Winners and Losers: Notre Dame vs. Miami
- Noah Wehby
- Sep 4
- 7 min read
Notre Dame opened the season with a heartbreaking loss at the hands of their bitter rivals, the Miami Hurricanes. Here, we'll take a look at the parts of the team that shined for Notre Dame vs Miami and the parts that need to see improvement before their matchup against Texas A&M.
Overall, Notre Dame's performance on Sunday night was lackluster at best. For a team coming into this season with National Championship aspirations, they did not look the part. The problems do not stem from just one thing, it seems. The team, as a whole, looked disconnected, reactive, and lacked the "heart" that last year's team became known for. With that being said, it was not all bad, so let's get into what worked in the loss against Miami.
Winners
CJ Carr
The biggest question going into the night was at the quarterback position. For the last few years, Notre Dame leaned into experienced transfer quarterbacks, giving the fans and staff a good idea of what they are going to look like coming out of the gate. This year, Notre Dame debuted a redshirt freshman in one of the most hostile places their play this year. For a first career start, given the circumstances, CJ Carr performed well. To start the game, it was clear that the game plan was to ease Carr into the game, giving him screens and easy check-downs.
Although the offense was shaky in the first half, the lone first-half score was a thing of beauty from Carr. In one play, he showed off his athleticism to avoid the rush and his creativity with the no-look pass to free up Micah Gilbert in the end zone. From there, Carr was at his best when given the chance to move the ball downfield, like his throw to Malachi Fields. Although rare, that throw was exactly what Notre Dame fans, and presumably the coaching staff, had in mind when recruiting Fields and choosing Carr.
Use code "IrishTribune20"Â to get $20Â off your officially-licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle here!
The problem was that this was really the only time Carr had a chance to show off his arm. Later in the game, he did connect with Eli Raridon for a big gain, where Carr did show good patience, but Raridon was wide open due to some broken coverage. All in all, Carr shined in his debut, orchestrating a comeback that fell just short. In a game where many believed it would be the defense that kept them in the game, it was actually the play of Carr was gave the Irish a chance late.
Boubacar Traore and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
For a defense that struggled all night and was underwhelming given the expectations, these two players were the lone bright spots. The problem the Irish ran into, defensively, was getting to the quarterback. Miami's offensive line completely halted a pass rush that was thought to be one that could bother teams all year. DL Boubacar Traore was the only one who seemed to be up to the task. He recorded the team's only sack and did it fashion, beating Miami's All-American right tackle with a spin move right into Carson Beck. In addition, Traore was able to make an impact in the run game as well, making a couple of key plays to get Miami off the field. In that game, the defensive lines had a lot of issues to correct, but Traore was not one of them.
The other standout on Sunday night was LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. Although he played a questionably low number of snaps, KVA was able to make his impact known. He, along with Traore, were some of the only players able to provide any sort of pressure off the edge. To go with that, he also recorded a tackle for loss, and it felt like he was all over he field for only playing 36 snaps. The rest of the linebacking group struggled, for a group that had a lot of returning production, and it was clear that KVA was the best of them on Sunday night. Traore and KVA seemed to be the only players who were able to get into the Miami backfield and cause problems for an offense that looked comfortable all night. In order for this defense to improve, they are going to need to get more help.
Losers
Chris Ash
When Chris Ash was hired at Notre Dame to be Al Golden's replacement, it came as a bit of a surprise to outsiders. He may not have been Freeman's first choice for the position, but with some high-level experience, it seemed he would be capable of not messing up what was already one of the nation's best defenses. After Sunday night, that notion may be more in jeopardy than many expected.
Last season, Notre Dame made a living off of an aggressive man-to-man defense that smothered teams with its speed and tenacity. The defense that showed up against Miami lacked that same speed and tenacity. To start, the secondary that was believed to be elite once again this season was a step behind for much of the game. Whether it was Christian Gray getting beat deep, Leonard Moore getting beat on moves he covered so well last year, or Adon Shuler being hesitant to make a play on the ball, the Notre Dame secondary did not look like a unit that was ready for that game.
In the trenches, it only got worse. Once praised for their physicality, the Irish defensive line was getting bullied and pushed around all night long. With no real footing, they struggled severely to get any sort of meaningful and consistent pressure on Beck with their four-man pass rush. For Ash, the real problem arose when he refused to dial up blitzes, stunts, or anything unique to throw off Miami's offensive line and Beck. Golden became known for his ability to generate pressure with different blitzes involving cornerbacks, safeties, and linebackers. There was none of that on Sunday. Along with that, there was a lack of any sort of push generated by the Irish defensive line, allowing Miami to hammer them in the run for much of the game.
Subscribe here to support our independent journalism.
The defensive rotation also called Ash's new approach into question. Alabama transfer Devonta Smith did not see as much playing time as expected for a big transfer get. His backup, Karson Hobbs, did see more playing time, but was beaten early in the game for a Miami touchdown. As mentioned earlier, KVA was one of the only positives on the defense, but he only saw 36 snaps total. Jaylen Sneed, another linebacker, impressed all offseason but was invisible for much of the game. There should be some blame put on Sneed, but Ash has to do a better job of getting his best playmakers in position to make plays.
Lastly, along with the lack of blitzes, Ash was too conservative as a play-caller. The secondary played in more zones than was seen last year, letting Miami consistently move the ball downfield without giving up the big play. The "bend but don't break" style of game is not what is expected of a talented defense, and it was allowing Miami way too much room to work.
Mike Denbrock
Mike Denbrock also called what was far from his best game as the offensive coordinator of Notre Dame. First, it is understandable why the play-calling was conservative to start. Carr was in his first career start on the road, so it makes sense why Denbrock would try to ease him into the game. The problem arises when the play-calling did not see a meaningful change until it felt like it was too late. To start, Denbrock dialed up a few wide receiver screens, hoping to get Carr settled and a wide receiver in space. Although a few worked, one resulted in an interception when a Miami defender recognized the play and jumped the route. The play was simply called too many times.
Once Notre Dame was forced to move the ball downfield, the offense looked alive and found success with its young quarterback. Carr was deemed the choice for an offense that wanted to be explosive and move the ball downfield, but that is not how Denbrock called much of this game. The other big problem with Denbrock's play-calling was the lack of Jeremiyah Love. Love is considered to be the best running back in the country and one of the best playmakers in college football. Notre Dame will walk onto every field this year knowing one thing: the other team does not have anyone like Love.
Notre Dame did not Jeremiyah nearly enough. For such a playmaker, he needs to be consistently given chances to break a play loose, which he did all of last year. Against Miami, he only carried the ball 10 times. That number needs to be closer to 20. All off-season, the coaching staff raved about Love and what he can do for this team, but Denbrock's play-calling to not resemble any of that. Love is an incredibly unique and explosive player who can change any game he is in, and he could've changed the result of the Miami game if he had been given the chance. If Notre Dame wants to reach their full potential this season, Denbrock is going to have to get him more involved in the game plan.
Offensive Line
The offensive line may have been the most disappointing part of Notre Dame's performance against Miami. Coming into the game, Notre Dame was considered to have one of the best offensive lines in the country. With many talented returners from last year's group, it was expected that Notre Dame would be able to push around Miami and open up holes for Love to run. Instead, Notre Dame showed up with a line that struggled to get a push all game. They rarely opened up running lanes for Love and Price and struggled at times to protect Carr, especially on their final drive.
Although Knapp stood out for his lackluster play, the whole group had a bad night by their standards. It is one thing for a line to struggle, but when that line has the expectations this group does, it is a shock to all. This was considered to be Notre Dame's best unit, but Sunday's game showed this group still needs a lot of work. The offensive line on this team needs to be the identity of the team, as it was last year. They are responsible for what could be another dominant run game with Love and Price, and a passing attack that Carr has shown can be explosive. It is up to the offensive line to help unlock all of that potential. Unfortunately for the Irish, that potential was not realized in Week One.
Want the latest intel on Notre Dame football? Subscribe to Tribune+ and get access to recruiting and team intel from The Irish Tribune team, as well as access to our intel community, exclusive app, and more Notre Dame content: Subscribe here to support our independent journalism.
Follow The Irish Tribune on social media:
Liked this story? Subscribe to our mailing list and get every story in your inbox.
Check out our Irish partners:
TMPR Sports - Use code "IrishTribune20"Â to get $20Â off your officially-licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle here!