Notre Dame will enter Week 6 with the nation’s No. 15 scoring offense, averaging 41.5 points per game.
Senior receiver Jordan Faison has led the charge in the passing game, hauling in 25 receptions for 371 yards and four touchdowns. He turned in a career performance last weekend, catching eight passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s 37-26 win over North Carolina.
The win was all over the place as the Irish controlled the game for long stretches, but the Tar Heels made just enough plays to make life uncomfortable.
Faison believes that could ultimately benefit the Irish as the season progresses.
“Obviously a gritty game, coming out there and having a score that’s close,” Faison explained. “You got to go out there and play ball. There were a couple of times when they came out and gave us punches to the face. Being able to respond to that is huge. That’s the experience that we definitely have to have during the season.”
CJ Carr finding Faison has almost become routine at this point.
The two have developed a strong rapport and Faison knows that if he gets open, Carr will find him.
Sometimes, Carr will even help create that separation by moving defenders with his eyes or confusing the defense before the snap.
“We run our routes to get open,” said Faison. “We are given looks that we can see, so we know when the ball is coming to us. CJ will move a safety with his eyes and now our routes are open, so we got to run our routes at full speed at all times.”
The Notre Dame passing game has also taken another step forward with the emergence of Micah Gilbert as a legitimate weapon.
Gilbert is pushing Faison for the team lead in receiving production, catching 18 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns this season.
“It’s been great,” stated Faison. “Micah has been putting in work for a good while now. It's good to see him go out there, win matchups and dominate. That Michigan State game he had was unreal. Seeing a brother like that go out and succeed was awesome to see as a teammate.”
With Gilbert’s ascension, Faison hasn’t noticed defenses treating him any differently than they did earlier in his career.
That’s not exactly good news for opposing defenses.
“I wouldn't say I noticed too much differently,” Faison stated. “We get the same looks from different teams and whatnot. They throw different defenses at us. I wouldn't say most of the attention is on myself. We got a bunch of playmakers on our offense, so it's spread around.”
But if defenses do decide to change their approach, Faison will be ready.
In fact, the Florida native is preparing for just about anything as he continues to spend extra time working with receivers coach Mike Brown to master his position.
“Me and Coach Brown do player studies on my past performances and what I can work on,” Faison explained. “It’s little things week in and week out. Fixing those things has ultimately definitely benefited my game.
“And then being able to understand defenses that we're going against is a huge part and kind of meeting as a whole offense and understanding what kind of looks we're going to get. It just all comes together and clicks.”
That mindset has trickled throughout the entire building.
Notre Dame’s schedule might not have presented the same early-season challenges as a year ago, but that doesn’t mean the Irish are taking their foot off the gas. The focus remains on chasing perfection and improving the smallest details every week.
“We’re not necessarily looking at the opponent and what we did to them, but what we could do better as an offense and playing together,” said Faison. “The coaches are going to find stuff we did wrong each and every game. So going out there and working on the advice they give us and what we need to work on to get better for the fall.”
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