Notre Dame’s Micah Gilbert Announces Himself With 170-Yard Performance

Micah Gilbert’s 170-yard performance in Notre Dame’s 27-10 win over Michigan State felt like a statement.

Entering Saturday night, the junior receiver had just 174 career receiving yards. Gilbert didn’t shy away from acknowledging that a breakout performance could provide a significant boost to his confidence.

“Huge,” stated Gilbert. “Just being able to go out there and make those plays with the confidence, the coaching staff, the quarterback. CJ (Carr), being able to make those passes to me, having the trust in me, it's a huge confidence boost.” 

The first play of the game offered a glimpse of what was to come.

Carr found Gilbert for a 61-yard gain, immediately putting his receiver in position to make an impact.

Gilbert knew before the game that he would have an opportunity to set the tone and he embraced the moment.

“I found out pretty early before the game,” Gilbert said of the deep ball. “I was excited that I came up being the first call. I just trust myself a lot and I was excited to be able to go out there and make that play.” 

Carr targeted Gilbert nine times and completed eight passes to him.

That’s efficient football.

And Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was more than pleased with what he saw from both his quarterback and receiver.

“We capitalized on some shots,” explained Freeman. “CJ did a good job of putting the ball in a place where he can go make it, and then he's got to go make it. It's twofold. The O-line's got to protect, the quarterback's got to throw it, and the wideout's got to catch it. We did that pretty well a few times today and Micah was the recipient of a lot of those.” 

The performance was also a reflection of the work Carr has put in with Gilbert and the rest of Notre Dame’s receivers.

Trust was built and earned throughout the offseason and now the Irish offense is beginning to reap the rewards.

“It's a constant, constant build every single day,” Gilbert said. “Just every day in practice, every day we eat those of all out there to every receiver. That's all it is out there. It's building trust within every player, building trust within the coaches to go out there and execute every single play.” 

100-yard receiving games are rare at Notre Dame, and even Carr was caught off guard when he saw Gilbert’s final stat line.

“I didn't realize he hit 170 until after the game,” Carr said. “They were interviewing him and that stat popped up. I said, ‘Oh my gosh, that's a good deal we had today.’

“It felt easy with him, he was open, a ton winning. The one-on-one battles obviously to start off the game the way we did was really exciting. I'm just super happy for a guy like that who just puts in the work day in and day out.” 

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