and settled for a field goal. This would be the last time Arkansas would score any points in this game.
The defense, although they were not great by any means, played better in this game than they have all season, and it's not even close. Is that because the offense was scoring at will and took the pressure off of them? Or have they finally turned a corner, so to speak? With that being said, they have to do a better job of stopping the run, and fast. They continue to give up huge yards on the ground at times, particularly up the middle, which is alarming. The secondary continues to look lost on occasion, and the defense as a whole seems to lack confidence and tends to look uncomfortable as a result.
The offense continued to shine as bright as they have all season, and there really isn't much to complain about when it comes to this unit. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price (arguably the greatest RB tandem in the country) had their way on the gridiron, combining for 143 yards rushing and 105 yards receiving for a total of 248 yards of offense and 6 touchdowns between the two. CJ Carr continues to progress every week and throws one of the best long balls we've seen at Notre Dame since Jimmy Clausen.
Carr had another huge game, going 22/30 for 354 yards passing and 4 touchdowns with zero interceptions for a QBR rating of 98.1 on the day. He continues to progress each week. If I had to say anything negative about Carr at this point, it would really only be two things, in my opinion. First, he continues to stare down his target, which almost led to two interceptions, and he has to stop committing intentional grounding when his protection fails. While I understand these things may be nitpicking to some, I personally believe they need to be corrected with urgency, as both could potentially be disastrous in the right situation. The great news in all of this is that they are both easily mendable through coaching, and they will be improved in the very near future. In short, CJ Carr, even as a redshirt freshman, has proven to be the real deal at Quarterback, and he will only get better as the season continues.
This offense, led by Carr, can score with anyone in the country and will only get better as the season progresses. The fate of this team lies with the defense and how they progress as the season continues. The bright side is that today's performance looked promising, and the schedule gets easier as the season continues, with USC being the only game I'm really concerned about going forward, as that high-powered offense can score easily and quickly when they are firing on all cylinders. This team will go as far as the defense will allow them to, because at some point during this season, they will need them to win a game when the going gets tough. Will they fold? Or will they be up to the task? That remains to be seen, as they have a long way to go to be considered reliable at this point.
If this defense can continue to progress each week and this offense continues to roll as they have all season, Notre Dame could go on another run similar to what they did last year. Provided that they do their jobs and the cards fall where they need them to. But for now, it's one game at a time for a team that has to treat every game like it's win or go home.
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