After a solid start to the season for CJ Carr against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, Carr again had a 4-touchdown outing for Notre Dame as they downed the Rice Owls 52-0 in the home opener last weekend.
A big takeaway from Carr’s performance against the Badgers was his maturity and efficiency, as quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli noted.
“There was another time in the game where we had Aneyas matched up on the linebacker in man and he wanted Aneyas to go on the slot fade,” said Guidugli, “So here's my opportunity to take a shot. We get the linebacker matched up on one of our running backs who runs like a receiver and Aneyas didn't get the tap. Runs the wrong route. So now he's kind of in a scramble situation. Nothing was there. Threw the ball out of bounds. Those are moments of growth that if we can continue to do that, he's going to be right where he wants to be at the end of the season.”
That maturity and efficiency were again on display during the Irish’s 52-0 victory over the Owls.
Carr finished his Saturday throwing for 253 yards and 4 touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes while only playing about two and a half quarters of football.
One of Carr’s 4 touchdowns was a 39-yard pass to sophomore wideout Micah Gilbert while he was moving outside the pocket to his right.
“He just knows my ability,” said Gilbert. “I try to go up and attack the ball anytime I can. So just putting it high is a much higher percentage than underthrow where two defenders work because I'm able to even, if they are on me, try to rise up and make a play of that sort.”
That gives him season totals of 492 yards and 6 touchdowns with 0 interceptions while completing 71.4% of his passes through his first two games of the 2026 season.
Just as important, the Irish sit at 2-0 early in the season.
Perhaps the biggest reason for Carr’s efficient start to the season is his connection with his receivers like the previously mentioned Gilbert and senior wideout Jaden Greathouse.
“It’s great,” said Greathouse. “He’s our captain, our leader. Very poised, calm, cool, and collected, and he has the talent to back it up too. He’s always been putting the ball right where it needs to be, making the right decisions. As an offense, that boosts your confidence when the head guy is always doing the right thing. Always doing what he’s supposed to be doing and helping others elevate as well.
“CJ’s always been a great, fun guy,” said Greathouse. “Always just one of the boys. I think he has definitely stepped up with his leadership skills, being intentional with every single person and position group in the offense. Whether it’s O-line, running backs, wideouts, all those kinds of things. He’s definitely been more intentional with it, and that’s why the guys picked him.”
Carr and the Irish will now turn their attention towards the Michigan State Spartans, who will be traveling to Notre Dame Stadium in what is looking to be a rainy night game.
Once again, for Carr to keep himself in this race season long, he will have to continue to put together good performances statistically and make plays like the throw he had to Gilbert.
The Spartans have only allowed 314 total passing yards through the first two weeks of the season, but they have faced Eastern Michigan and Toledo.
Even if the Spartans passing defense might not have the same success against the Irish this Saturday, the rain could prove to be an obstacle for Carr and the offense.
However, Carr’s decision-making and football IQ might be a reason to believe the Irish offense will continue to have success throwing the football despite the weather, as head Coach Marcus Freeman highlighted in his press conference Monday.
“I don't want it to be that he's in a zone because we had success, right,” said Freeman. “There's very few times that I see CJ not making the right decision. That doesn't always mean the outcome is what it was on Saturday, but when you're able to make the right decision and you're starting to get some big plays, it's a confidence builder for everybody on the entire team, but especially in our offense.”
“He is a guy that you can allow to really make decisions on the field,” said Freeman. “Especially after the coach-to-player communication cuts off, and you got a lot of confidence he's going to put your offense in a good position. You don't worry he’s going to second-guess a call because if Coach Denbrock makes a call, and it's a look that we probably don't want to run that play into, there's a lot of confidence that he's going to put us in the right position. It helps the coordinator have a lot of confidence and obviously, our team.”
As for what Carr has to do this week: keep up the efficiency and increase the big plays like he did going from week one to week two.
Turning to the rest of the nation to see how other top Heisman candidates played, there are three players to note after week two.
First would be Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, who was 14 of 15 for 252 yards and 3 touchdowns as he helped the Hurricanes beat Florida A&M 77-7.
Second would be Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith, who caught 8 passes for 164 yards and 1 touchdown in a loss against the Texas Longhorns.
Third would be Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who helped lead the Longhorns to a comeback victory over previous No. 1 Ohio State.
Manning was 23 of 37 for 195 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
While Manning’s numbers might not be the most impressive, he had a couple of unfortunate breaks in the first half and, more than anything, led the Longhorns to 21 straight unanswered points and a win.
Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the players with the same or better odds to win the Heisman and who they face are as follows:
- Darian Mensah at Wake Forest
- Jeremiah Smith vs. Kent State
- Arch Manning vs. UTSA
Carr sits at +950 odds heading into the Irish’s matchup with the Spartans.
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