Deep Dive Analysis: What Went Wrong for Notre Dame vs. Miami
- Max Uretsky
- Sep 2, 2025
- 8 min read
Art by The Irish Tribune
It was not the bounce-back start to the year Head Coach Marcus Freeman envisioned coming off a National Title loss, but with Texas A&M on deck after the bye week, it will need to be put to bed quickly so Notre Dame can focus on fixing itself. The week one showdown in Miami was not all doom and gloom for the Irish, though. QB CJ Carr opened many people's eyes to how high his ceiling could potentially be. The team never showed any quit, climbing out of 21-7 and 24-14 holes throughout the game, and most importantly, this game only counts as one loss. Long-term goals are still intact for this 2025 season, but there will be major things to address on both sides of the ball to keep those dreams alive.
Offense
I am still trying to wrap my head around not making a more concerted effort to emphasize establishing the run earlier in the game. Mike Denbrock opted to use a lot of quick screens as an extension of the run game, but after having Jeremiyah Love at 60% health during last season's playoff run, now back at full capacity, this should have been a workhorse game for the most talented running back in the country. 10 carries for Love and 16 for Love and Jadarian Price combined is not a recipe for winning.
The play calling in totality was confusing. On the interception that was the biggest difference in the game, it was a 2nd & 2 after Jeremiyah Love picked up eight yards on first down. It is my understanding that it was an RPO in which Carr chose to throw it instead of handing it off, and because of a missed block on the perimeter by Jaden Greathouse, it ended up being a catastrophic play for the offense. The problem, in my opinion, is that an RPO should not even have been an option. On 2nd and 2 with momentum tilting back in your favor, you either take a deep shot where an incompletion still leaves you in third and very manageable, or give it right back to the guy who picked you up eight yards. Instead, a quick screen was thrown against press coverage by the DBs, and the rest is history.
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It was pretty obvious from early in the game that the offensive line was not going to be able to get the type of push to consistently pick up yardage on inside zone plays. With the type of quickness and cutback ability both Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have, and to help the offensive line, there should have been more run plays designed to get to the perimeter and get Miami's defensive line moving laterally.
Continuing on the offensive line theme, there flat out needs to be a change. Back in July, I wrote about what combination up front may yield the best results. Part of that thought process was Anthonie Knapp needing to be kicked inside. He had a solid year as a true freshman, but he just does not possess the length or foot quickness to be a natural fit at Left Tackle. He really struggled against Miami, and for Carr to continue to progress, his blindside protection needs to be on point. Unfortunately, Knapp was not the lone weak spot for the line. Guerby Lambert and Aamil Wagner both had multiple missed assignments, and I think the offseason injury for Charles Jagusah is becoming more of an issue than many originally anticipated. I am still in favor of shuffling the line going forward, and I think Freshman Will Black deserves to at least get some looks at Left Tackle during the bye week after taking reps at Guard throughout camp.
Billy Schrauth should continue to hold down his Left Guard spot, Ashton Craig at Center should continue to be the case, but the right side of the line is where I think someone is ultimately going to have to lose playing time. Knapp at Right Guard and Lambert kicking back out to Tackle or Aamil Wagner hanging on to the Right Tackle role and Lambert becoming the 6th OL/ Swing Tackle are both combinations that would have some merit, but there needs to be a major shake up for a position group that was supposed to be one of the biggest strengths coming into the year.
On paper, Notre Dame has the best WR core it has had in quite some time. On the field this past Sunday, that did not really show itself in a meaningful way. I thought Jordan Faison did an excellent job breaking tackles and making things happen after the catch, and Malachi Fields did have a nice catch where he was able to high point the ball over the defensive back, but where was the production from this unit? Looking to build on a stellar postseason breakout, Jaden Greathouse was held without a single catch, and the same goes for transfer Will Pauling, who was set to play a big role this season. Faison's yardage came from YAC after quick screens and a busted coverage by Miami led to the biggest passing play of the day, which was a catch and run by Tight End Eli Raridon. We already know the game plan wasn't to pound the ball as previously discussed, but the plan also did not involve utilizing talented WRs vertically or in the intermediate game, so I don't know what Mike Denbrock wanted the identity of the offense to be at all.
I'm not sure there is a true difference maker at Tight End this season. Eli Raridon received a good amount of praise in the fall but really struggled both as a pass catcher and a blocker in week one. The only other Tight End to even see the field was Ty Washington, and it was only for one snap.
Defense
In Chris Ash's return to being a defensive coordinator, I was surprised at how much I wasn't surprised. When the hire was made in January, I went back and watched film from his 2020 season as the DC at Texas and wrote about it here. A lot of what I saw and wrote about is exactly how game one went for the Irish. There was some Man Coverage mixed in throughout the night, but the amount of Zone that was played against a QB like Carson Beck, who has high football IQ and experience, was a bit concerning.
The more disappointing aspect is that even when Notre Dame did go to their bread and butter from last season of playing Man Coverage, the usually reliable playmakers were not so reliable. The inconsistency issues for Christian Gray continue to rear their head, and some of the splash plays that he makes do not do enough to counter his down-to-down faltering in my opinion. I don't think there is another CB on the roster that can realistically take his spot, so the coaching staff will need to keep harping on technique with him because teams will continue to target him.
Leonard Moore, who is widely considered one of the top Cornerbacks in the sport, also had a below-average game by his standards. Miami's touchdown right before the first half came at the expense of Moore and another highly regarded secondary player in Adon Schuler. Moore was beaten on a double move, and Schuler played the ball very poorly on the back end. If Notre Dame is able to hold Miami to a field goal there, it is a four-point difference and potentially changes the outcome of the game. I have no doubt Moore will return to form, but the safety play will need to be much improved. With Xavier Watts gone to the NFL, somebody is going to need to step up in a major way and be the leader of that unit. Luke Talich, whom I pegged as a potential breakout player this season, only got 14 snaps, with the majority of them going to Jalen Stroman. I'd like to see that snap count increase for the young Safety so he can get comfortable and start flying around, which I think he is capable of.
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Leading up to the UM game, I stressed how much Miami is going to utilize their Slot WRs in the passing game. Well, true freshman Malachi Toney gave Notre Dame fits all night, and the Nickel Corner spot for the Irish was a glaring weakness. Karson Hobbs struggled and split time with DeVonta Smith and, at certain points, Christian Gray. Jordan Clark did an excellent job in this position a season ago, and someone will need to really nail down the role and improve going forward.
The defensive line for Notre Dame, specifically the interior, will be a major talking point for the next two weeks leading up to the Texas A&M game, and rightfully so. Miami did not run wild on the Irish, but when they needed yardage in critical moments, they found success right through the teeth of the defense. The Defensive Tackle spot was always going to be the weakest link relative to the rest of the defensive roster, but their inability to hold the point of attack and free up linebackers to play downhill was concerning. I did think Jared Dawson did a nice job and expect him to be a starter going forward. The offensive line for Miami was very good; Texas A&M's may be even better. If they are able to lean on Notre Dame the way UM did, especially with the added bonus of a true dual threat QB, ND may be facing down the barrel of a 0-2 start and playoff hopes all but vanished.
Moving from the interior to the edge for the defensive line, I thought Boubacar Traore, another pre-season breakout defensive player of mine, played very well. Played with a good motor all night and was able to produce pressure in spurts. But the pass rush overall was severely lacking. Marcus Freeman alluded to his disappointment in the rush, and Chris Ash will need to get much more creative going forward. Beck may be the best QB Notre Dame will face all year, but there are still plenty of talented throwers left on the schedule that will take advantage of a clean pocket.
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Jaylen Sneed both need to see more snaps. KVA did a nice job knifing into the backfield on multiple occasions and is always high energy. Sneed is ultra athletic and can really fly around when he knows his assignment, and I think the best athletes need to be on the field more times than not.
Where was the energy? I had the opportunity to watch the game in person, and I never really felt a spark on the defensive side of the ball. Re-watching the game on TV the following day, and nothing changed. The way players flew around last year and rallied to the ball is what set Notre Dame's defense apart. Where is that to open this year? I would have expected a team coming off a heartbreaking National Title loss to play like their hair is on fire in attempts to wipe the slate clean, but instead, they just felt a tad flat all night. This could be in part because they are adjusting to a new defensive scheme and not wanting to make an assignment mistake, but the communication and flow were off all night, and it was very evident.
Notre Dame will have to wait two weeks to get another crack at earning their first win of the 2025 season. Adjustments are needed on both sides of the ball, and I am sure it will be two weeks filled with some hard conversations among the coaches. All of a sudden, game two is a must-win, so they can not afford to leave any stone unturned. The Miami game was either a wake-up call or a sign of things to come, and we will all find out together on September 13th when Texas A&M comes to South Bend.
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Yes I think with the new D scheme we may have been hesitant to make mistakes which cost us the game. We need that violent attitude and to find the chemistry between the new DC and players.
Sadly, in my opinion the Defense looked like they lacked energy and Miami had them on their heels all night. Al Golden was an excellent coach and more effort should have been made to keep him. ND is notorious for underpaying their football coach's.