It took almost three quarters for Notre Dame to show up in Miami. The lack of focus and execution showed as the Fighting Irish found themselves in a double-digit hole for the third straight game.
In typical fashion, Marcus Freeman’s team clawed back into the game to tie it, but they gave up a 10-play, 46-yard drive in the final minutes to allow Miami to hit a 47-yard field goal to win it.
THE GOOD
- Notre Dame appears to have a quarterback to build around in CJ Carr. The redshirt freshman showed the ability to see the field and hit open receivers when given the opportunity. There were times last year that Riley Leonard missed wide-open receivers, and despite his inexperience, Carr found Eli Raridon and Micah Gilbert for crucial plays.
There were certainly growing pains for Carr as expected. Yet, Carr didn’t look too overwhelmed. The performance showed why he won the job, and I think everyone can go into the bye feeling good about the future of the position and Carr’s future.
Now, does Mike Denbrock need to get crazy and overload him? No. There still has to be a layer of protection, but Sunday proved that Denbrock can take a few layers off and let Carr throw the ball past the line of scrimmage. More on that later.
- Notre Dame’s defense wasn’t overly impressive as they lost the battle at the line of scrimmage. Did I expect Notre Dame to dominate in the trenches on the defensive line going into the game? No. Miami has a quality offensive line, but I expected the Irish defensive line to compete a little better.
That said, it was similar to an Al Golden game in some ways.
Notre Dame kept the yards down. They didn’t allow a run over 15 yards and just two runs went over 10 yards. Notre Dame allowed four passing plays of over 15 yards and none longer than 28 yards. The negative here is that Carson Beck’s two completions for 20 yards or more went for touchdowns.
Alabama 2024
Passes over 20 yards: 5/17, 199 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Passes 10-19 yards: 6-12, 81 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT
Notre Dame 2025
Passes over 20 yards: 2/6, 48 yards, 2 TDs
Passes 10-19 yards: 2/4, 29 yards
The pass rush has been a hot topic on the message boards and on Social Media.
Let’s take a look at a few details. Notre Dame failed to generate any consistent pressure. That’s a fact and an area they need to improve quickly. The Irish were credited with just seven hurries and one sack on Sunday night.
Now, was Carson Beck just sitting in the pocket and shredding the Irish? No. Notice he didn’t push the ball much, much less throwing it 20 yards down the field 17 times in one game.
The average time Beck got the ball out of his hands on 31 pass attempts was 2.3 seconds. For perspective, in 2023, the average time NFL quarterbacks got the ball out was 2.78 seconds, and only three quarterbacks averaged 2.5 seconds or less.
There was a conscious effort to get the ball quickly and that obviously impacted the ability to generate pressure. Would blitzing have helped? Maybe, but if you’re looking for why Notre Dame wasn’t getting home, Beck’s ability to get the ball out fast was probably the most significant reason.
The other positive is that Notre Dame’s defense showed up with their backs against the wall. Miami did not score following a fumble by Malachi Fields after they started on the Notre Dame 20. The Irish defense then held Miami to a field goal following Carr’s interception, and that drive also started on the Notre Dame 20.
If someone had told me Notre Dame would have given up 205 passing yards to Beck and 119 rushing yards at 3.1 yards per carry the night before the game, I would have said the Irish would win by 14.
THE BAD
Notre Dame’s offensive playcalling left a lot to be desired. Mike Denbrock’s first series was great. Everyone in the building expected Jeremiyah Love to get the football, so get the ball on the perimeter and get your young quarterback acclimated to the game. Notre Dame didn’t score points, but they moved the ball, which allowed Carr to gain some confidence. That’s a win.
From there, it was downhill. Carr threw 11 screens in the game and 21 passes of 9 yards or less. That’s a Riley Leonard type of offense and Carr isn’t Leonard. As mentioned earlier, there is a need to protect Carr from himself, as you saw the energy in the building when he threw an interception, so throwing two or three would have led to a tragic night.
In June, ISD asked Denbrock about calling a higher rate of screens at Notre Dame in 2024 than he did at Cincinnati and LSU and if it was due to personnel or a change in the collegiate game.
|
“I think it's a good way to keep defenses off balance and not let them pin their ears back and just kind of get after you,” Denbrock said. “It's also a good way to kind of keep your completion percentage in a good spot and get the ball in some playmakers' hands and hopefully get some bodies on some perimeter players that don't like to tackle and give those guys who can really do something with it a chance in space. That's all a piece of it. “I think it's game to game would really kind of dictate how many screens we are running, how many do we carry into the game plan and things like that. A lot of it depends on who we're playing against.” |
As discussed with Beck, Denbrock likely wanted to get the ball out of Carr’s hands quickly to neutralize Miami’s edge pressure and to give him easy decisions.
It was the conservative game plan, which is understandable, but at the same time, Carr held his own (on the road) with the experienced Beck and that’s worth noting moving forward.
The elephant in the room is the lack of touches for Jeremiyah Love. He finished with 10 carries for 33 yards and four receptions for 26 yards. Now, in Denbrock’s defense, Notre Dame did try to get the ball to Love 16 times in the game, which is similar to his usage a year ago.
2024
Texas A&M: 15 total touches
Louisville: 16 total touches
USC: 16 total touches
Indiana: 10 total touches
Virginia: 17 total touches
What’s the answer moving forward? Well, that gets into...
THE UGLY
Denbrock might have called a conservative pass game, but there were a few factors there. Protecting Carr is the first, but the second was the offensive line.
Notre Dame’s offensive line certainly didn’t look like one of the best in the country on Sunday. Carr was sacked twice and the Irish gave up eight pressures. Similar numbers to the Irish defense, but Notre Dame failed to get the two best running backs in the game going.
The Irish averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and for a group of backs that needs the smallest of holes to get loose, it’s concerning.
Denbrock and Joe Rudolph have to find a way to fix it. Rudolph was noticeably hard on his guys during fall camp, and in hindsight, we know why.
There are many thoughts on PFF’s grades. Personally, I take them with a grain of salt. They don’t know the plays, scheme or assignments, so how accurate are the grades?
That said, they can tell a story of the game. And Notre Dame pass blocking grades from the Miami game. Woof.
C Ashton Craig: 83.2
LG Billy Schrauth: 61.1
RT: Aamil Wagner: 38.4
RG Sullivan Absher: 29.8
LT Anthonie Knapp: 12.8
LT Styles Prescod: 10.5
RG Guerby Lambert: 2.4
If you were curious about the PFF grading scale, it’s similar to an academic one:
Elite: 90+
High Quality: 80.0-89.9
Above Average: 70.0-79.9
Average: 60.0-69.9
Below Average: 50.0-59.9
Poor: 49.9 or lower
So yes, that’s a bit concerning when five of the seven offensive linemen who played had horrifying grades. Was it as bad as that indicates? Probably not, but it also contributes to how the game is called.
If they can’t protect, then they can’t take shots or call plays that take a little longer to develop and that also impacts what the running back(s) are able to do in the pass game.
For a program that wants to be driven by the offensive and defensive line, it was a performance that left a lot to be desired. You expected wins from both teams in entering the game, as both teams thought very highly of their offensive and defensive lines.
Rudolph might have his work cut out for him. The good news is the Irish likely won’t face a better offensive or defensive line this season. The bad news is that Notre Dame's offensive line was so inconsistent that it’s a concern after game one.
Want the latest scoop on the Fighting Irish? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Under Armour Gray Notre Dame Fighting Irish Sporting Leprechaun Icon Polo
