KARLOS MAY ENJOYS HOME VISIT FROM NOTRE DAME

2027 6-4 305- pound DL Karlos May of Birmingham (Ala.) Ramsay never thought that a school like Notre Dame would have interest in him and ever since the Fighting Irish offered him, they’ve gone above and beyond to make him feel comfortable. He felt even stronger about that after linebacker coach Al Washington’s in-home visit yesterday.

“I was surprised to get an offer from them,” May told LL. “I wasn’t really sure what it was going to be like when I visited (Oct. 18 USC), but it was great. The atmosphere was different at first, but it’s really just like my hometown. I’m looking forward to being there in March.

“They’re recruiting my family just as hard,” May continued. “Everyone was laughing, joking and having a great time with Coach Washington. I know he won’t be coaching me anymore, but he’s still there. I”m excited to meet the new coach, Charlie Partridge, sometime next week.

The 4-star 200th ranked player according to 247 sports fits defensive line coach Charlie Partridge’s scheme with his versatility, quickness and disruptive abilities versus the run and pass. Getting a visit from Al Washington was a smart move from the Fighting Irish to reassure May and his family that nothing has changed as far as how Notre Dame views him as a priority, and how he still fits moving forward.

“Coach Washington said I’m going to like him,” May shared. “I know he’s coming from the NFL and developed some good players, so that’s another relationship I look forward to having.”

notre dame hires charlie partridge as new defensive line coach

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is shuffling his defensive coaching staff by putting former defensive line coach Al Washington in charge of the linebackers and hiring Charlie Partridge to coach defensive linemen.The moves come less than two weeks after Freeman decided to remain Notre Dame's head coach on a restructured contract.Washington will reman Notre Dame's defensive run game coordinator and will replace Max Bullough as linebackers coach. Bullough recently left to become the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Michigan State, his alma mater. Washington was  Ohio State’s linebackers coach from 2019-21 before joining Freeman’s staff at Notre Dame. He also coached linebackers at Michigan in 2018.

“When the linebackers role came open, we immediately thought of Al,” Freeman said in a statement released Wednesday. “With his previous experience coaching linebackers he will be a great asset to that room, and taking on this role will continue to enhance his skillset as he ultimately looks to elevate in his career.”

On Thursday, Notre Dame announced the hiring of Partridge who had spent the past two seasons coaching defensive linemen with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.

He spent the previous 26 seasons as a positional coach, special teams coordinator, co-defensive coordinator and head coach at the college level. His most recent college experience came at Pittsburgh where he worked as assistant head coach/defensive line coach from 2018-23. He also worked for the Panthers as the defensive line coach in 2017.

Partridge went 9-27 as head coach of Florida Atlantic from 2014-16.

“Charlie’s record of developing highly impactful defensive linemen speaks for itself,” Freeman said in a statement. “His experience in both college football and the NFL, as well as his experience working with Chris Ash, will be very beneficial to our pro

Jeremiyah Love Finishes Third in Heisman

NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2025. Jeremiyah Love's remarkable junior season ended one step short of the sport's highest individual honor on Saturday night, as the Notre Dame running back finished third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin rounded out the group of four finalists in fourth place.

Mendoza, who led Indiana to a 13 and 0 record and the program's first Big Ten title since 1945, won comfortably with 2,362 points and 643 first place votes out of a possible 930 ballots. Pavia finished second with 1,435 points and 189 first place votes. Love, the only non quarterback among this year's finalists, tallied 719 points, but he outpolled every other candidate not named Mendoza or Pavia in first place votes, receiving 46 of them, along with 157 second place votes and an FBS leading 267 third place votes. According to the official tallies released by the Heisman Trust, Love actually finished third in every one of the award's five geographic voting regions, a testament to how broadly his candidacy resonated across the country even though it never seriously threatened the two front runners.

A Historic Season, Told in Numbers

Love's case for the trophy rested on an unusual combination of efficiency and moments that simply could not be replicated by anyone else in the country. He finished the regular season with 199 carries for 1,372 yards, an average of 6.9 yards every time he touched the ball, and 18 rushing touchdowns. He added 27 receptions for 280 yards and three more scores through the air, giving him 1,652 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns for the season, the most in a single season in Notre Dame history.

He scored a touchdown in every game but one and found the end zone in eleven consecutive contests to close the year, a streak that became one of the signature story lines of the entire 2025 season. Notre Dame analysts pointed out that his raw workload actually understated his effectiveness, since Love shared carries all year with Jadarian Price, a talented back in his own right, and rarely saw the twenty five carry workloads that traditionally pad a Heisman resume. Instead, Love simply made the most of the touches he got. His signature performance came on October 18 against USC, when he carried the ball 24 times for 228 yards, a 9.5 yard average, and a touchdown, while adding 37 receiving yards on five catches in one of the best individual performances by any player in the country all season.

His defining moment, however, arrived in the regular season finale against Stanford on November 29. A first quarter touchdown run made him Notre Dame's all time single season leader in total touchdowns with 21, surpassing the mark of 20 set by the legendary Jerome Bettis back in 1991. That same score was also his 18th rushing touchdown of the year, tying Audric Estime's single season program record and making Love the first player in Notre Dame history to record multiple seasons with 17 or more rushing touchdowns. The achievement came at a cost. Later in that same game, Love absorbed a knee to the ribs from a Stanford defender well after the whistle had blown, an unnecessary hit that knocked him out of the contest for a stretch. At the time, Love had climbed to as high as second in national Heisman odds, and many observers believe the injury, along with the underwhelming final stat line it produced against a struggling Stanford defense, effectively ended any realistic chance he had of catching Mendoza or Pavia in the closing days of the voting period.

Love closed out his decorated season by becoming the first running back in Notre Dame history to win the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's top running back, beating out finalists Ahmad Hardy of Missouri and Kewan Lacy of Ole Miss. He was also named a First Team All American and was a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year and Maxwell Award. Shortly after the season concluded, Love declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, where analysts widely project him to be the first running back selected, with several outlets comparing his blend of vision, contact balance, and receiving ability to Saquon Barkley's game as a prospect.

Where the Season Ranks Historically

Love's 2025 campaign stands among the finest in Notre Dame history, even though it fell short of the sport's ultimate individual prize. The Fighting Irish have produced seven Heisman winners across their long football history: quarterback Angelo Bertelli in 1943, quarterback Johnny Lujack in 1947, end Leon Hart in 1949, halfback John Lattner in 1953, quarterback Paul Hornung in 1956, quarterback John Huarte in 1964, and flanker Tim Brown in 1987. Notre Dame players have finished in the top five of Heisman voting 26 times across program history, but finalist appearances have grown rare in the modern, four person format. Love became just the second Notre Dame Heisman finalist since linebacker Manti Te'o's runner up finish in 2012, and the first Notre Dame offensive skill position player to reach the ceremony in more than a decade.

Statistically, Love's 1,372 rushing yards rank fourth all time in a single season at Notre Dame, trailing only Vagas Ferguson's 1,437 yards in 1979, Josh Adams' 1,430 yards in 2017, and Allen Pickett's 1,394 yards in an earlier era of Notre Dame football. Yet no Notre Dame running back has ever produced as many total touchdowns in a single season as Love's 21, and his back to back campaigns of at least 1,100 rushing yards, 17 or more rushing touchdowns, and a 6.9 yards per carry average across both his sophomore and junior seasons have no real precedent in the program's history for that combination of volume, efficiency, and touchdown production sustained over consecutive years.

Nationally, some commentators noted that Love's raw rushing total was modest compared to past Heisman finalist running backs, observing that his 1,372 yards were the fewest for a finalist running back since Anthony Davis rushed for 1,354 yards as the 1974 runner up. That critique, while statistically accurate, tended to overlook the context of how Notre Dame deployed him. Love was never used as a bell cow workhorse in the traditional sense. He was instead the most explosive weapon in a deep, rotational Notre Dame backfield, and his per touch production, highlight reel long runs, and touchdown rate placed him in rare company regardless of his overall carry total.

What Marcus Freeman Said About His Star

Throughout the season, head coach Marcus Freeman never hesitated to make the case for his star running back, both to reporters and, by his own account, to Love himself. After Notre Dame's win over Navy in November, a reporter asked Freeman directly whether Love belonged in the Heisman conversation. Freeman did not equivocate.

"In my mind, yes, he is. There's no question about it," Freeman said. "You talk about one of the best players in the country. If he's not one of them, then it's hard to believe how many other players are that special." Freeman added that Love's week to week consistency had become almost unremarkable to those around the program, even as it continued to astonish outside observers. "He's a special player, and he had a great week of prep," Freeman said. "He continues to do things that maybe you haven't seen, but you're not surprised with Jeremiyah."

Freeman also spoke at length about the nuances of Love's game that rarely showed up in highlight packages, pointing specifically to the running back's ability to turn what should have been a loss into a positive gain through contact balance and vision. "The balance, the ability to jump over you and the ability to run through you. Some of his most impressive runs aren't the ones you just see on TV," Freeman said. "They're the ones that, when you watch the film, you're like, he made that play for a four yard gain that should have been a two yard loss." On other occasions, Freeman went so far as to call Love "a unicorn," suggesting the back's blend of speed, patience, and receiving skill was rare enough that he could have played wide receiver at a high level had his path in football gone differently.

In the aftermath of Notre Dame's disappointing exclusion from the 2025 College Football Playoff field despite a ten game winning streak, Love later revealed that Freeman's message to the team centered on using the disappointment as fuel rather than dwelling on what had been lost. Love carried that same message into the postseason awards circuit, downplaying his own individual accolades and deflecting attention from his own impending departure to the NFL in favor of crediting his teammates and coaching staff for the season's success.

What It Means for Notre Dame

Love's three seasons in South Bend, capped by an appearance in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship Game as a sophomore and a Heisman finalist turn as a junior, leave him with career totals of 2,882 rushing yards, the seventh most in Notre Dame history, along with 594 receiving yards and 42 total touchdowns. Across his sophomore and junior seasons combined, Love produced 3,014 yards from scrimmage and 40 total touchdowns, numbers that place him firmly among the most productive two year stretches by any running back in program history, even accounting for the fact that he shared touches with Price throughout.

For a program that has long defined itself by its history at running back and by its deep tradition of Heisman contenders, Love's ascent from a lightly recruited prospect out of Miami to one of the most decorated players in Notre Dame history represents both a continuation of that legacy and something close to a new standard for what the position can look like at the school. Analysts have compared his blend of explosiveness and versatility to former Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller, and some have argued he is the most electrifying offensive player the program has produced in years.

He leaves a Notre Dame program still processing the sting of missing the 2025 College Football Playoff field despite winning ten straight games following an 0 and 2 start to the season, a stretch of football in which Love's individual brilliance did as much as anything to keep the Fighting Irish's season alive and relevant. His combination of production, resilience after injury, and a flair for the moment leaves him remembered not simply as a great Notre Dame running back, but as one of the most electric and consequential players to wear the uniform in the modern era of the program, a player whose Heisman snub, in the end, may say less about the level of his season and more about how difficult it has become for a running back to win the award in an age dominated by quarterbacks.

Jeremiyah Love's Heisman Finalist Season, By the Numbers and the Moments

On Saturday night, Jeremiyah Love will stand on a stage in New York City alongside Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin as one of the four finalists for the 2025 Heisman Trophy. It is a trip that seemed almost unthinkable in early September, when Notre Dame stumbled out of the gate to an 0 and 2 start and Love's own name barely registered in national award conversations. Twelve weeks later, he arrives in New York as the only non quarterback finalist, the first Notre Dame Heisman finalist since linebacker Manti Te'o in 2012, and the centerpiece of one of the most complete individual seasons produced by any running back in college football this year.

A Season That Started Quietly and Ended Loudly

Love's numbers by the end of the regular season told the story of a player who simply did not stop scoring. He finished with 199 carries for 1,372 yards, an average of 6.9 yards per carry, and 18 rushing touchdowns. He added 27 receptions for 280 yards and three more scores through the air, giving him 1,652 total yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns, the most in a single season in Notre Dame history. He ranked third nationally in yards from scrimmage among all FBS players and averaged 114.3 yards per game, the sixth highest mark in the country. He scored a touchdown in every game but one all season and closed the year with a touchdown in eleven consecutive contests.

What made the numbers even more remarkable, according to those who watched him closely all year, was how efficiently he produced them. Love shared the Notre Dame backfield all season with Jadarian Price, a dangerous back in his own right, and never carried the ball more than 24 times in a single game. Where other Heisman contenders piled up bulk carries, Love simply made nearly every touch count, a fact that head coach Marcus Freeman referenced often when asked to make the case for his back's candidacy. Love was named the Associated Press National Player of the Week and the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week during the season, and he went on to become the first running back in Notre Dame history to win the Doak Walker Award outright, given annually to the nation's top back, along with First Team All America honors and finalist nods for the Walter Camp Player of the Year and Maxwell Award.

Top Five Moments of the Season

1. The USC Explosion, October 18. Love's signature performance of the year came in the Fighting Irish's rivalry win over USC. He carried the ball 24 times for 228 yards, a 9.5 yard average, and a touchdown, adding 37 receiving yards on five catches. The 228 rushing yards were the most by a Notre Dame player in the storied series and instantly reset the national conversation about who the best running back in the country really was. The game opened with a 75 yard run in which Love raced straight through the heart of USC's defense, a play that became the signature highlight of his entire season and the moment many national analysts point to as the true beginning of his Heisman push.

2. The Syracuse Eruption, November 22. With Notre Dame's Senior Day turning into a 70 to 7 rout, Love scored three touchdowns and produced one of his most explosive days of the year, including touchdown runs of 45 and 68 yards. The performance vaulted Love from a distant longshot in the Heisman odds market, sitting around plus 4000 the week before, all the way to plus 375, suddenly the second best odds of anyone in the race. It was the moment that turned Love from a fringe candidate into a legitimate trip to New York.

3. The Navy Highlight, November 8. Against Navy's option based defense, Love broke off a 48 yard touchdown run that appeared dead in the backfield, with a defender seemingly wrapping him up for a loss, before Love spun free and outran the entire Navy secondary to the end zone. Freeman called it the kind of run that defines a season, and it became one of the most replayed individual highlights of Love's junior year, part power, part balance, and part pure improvisation.

4. The Boston College Breakaway, November 1. With Notre Dame clinging to a shaky lead in a sloppy, error filled road win, Love delivered the dagger, breaking off a 94 yard touchdown run on the very play after safety Adon Shuler's game turning interception near the goal line. It was the longest run of Love's college career and the exact kind of home run play that had come to define Notre Dame's late season surge.

5. The Record Breaking, Bittersweet Finale Against Stanford, November 29. In Notre Dame's regular season finale, Love scored a first quarter touchdown that made him the program's all time single season leader in total touchdowns with 21, passing the mark of 20 set by the legendary Jerome Bettis in 1991. The score was also his 18th rushing touchdown of the season, tying Audric Estime's single season program record. Love was shaken up on the play and did not return until the second half, finishing with a modest 66 rushing yards, a stat line that likely cost him any remaining momentum in the Heisman race after a cheap hit well after the whistle from a Stanford defender.

Love in His Own Words

Speaking on Notre Dame's Echoes Podcast before his Heisman finalist status was even confirmed, Love was candid about what a trip to New York, and potentially the trophy itself, would mean to him personally and to the program he plays for.

"It would mean a lot, not only just for the program, but for myself," Love said. "You know, I want to be in that position to have a chance to win the Heisman. That's just me speaking individually."

Once the finalist announcement arrived, Notre Dame's own social media account captured the moment with a simple message, calling Love "NYC bound" and tagging him alongside the Heisman Trophy's own account. Love, for his part, arrived in New York carrying more than just his own individual accolades. Notre Dame had finished the regular season 10 and 2, having reeled off ten straight wins after its 0 and 2 start, only to be left out of the expanded College Football Playoff field entirely, a snub that clearly still weighed on him even amid the celebration of his own honor.

"I feel like if he was to go and do it at the NFL level he would still connect with the players, but it's a little bit different," Love said of Freeman, when asked about swirling speculation over his head coach's own NFL future during Heisman weekend, a measure of how much trust and loyalty Love has built with his coach over three seasons together. Love also pushed back firmly on suggestions that rival programs were shying away from scheduling Notre Dame in future seasons. "They're scared to play us," Love said. "They don't want to play Notre Dame because we're Notre Dame. You're leaving us out of your schedule, it's not a good look. Why not play us? That's how I think about it."

Even with a trophy on the line, Love's comments throughout the week leading up to the ceremony reflected a player who seemed more invested in Notre Dame's program and its future than in his own individual glory, a theme that has followed him throughout his three years in South Bend.

What Comes Next

Whatever happens on stage Saturday night, Love's college career has already secured him a place among the most productive running backs to ever wear a Notre Dame uniform. Across three seasons, he carried the ball 433 times for 2,882 yards and 36 rushing touchdowns, adding 594 receiving yards and six more scores through the air for 42 total touchdowns, numbers that already rank him seventh all time in program rushing yardage with two full seasons of that production coming back to back. Love is widely expected to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft shortly after the Heisman ceremony concludes, entering as the presumptive top running back available and a player several draft analysts have already compared to Saquon Barkley for his rare blend of contact balance, patience, and receiving skill out of the backfield.

For now, though, the focus remains on New York City, where Love will represent not just himself, but a Notre Dame program that spent all season trying to prove its resilience could translate into results, and whose best player, in the end, became its clearest argument for exactly that.

cfp committee pulls rug out from under notre dame

The biggest surprise of the College Football Playoff was Notre Dame being left out, but no matter how much it may hurt to say, the Fighting Irish have no one else to blame but themselves, after losing the first two games of the season by a total of 4 points.

And it's not because the Irish lost their first two games of the season, but rather because of who they chose to play.

Give Notre Dame credit, they played one tough schedule. At Miami (FL), vs. Texas A&M, vs. Boise State and vs. USC. Miami and Texas A&M made the CFP, USC is a top 25 team, and Boise State won nine games and its third straight Mountain West Championship after taking it to UNLV on Friday.

But none of that matters. The main reason ND missed out on the CFP is that the Irish lost twice. It doesn't matter that both teams the Irish lost to made the CFP and that Texas A&M was undefeated going into its final regular-season game. Whether it should or shouldn't matter is a topic for a different day, but one thing is crystal clear: the committee doesn't care who you beat; it only cares how many games you lose.

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua says that head coach Marcus Freeman and Irish players were devastated by the committee’s decision to eliminate them from the playoffs after consistently having them ahead of multiple playoff teams in previous rankings. One of the dominoes to fall from the committee’s decision is the Fighting Irish deciding not to participate in a bowl game this season.

"As a team, we've decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season," read a statement posted on social media that was credited to the 2025 Notre Dame football team. "We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we're hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026."

The Irish figure to be one of the best teams in the country with quarterback CJ Carr returning to lead a talented roster.

notre dame opts out of bowl game

Notre Dame withdrew from the bowl selection process after it missed out on the College Football Playoff, the Fighting Irish announced. Notre Dame landed at No. 11 in the final set of playoff rankings, which made it the first team out of the 12-team bracket. 

The selection committee's decision to exclude Notre Dame in favor of Miami, which ranked 10th and snagged the last at-large bid, came after weeks of ranking the Fighting Irish ahead of the Hurricanes. Notre Dame and Miami were both idle during conference championship weekend. 

"As a team, we've decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season," Notre Dame wrote in a statement. "We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we're hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026." 

Notre Dame finished the regular season with a 10-2 record. The Fighting Irish lost their first two games against a pair of ranked opponents in Miami and Texas A&M -- who both made the College Football Playoff -- before winning their final 10 games in a row. 

Notre Dame's winning streak included victories against Mountain West champion Boise State and No. 16 USC. That wasn't enough to keep the Irish ahead of Miami when it really mattered. 

"There is no explanation that could possibly be given to explain the outcome," Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said in a statement "As I said to Marcus (Freeman), one thing is for sure: Any rankings or show prior to this last one is an absolute joke and a waste of time. Why put these young student-athletes through these false emotions just to pull the rug out from underneath them having not played a game in two weeks and then a group of people in a room shatter their dreams without explanation? We feel like the playoff was stolen from our student-athletes."

This is the first time since 2016, and just the second time since 2009, that Notre Dame will not compete in a postseason game. The Fighting Irish made it all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship last season before suffering a 34-23 loss to Ohio State. 

what we learned: stanford

A day after Notre Dame's 49 to 20 win over Stanford, the regular season closes at 10 and 0 following the team's 0 and 2 start, extending the winning streak to 10 straight games. It is as complete a turnaround as college football has seen in years, and it now hands the College Football Playoff selection committee a genuinely difficult decision.

The Positives

Notre Dame scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions on Saturday, building a 28 to 3 halftime lead before cruising to the finish. CJ Carr had one of his best statistical days of the season, completing 23 of 36 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns, including an 84 yard connection with Luke Talich that was the longest passing play of Notre Dame's entire season. The offense as a whole piled up 524 total yards, its highest output since the Arkansas blowout in late September, and did so without committing a single turnover for the second time in three games.

Jeremiyah Love's first quarter touchdown run broke Jerome Bettis' Notre Dame record for total touchdowns in a season, and though Love was shaken up on the play and left the game for a stretch, he returned in the second half to keep piling on yardage, finishing with a touchdown that tied Audric Estime's single season rushing touchdown record. Aneyas Williams added two rushing touchdowns of his own, giving Notre Dame three different players with multiple scores on the day, and Christian Gray picked off a pass in the third quarter to snuff out Stanford's only real scoring threat of the first three quarters. Marcus Freeman used his postgame comments to make a direct, public appeal to the College Football Playoff selection committee, arguing that a team that has won ten straight games by double digit margins deserves to be considered among the best in the country regardless of its slow start.

The Negatives

The most concerning moment of the day had nothing to do with the scoreboard. Love absorbed a cheap shot to the ribs well after the whistle from a Stanford defender, an unnecessary and dangerous play that knocked the best player in the country out of the game during his own record breaking sequence, even though he returned. It was the kind of late hit that has no place in the sport, and it is worth watching whether the conference reviews the play further given the stakes and the player involved.

With backups seeing extended time in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame's reserve secondary was uneven, allowing two late Stanford touchdown drives that made the final score look closer than the game actually was. Stanford finished with 312 total yards and 226 passing yards on the day, numbers that were padded considerably by that fourth quarter stretch against Notre Dame's depth pieces rather than anything the Cardinal did against the starting defense. Beyond that, the only lingering uncertainty this morning is entirely out of Notre Dame's hands: whether a committee that watched this team start 0 and 2 will fully credit a ten game winning streak when the field is announced, a question that will not be answered until the playoff selection show.

Who Shined

Jeremiyah Love's record breaking, injury interrupted performance was the defining storyline of the game, and Aneyas Williams and Luke Talich both provided big play contributions that underscore just how deep and dangerous this Notre Dame offense has become by season's end. Carr's 337 yard, three touchdown day was arguably his best all around statistical performance of the year, spreading the ball to multiple targets and connecting on the longest play of the season.

Christian Gray's interception was the individual defensive highlight among the starters, coming at a moment when Stanford had at least some hope of making the game interesting, and the offensive line's work in springing both Love and Williams for long touchdown runs deserves real credit for a group that has quietly rounded into form over the second half of the season.

Who Disappointed

There is little to criticize about Notre Dame's starting units in a 29 point win to close the regular season. The reserve secondary's late struggles are a minor footnote in the context of the final score, allowing two touchdown drives that did nothing to change the outcome but did inflate Stanford's final offensive numbers.

The real disappointment this morning is the injury Love absorbed late after the whistle, a play that has no place in the sport regardless of the score, and one that will be worth watching as the postseason approaches and Notre Dame awaits word on its playoff fate.

Notre Dame Closes Regular Season With 49-20 Rout of Stanford

STANFORD, Calif. — Nov. 29, 2025 — Notre Dame capped off a remarkable turnaround season Saturday, throttling Stanford 49-20 to finish the regular season 10-0 following an 0-2 start, extending the Fighting Irish's winning streak to 10 straight games.

The win marked the fourth time in the last eight seasons Notre Dame has strung together a winning streak of 10 games or longer, and sent the Fighting Irish into their playoff waiting period with as much momentum as any team in the country.

Love Breaks Records Despite Injury Scare

Notre Dame scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions, building a 28-3 halftime lead before coasting to the finish. Jeremiyah Love was shaken up in the first quarter and briefly left the game, but returned in the second half and finished with 66 yards and a touchdown — his 21st of the season, breaking Jerome Bettis' Notre Dame record for total touchdowns while tying Audrice Estime's single-season rushing touchdown record with 18.

CJ Carr threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Luke Talich for an 84-yard score, while Aneyas Williams added two rushing touchdowns and 83 yards on the ground. Jordan Faison also found the end zone as Notre Dame racked up 524 total yards against a Stanford defense that had no answers.

Freeman Makes His Case to the Committee

With Notre Dame's playoff resume now featuring 10 straight wins, all by double-digit margins, following the 0-2 start, Freeman used his postgame press conference to make a direct appeal to the College Football Playoff selection committee.

"You talk about a team that is probably playing as well as anyone right now, have won 10 straight games in a row, I think all of them by double-digit points maybe," Freeman said. "You want the 12 best teams now. I know you have the conference champions and the group of five highest-ranked team, but you talk about who are the best teams now — not Week 1, now — and it's hard to argue we aren't one of those teams."

Freeman also praised his team's ability to stay focused on the game in front of them despite mounting national attention on the playoff race.

"We try to get them to focus on the opportunity we have right now, right?" Freeman said. "And I know there's a lot of talk on what happens after this, but we couldn't focus on that. We got to focus on this opportunity we have right now, and they did. They came out and played really, really well."

On Love's continued dominance and record-breaking day, Freeman didn't shy away from putting his star back in rare company.

"We have improved as much as anybody in the country, been playing as well as anybody in the country, and we have, in my opinion, the best player in the country," Freeman said. "That's what you want."

What's Next

Notre Dame finished the regular season 10-0 after its 0-2 start, extending its winning streak to 10 games and awaiting the College Football Playoff selection show. Despite the historic turnaround, the Fighting Irish would ultimately finish as the first team left out of the 2025 playoff field, with Miami — Notre Dame's Week 1 opponent — earning the final at-large spot instead.

Lucky Lefty Top Play and Performers

Key Play: Jeremiyah Love's first-quarter touchdown run, which broke Jerome Bettis' Notre Dame record for career total touchdowns, came just before he briefly left the game with a rib injury — only to return in the second half and keep piling on.

Offensive Performer: Jeremiyah Love — finished with 66 yards and a touchdown despite the injury scare, closing the regular season by tying the school's single-season rushing touchdown record.

Defensive Performer: Notre Dame's defense forced a Stanford turnover and kept the Cardinal off balance all night, propelling the Irish to a 28-3 halftime lead.

Box Score

Notre Dame 49, Stanford 20 — Stanford Stadium, Stanford, Calif.

SCORING BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F Notre Dame 14 21 7 7 — 49 Stanford 0 3 3 14 — 20

SCORING PLAYS Q1 8:48 — J. Love 2-yd TD run (ND 6-0) Q1 8:43 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 7-0) Q1 1:58 — J. Price 1-yd TD run (ND 13-0) Q1 1:52 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 14-0) Q2 14:45 — J. Burnham 84-yd TD pass to L. Talich (ND 20-0) Q2 14:41 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 21-0) Q2 7:32 — A. Williams 2-yd TD run (ND 27-0) Q2 7:26 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 28-0) Q2 2:43 — E. Kenney 39-yd FG (ND 28-3) Q2 0:23 — C. Carr 12-yd TD pass to J. Price (ND 34-3) Q2 0:17 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 35-3) Q3 12:46 — C. Carr 6-yd TD pass to J. Faison (ND 41-3) Q3 12:43 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 42-3) Q3 2:13 — E. Kenney 44-yd FG (ND 42-6) Q4 12:20 — E. Brown 9-yd TD pass to B. Farrell (ND 42-12) Q4 12:15 — E. Kenney PAT good (ND 42-13) Q4 9:17 — A. Williams 51-yd TD run (ND 48-13) Q4 9:08 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 49-13) Q4 4:04 — C. Mirer 3-yd TD pass to M. Brown (ND 49-19) Q4 4:00 — E. Kenney PAT good (ND 49-20, Final)

TEAM STATS Notre Dame Stanford Total Yards 524 312 Passing Yards 337 226 Rushing Yards 187 86 First Downs 24 16 Penalties-Yards 3-35 3-23 Turnovers 0 1 Time of Possession 30:35 29:25

PASSING CJ Carr (ND) — 23/36, 337 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT Stanford (Burnham/Brown/Mirer combined) — 20/40, 226 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

RUSHING Notre Dame — 38 att, 187 yds, 4.9 avg, 4 TD, long 51 Stanford — 30 att, 86 yds, 2.9 avg, 0 TD, long 30

RECEIVING Notre Dame — 23 rec (35 targets), 337 yds, 3 TD, long 84 Stanford — 20 rec (40 targets), 226 yds, 2 TD, long 32

KICKING Erik Schmidt (ND) — 0/0 FG attempted Emmet Kenney (STAN) — 2/2 FG, long 44

DEFENSE Notre Dame Stanford Total Tackles 56 71 Sacks 2.0 0.0 Interceptions 1 0 Forced Fumbles 0 0 QB Hits 3 0

what we learned: syracuse

A day after Notre Dame's 70 to 7 demolition of Syracuse, this was the most lopsided win of the season, a Senior Day rout that saw the Fighting Irish score touchdowns in seemingly every way imaginable. It was also, without question, the least meaningful measuring stick game of the year, and both things can be true at once.

The Positives

Notre Dame scored 35 points in the first quarter alone on Saturday, getting touchdowns on two pick sixes from J. Stroman and L. Moore, plus a blocked punt return from L. Talich, before Syracuse had even settled into the game. The defense finished the day with three total takeaways and five sacks, numbers that reflect just how completely Notre Dame's front seven and secondary controlled the game from the opening whistle. Syracuse managed only 207 total yards on the day, and its quarterback was intercepted three times while completing just over half of his 30 attempts, a performance that speaks to how little breathing room Notre Dame's defense allowed all afternoon.

Offensively, Jeremiyah Love broke off touchdown runs of 45 and 68 yards, part of a rushing attack that finished with a staggering 329 yards on just 24 carries, a 13.7 yards per carry average that ranks among the most efficient team rushing performances of the entire season. Jadarian Price added a 58 yard score of his own, and CJ Carr, playing a limited role as backups saw extensive time in the blowout, still found time to connect with Will Pauling for a touchdown, finishing 9 of 15 for 67 yards. Notre Dame possessed the ball for just over 16 minutes on the day compared to Syracuse's nearly 44 minutes, and still outscored the Orange 70 to 7, an almost unheard of level of offensive and defensive efficiency packed into a limited number of snaps.

The Negatives

The honest criticism of this game is that it tells us very little about how good Notre Dame actually is, given how overmatched Syracuse was from the opening whistle. A 63 point margin against a struggling opponent is an impressive final score, but it does not carry the same evaluative weight as the wins over USC or Pittsburgh, and it would be a mistake to read too much into the specific performances turned in against a Syracuse team that had little answer for anything Notre Dame did schematically or athletically.

The only real individual blemish came from Notre Dame's backup secondary, which allowed Syracuse's only scoring drive of the day, a late touchdown march against reserves that offered a mild reminder of the depth questions that still exist beyond the starting defensive backfield. Syracuse actually held the ball for nearly 44 minutes in this game, a staggering number for a team that lost by 63 points, and while that time of possession swing had zero impact on the final outcome given how explosive Notre Dame was with its limited possessions, it is a slightly unusual wrinkle worth noting from an otherwise one sided afternoon.

Who Shined

Jeremiyah Love's continued excellence was again the headline, and his now signature touchdown celebrations, including a Heisman pose that Marcus Freeman was asked about directly afterward, are already becoming a talking point of their own heading into next week's regular season finale at Stanford. J. Stroman and L. Moore's pick sixes and L. Talich's blocked punt return were the individual defensive and special teams highlights of an overwhelming team effort.

Freeman's response about Love's celebrations, that he had earned the right to celebrate, only adds to the sense that this is Love's team to carry down the stretch, and the offensive line's ability to spring 329 rushing yards on just 24 carries deserves real credit as well, since that kind of per carry efficiency does not happen without consistent movement up front.

Who Disappointed

There is little to critique from Notre Dame's performance in a 63 point win, though the backup secondary's late lapse against Syracuse's reserves is worth a note heading into the postseason. It did not affect the outcome in any way, but it is the same general concern about depth at cornerback that has shown up in other lopsided wins this season.

The lopsided nature of the game means none of Saturday's individual performances should be read as decisive evidence of where this team truly stands heading into its trip to Stanford, and the coaching staff will likely treat this one as a tune up week more than a true evaluation of where the roster stands against the level of competition still remaining on the schedule.

Notre Dame Obliterates Syracuse 70-7 on Senior Day

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Nov. 22, 2025 — Notre Dame delivered its most lopsided win of the season Saturday, demolishing Syracuse 70-7 on Senior Day at Notre Dame Stadium in a performance that saw the Fighting Irish score touchdowns in seemingly every way imaginable.

The win extended Notre Dame's streak to nine games in a row, improving to 9-2 on the season.

A Historic Scoring Outburst

Notre Dame scored 35 points in the first quarter alone, getting touchdowns on two pick-sixes, a blocked-punt return score, and two rushing touchdowns before Syracuse ran its first offensive play of consequence. Jeremiyah Love had another huge day, breaking off touchdown runs of 45 and 68 yards, while Jadarian Price added a 58-yard scoring run of his own. Notre Dame finished with 10 total touchdowns, including three defensive or special-teams scores, in one of the most complete performances of the Marcus Freeman era.

CJ Carr, playing a limited role as backups saw extensive time in the blowout, still connected with Will Pauling for a touchdown. Syracuse managed only 207 total yards and turned the ball over three times against a Notre Dame defense that recorded five sacks.

Freeman on Jeremiyah Love's Celebrations

With the outcome long decided, most of the postgame conversation centered on running back Jeremiyah Love's now-signature touchdown celebrations, including a Heisman pose after one of his scores. Freeman was asked directly about the theatrics and gave his star back the green light to keep expressing himself.

"You put me on the spot," Freeman said, laughing. "I always say celebrate with your teammates. He's earned the right to do that. I don't like the other one you're referring to, but he's earned the right to do that, so I'll let him go."

Beyond the celebrations, Freeman's team put together the kind of complete performance he had been searching for all season, a fitting sendoff for Notre Dame's senior class on their final regular-season home game.

What's Next

At 9-2 and winners of nine straight, Notre Dame closed out the regular season the following week at Stanford, needing a win to complete a stunning turnaround from an 0-2 start and bolster its case for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Lucky Lefty Top Play and Performers

Key Play: Notre Dame scored three non-offensive touchdowns in the first quarter alone — pick-sixes from J. Stroman and L. Moore, plus a blocked-punt return score from L. Talich — building a 35-0 lead before Syracuse ran a single meaningful offensive snap.

Offensive Performer: Jeremiyah Love — touchdown runs of 45 and 68 yards in a lopsided Senior Day rout.

Defensive Performer: J. Stroman and L. Moore — each returned an interception for a touchdown, headlining a suffocating defensive effort that forced three Syracuse turnovers.

Box Score

Notre Dame 70, Syracuse 7 — Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

SCORING BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F Notre Dame 35 14 7 14 — 70 Syracuse 0 0 0 7 — 7

SCORING PLAYS Q1 14:10 — J. Stroman INT return TD (ND 6-0) Q1 14:03 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 7-0) Q1 12:26 — Blocked punt return TD by L. Talich (ND 13-0) Q1 12:19 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 14-0) Q1 9:54 — L. Moore INT return TD (ND 20-0) Q1 9:43 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 21-0) Q1 6:38 — J. Love 45-yd TD run (ND 27-0) Q1 6:32 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 28-0) Q1 4:11 — J. Price 58-yd TD run (ND 34-0) Q1 4:01 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 35-0) Q2 15:00 — C. Carr 6-yd TD pass to W. Pauling (ND 41-0) Q2 14:56 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 42-0) Q2 9:03 — J. Love 14-yd TD run (ND 48-0) Q2 8:56 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 49-0) Q3 14:36 — J. Love 68-yd TD run (ND 55-0) Q3 14:25 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 56-0) Q4 13:41 — A. Williams 30-yd TD run (ND 62-0) Q4 13:32 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 63-0) Q4 6:17 — K. Minchey 25-yd TD run (ND 69-0) Q4 6:06 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 70-0) Q4 0:11 — J. Filardi 6-yd TD run (ND 70-6) Q4 0:07 — T. Woody PAT good (ND 70-7, Final)

TEAM STATS Notre Dame Syracuse Total Yards 396 207 Passing Yards 67 95 Rushing Yards 329 112 First Downs 17 18 Penalties-Yards 5-55 5-39 Turnovers 0 3 Time of Possession 16:01 43:59

PASSING CJ Carr (ND) — 9/15, 67 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT Syracuse (Filardi) — 17/30, 95 yds, 0 TD, 3 INT

RUSHING Notre Dame — 24 att, 329 yds, 13.7 avg, 6 TD, long 68 Syracuse — 50 att, 112 yds, 2.2 avg, 1 TD, long 12

RECEIVING Notre Dame — 9 rec (15 targets), 67 yds, 1 TD, long 14 Syracuse — 17 rec (29 targets), 95 yds, 0 TD, long 16

KICKING Notre Dame — 0/0 FG attempted Syracuse — 0/1 FG

DEFENSE Notre Dame Syracuse Total Tackles 72 29 Sacks 5.0 1.0 Interceptions 3 0 Forced Fumbles 0 0 QB Hits 7 1

what we learned: pittsburgh

A day after Notre Dame's 37 to 15 win over Pittsburgh, the winning streak sits at eight games, and on the field, this was one of the most complete road performances of the season. Off the field, it has become the day's biggest talking point for an entirely different reason, one that has nothing to do with anything that happened between the lines.

The Positives

Notre Dame's defense set the tone from the opening quarter, scoring two touchdowns of its own on Saturday, a 49 yard interception return from T. Johnson and a separate pick six off a poor Pitt throw. Those two defensive scores accounted for 14 of Notre Dame's 37 points and put Pitt in an immediate hole it never recovered from. The pass rush was just as disruptive in a more traditional sense, with Jason Onye and Boubacar Traore combining for three of Notre Dame's four sacks on the day and consistently forcing Pitt's quarterback rotation into rushed, inaccurate throws. Pitt's offense, as a result, managed just 219 total yards on the day, including only 70 rushing yards on 25 carries, a 2.8 yards per carry average that reflects just how little room Notre Dame's front seven allowed all afternoon.

Offensively, Jeremiyah Love broke off a 56 yard touchdown run in the first quarter to set the tone immediately, part of a rushing attack that finished with 175 yards on 36 carries. CJ Carr threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns, connecting twice with Malachi Fields, and added a rushing score of his own, giving Notre Dame touchdowns through the air, on the ground, and on defense in the same game. Notre Dame also controlled the clock for over 35 minutes, a 35 minute and 17 second to 24 minute and 43 second split that allowed the offense to dictate the pace of the entire game and kept Pitt's own offense off the field for long stretches. This was a comprehensive, no doubt road win over a ranked opponent, exactly the kind of performance a playoff hopeful needs in mid November.

The Negatives

On the field, there is genuinely little to complain about, though the box score does show a couple of soft spots. CJ Carr was picked off twice on the day, the first time all season he has thrown multiple interceptions in a single game, and while neither turnover proved costly given the final score, it is a reminder that even Notre Dame's most efficient performer can have an off night with the ball. Notre Dame was also flagged eight times for 84 yards, its most penalized game since the Boise State win in early October, and several of those penalties came at inopportune moments that stalled otherwise promising drives before the offense settled in.

With reserves seeing extended time in the second half, Notre Dame's backup secondary gave up a late touchdown after Pitt called a timeout with the outcome long since decided, a lapse that Freeman flagged directly after the game. It was a minor blemish in the grand scheme of a 22 point win, but it did allow Pitt to finish with 149 passing yards and a touchdown of its own, numbers that look slightly better than they should given how thoroughly Notre Dame's starters controlled the first three quarters. Off the field, the postgame handshake between Marcus Freeman and Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi, in which Freeman appeared to brush past a hug Narduzzi seemed to be going for, has become the dominant story of the day, overshadowing an otherwise dominant Notre Dame performance. The moment came after Narduzzi had downplayed the rivalry's importance during the week, and while Freeman kept his own comments brief and pointed afterward, the incident is proving to be a distraction from what should be a celebration of the team's eighth straight win.

Who Shined

T. Johnson's pick six was the signature play of the game, and CJ Carr's dual threat performance through the air and on the ground continued his strong second half of the season despite the two interceptions. Jason Onye and Boubacar Traore's combined pass rush effort was one of the best individual defensive line performances of the year, consistently collapsing the pocket and forcing Pitt's offense into obvious passing situations.

Notre Dame's defense as a whole turned in one of its best overall efforts of the year, holding a ranked opponent to 219 total yards and forcing multiple turnovers, and Jeremiyah Love's 56 yard touchdown run set an early tone that Pitt was never able to answer. Malachi Fields' two touchdown catches gave him another strong showing in what has become a increasingly reliable connection with Carr down the stretch of the season.

Who Disappointed

There was little to criticize from Notre Dame's starting units in this one, though CJ Carr's two interceptions and the offense's eight penalties for 84 yards are worth noting even in a comfortable win. Those mistakes did not end up costing Notre Dame anything on the scoreboard, but they are the kind of self inflicted issues that could matter far more against a tighter opponent later in the season.

The backup secondary's late lapse against Pitt's reserves is the other real individual blemish, allowing a game's final numbers to look closer through the air than the performance actually was. It is a minor gripe in an otherwise dominant, if overshadowed, road win, but depth at cornerback remains a thread worth watching as Notre Dame closes out its schedule.

Notre Dame spins Past Pittsburgh 37-15

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Nov. 15, 2025 — No. 9 Notre Dame extended its winning streak to eight games Saturday, defeating No. 22 Pittsburgh 37-15 at Acrisure Stadium in a game that was never particularly close.

The Fighting Irish improved to 8-2 on the season, continuing to build their College Football Playoff resume with a road win over a ranked opponent.

Turnovers and Big Plays Define Blowout

Notre Dame scored two defensive touchdowns in the game — a 49-yard interception return touchdown by the ND defense and a pick-six off a poor Pitt throw — while Jeremiyah Love broke off a 56-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to set the tone early. CJ Carr threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns, connecting twice with Malachi Fields, and added a rushing score of his own in the fourth quarter.

Pitt's offense struggled throughout, managing just 219 total yards and getting sacked four times, while Notre Dame controlled the clock for over 35 minutes.

Freeman Skips the Pleasantries With Narduzzi

The most talked-about moment of the day came after the final whistle, when Freeman appeared to brush past Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi during the customary postgame handshake, avoiding a hug Narduzzi seemed to be going for. The moment came after Narduzzi had downplayed the rivalry game's importance during the week, saying he'd "gladly get beat 110-10" as long as Pitt ran the table in ACC play.

Asked about the interaction after the game, Freeman kept his answer brief and pointed.

"No, I wanted to go celebrate," Freeman said when asked if Narduzzi said anything to him during their postgame exchange. "But here's what I'll say — I'll answer it this way. I, to each their own, you know what I mean? I don't ever comment on another program, but also I don't have time to think about that."

Freeman quickly turned his focus to a late Pitt touchdown scored against Notre Dame's backups after Narduzzi called a timeout with the game well in hand, rather than letting the clock expire.

"Like, they called a timeout? All right, guys, let's get them stopped, right? And that's my challenge with our guys," Freeman said. "I don't know what exactly happened and how they scored that last play. We got to evaluate it, but they called a timeout — let's go."

What's Next

Notre Dame's winning streak reached eight games, improving to 8-2 and keeping the Fighting Irish's College Football Playoff hopes firmly alive with two games remaining in the regular season.

Lucky Lefty Top Play and Performers

Key Play: T. Johnson's 49-yard interception-return touchdown in the first quarter, coming just 17 seconds after Jeremiyah Love's opening score, staked Notre Dame to a stunning 14-0 lead before Pitt's offense had found any footing.

Offensive Performer: CJ Carr — 212 yards passing with two touchdowns through the air plus a rushing score, spreading the ball to Malachi Fields twice for scores.

Defensive Performer: T. Johnson — his pick-six was the backbreaking play of the game and set the tone for a dominant defensive effort on the road.

Box Score

Notre Dame 37, Pittsburgh 15 — Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa.

SCORING BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F Notre Dame 14 7 9 7 — 37 Pittsburgh 0 3 6 6 — 15

SCORING PLAYS Q1 8:26 — J. Love 56-yd TD run (ND 6-0) Q1 8:16 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 7-0) Q1 8:09 — T. Johnson 49-yd INT return TD (ND 13-0) Q1 7:59 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 14-0) Q2 13:59 — S. Carpenter 24-yd FG (ND 14-3) Q2 1:56 — C. Carr 25-yd TD pass to M. Fields (ND 20-3) Q2 1:56 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 21-3) Q3 10:48 — C. Carr 6-yd TD pass to M. Fields (ND 27-3) Q3 10:43 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 28-3) Q3 1:54 — R. Biles INT return TD (ND 28-9) Q3 1:39 — Two-point attempt fails, ND defensive stop (ND 28-9) Q4 10:02 — C. Carr 5-yd TD run (ND 34-9) Q4 9:55 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 35-9) Q4 0:05 — E. Holstein 21-yd TD pass to M. Thomas (ND 35-15)

TEAM STATS Notre Dame Pittsburgh Total Yards 387 219 Passing Yards 212 149 Rushing Yards 175 70 First Downs 20 17 Penalties-Yards 8-84 5-41 Turnovers 2 1 Time of Possession 35:17 24:43

PASSING CJ Carr (ND) — 21/32, 212 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Pitt (Heintschel/Holstein combined) — 19/39, 149 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

RUSHING Notre Dame — 36 att, 175 yds, 4.9 avg, 2 TD, long 56 Pittsburgh — 25 att, 70 yds, 2.8 avg, 0 TD, long 14

RECEIVING Notre Dame — 21 rec (31 targets), 212 yds, 2 TD, long 35 Pittsburgh — 19 rec (37 targets), 149 yds, 1 TD, long 27

KICKING Erik Schmidt (ND) — 0/1 FG Sam Carpenter (PITT) — 1/2 FG, long 24

DEFENSE Notre Dame Pittsburgh Total Tackles 48 66 Sacks 4.0 1.0 Interceptions 1 2 Forced Fumbles 1 0 QB Hits 4 2

what we learned: navy

A day after Notre Dame's 49 to 10 win over Navy, this was as complete a performance as the team has produced all season, and it came against an opponent whose unique option based scheme has historically given the Irish trouble.

The Positives

CJ Carr was nearly flawless on Saturday, completing 16 of 19 passes, an 84 percent completion rate, for 253 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. That kind of efficiency against a Navy defense built to confuse quarterbacks with disguised looks is not an accident, and it pushed Carr's touchdown to interception ratio for the season to a level that has quietly become one of the best in the country. Notre Dame's rushing attack was just as productive, piling up 249 yards on 38 carries, a 6.6 yards per carry average, and four touchdowns as a group. Between the ground game and Carr's efficient day through the air, Notre Dame finished with 502 total yards of offense against a Navy defense that had been stingy against option heavy opponents earlier in the season, and the Irish controlled the ball for over 30 minutes despite Navy's own ball control approach.

Jeremiyah Love produced the single best individual highlight of his season, a 48 yard touchdown run on which he appeared to be stopped for a loss in the backfield before breaking free and outrunning Navy's entire secondary. Aneyas Williams added a 54 yard touchdown run of his own, and between the two of them, Notre Dame had two different backs eclipse 50 yards on a single carry in the same game, a testament to the explosiveness of this backfield even in a contest that was never particularly close. Notre Dame finished the game with zero turnovers and zero penalties, a remarkable level of discipline for a team that had struggled with exactly those issues just weeks earlier against NC State. Defensively, Jaylen Sneed had his best game of the season reading Navy's option looks, consistently taking correct angles to the dive and pitch and helping hold a Navy offense that entered the day averaging well over 300 rushing yards per game to just 206, a firmly below average output for the option attack. Marcus Freeman's postgame comments about Love, calling him one of the best players in the country and making the case for his inclusion in the national Heisman conversation, are already generating buzz this morning as one of the more notable coach endorsements of the season.

The Negatives

There is genuinely little to criticize from this performance, but the box score does reveal a few soft spots worth flagging even in a laugher. Navy still finished with 206 rushing yards on 45 carries, a 4.6 yards per carry average, numbers that are respectable for an option offense regardless of the final score, and the Midshipmen actually out carried Notre Dame 45 to 38 for the game. Navy also held a 29 minute and 23 second to 30 minute and 37 second time of possession split that was far closer than a 39 point final margin would suggest, a reminder that Navy's approach is built to control the clock and stay competitive in the possession battle even in a lopsided loss.

Drayk Bowen was slow to fill on a couple of Navy's fullback dive runs in the second quarter, part of the reason the Midshipmen were still able to grind out that 206 yard rushing total despite the lopsided final score, and it is a small technique issue worth cleaning up before facing more explosive rushing attacks later in the year. Notre Dame's defense also recorded only two sacks and a single forced fumble on the day, modest pressure numbers against a Navy offensive line that is not typically viewed as one of the stronger units the Irish will face, and playing without star quarterback Blake Horvath due to injury, Navy was clearly overmatched in the passing game, completing just 3 of 10 attempts for 22 yards. Notre Dame took full advantage of that limitation without the kind of self inflicted mistakes that had plagued earlier wins, but the underlying rushing and time of possession numbers suggest there is still room for the front seven to tighten up its edges against option based teams.

Who Shined

Jeremiyah Love's highlight reel touchdown run headlined a complete team performance, and CJ Carr's efficient, mistake free day, 16 of 19 for 253 yards and three touchdowns, continued his steady development heading into the most important stretch of the season. Jaylen Sneed's discipline against the option was the clearest individual defensive improvement of the night, and Aneyas Williams' 54 yard scoring run showed the kind of explosive depth Notre Dame now has at running back beyond its top two options.

Who Disappointed

It is hard to find a Notre Dame player who had a bad day in this one. Drayk Bowen's occasional slow read on Navy's dive game is the only real individual note, and even that came in a game decided well before halftime. Still, the 206 rushing yards allowed and the fairly even time of possession battle are numbers worth watching, since they suggest the final score flattered the run defense's overall effort more than the day to day tape probably will. The zero turnover, zero penalty performance suggests a program that has fully turned the corner from its early season struggles, and this game stands as one of the cleanest, most complete efforts of the year so far, even if the underlying defensive rushing numbers were not quite as dominant as the scoreboard indicated.

Notre Dame Rolls Past Navy 49-10 Behind Balanced Offensive Attack

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Nov. 8, 2025 — Notre Dame extended its winning streak to seven games Saturday, cruising past Navy 49-10 at Notre Dame Stadium behind a dominant offensive performance and another highlight-reel run from Jeremiyah Love.

The Fighting Irish, ranked No. 10 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, improved to 7-2 with the win.

Love Continues Heisman Case

CJ Carr was efficient once again, completing 16 of 19 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns, while Notre Dame's rushing attack racked up 249 yards and four touchdowns. Love had another signature moment, breaking off a 48-yard touchdown run in which he appeared to be stopped for a loss before bursting free. Aneyas Williams added a 54-yard touchdown run of his own in the fourth quarter.

Navy, playing without star quarterback Blake Horvath due to injury, leaned on backup Braxton Woodson, who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown but couldn't keep pace with a Notre Dame offense that never punted more than once and finished the game with zero turnovers and zero penalties.

Freeman Praises the Challenge of Navy's Scheme — and Jeremiyah Love

Head coach Marcus Freeman opened his postgame comments by crediting Navy's unique option-based system for making the win harder than the final score suggested.

"I'm obviously proud of the way our guys battled," Freeman said. "It's always a great challenge when you get ready to play Navy just because of the uniqueness of their schemes on both sides of the ball. It is difficult to prepare for because it's not something you see every week, and it's a good team."

Freeman didn't hold back when asked about Love's continued excellence, including his acrobatic touchdown run that appeared dead in the backfield before turning into a 48-yard score.

"You talk about one of the best players in the country — if he's not one of them, then it's hard to believe how many other players are that special," Freeman said of Love, continuing to build the case for his star running back's inclusion in the national Heisman Trophy conversation.

What's Next

At 7-2 and winners of seven straight, Notre Dame headed into a road rivalry matchup with Pittsburgh the following week, with the Fighting Irish firmly positioned in the College Football Playoff picture after erasing their early-season 0-2 start.

Lucky Lefty Top Play and Performers

Key Play: Jeremiyah Love's 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, on which he appeared to be stopped for a loss in the backfield before bursting through Navy's defense and outrunning the secondary to the end zone.

Offensive Performer: Jeremiyah Love — two rushing touchdowns, including the highlight-reel 48-yard score Freeman called one of the best individual plays of the season.

Defensive Performer: Notre Dame's front seven held Navy's nation-leading rushing attack, which entered the game averaging 317 yards per game, largely in check for most of the afternoon.

Box Score

Notre Dame 49, Navy 10 — Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

SCORING BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F Notre Dame 7 14 21 7 — 49 Navy 0 10 0 0 — 10

SCORING PLAYS Q1 7:35 — J. Love 1-yd TD run (ND 6-0) Q1 7:31 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 7-0) Q2 11:08 — B. Woodson 2-yd TD run (ND 7-6) Q2 11:02 — N. Kirkwood PAT good (ND 7-7) Q2 6:00 — J. Price 2-yd TD run (ND 13-7) Q2 5:57 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 14-7) Q2 1:46 — C. Carr 5-yd TD pass to J. Faison (ND 20-7) Q2 1:42 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 21-7) Q2 0:19 — N. Kirkwood 33-yd FG (ND 21-10) Q3 13:41 — J. Love 48-yd TD run (ND 27-10) Q3 13:27 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 28-10) Q3 11:34 — C. Carr 34-yd TD pass to K. Smith (ND 34-10) Q3 11:27 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 35-10) Q3 6:32 — C. Carr 4-yd TD pass to T. Washington (ND 41-10) Q3 6:27 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 42-10) Q4 11:35 — A. Williams 54-yd TD run (ND 48-10) Q4 11:27 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 49-10, Final)

TEAM STATS Notre Dame Navy Total Yards 502 228 Passing Yards 253 22 Rushing Yards 249 206 First Downs 23 13 Penalties-Yards 0-0 6-57 Turnovers 0 0 Time of Possession 30:37 29:23

PASSING CJ Carr (ND) — 16/19, 253 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT Navy (Woodson) — 3/10, 22 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING Notre Dame — 38 att, 249 yds, 6.6 avg, 4 TD, long 54 Navy — 45 att, 206 yds, 4.6 avg, 1 TD, long 41

RECEIVING Notre Dame — 16 rec (19 targets), 253 yds, 3 TD, long 52 Navy — 3 rec (10 targets), 22 yds, 0 TD, long 17

KICKING Notre Dame — 0/0 FG attempted Noah Kirkwood (NAVY) — 1/1 FG, long 33

DEFENSE Notre Dame Navy Total Tackles 61 55 Sacks 2.0 0.0 Interceptions 0 0 Forced Fumbles 1 0 QB Hits 2 0

Notre Dame Grinds Past Boston College 25-10 Despite Kicking Woes

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Nov. 1, 2025 — No. 12 Notre Dame extended its winning streak to six games Saturday, defeating Boston College 25-10 in a game that was closer than the final score indicated thanks to a rash of missed field goals and extra points.

The Fighting Irish improved to 6-2 on the season, but the win over a one-win Boston College team was far from the convincing statement performance many expected.

Kicking Carousel Overshadows Solid Defensive Effort

Notre Dame rotated through three different kickers during the game — Noah Burnette, Erik Schmidt, and Marcello Diomede — with each missing at least one attempt. A missed 35-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter kept the game within one score for much of the night, and BC trailed just 18-10 early in the fourth quarter before Adon Shuler's interception near the goal line swung momentum for good. Jeremiyah Love broke off a 94-yard touchdown run on the very next play to put the game away.

CJ Carr threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, and Notre Dame's defense forced three interceptions of BC quarterback Grayson James, holding the Eagles to just 12 rushing yards on 33 carries.

Freeman Sends Warning to His Kickers

Head coach Marcus Freeman didn't hide his frustration with the kicking struggles after the game, making clear the rotation would continue until Notre Dame found consistency.

"The issues were every time we kicked the ball, it did not go through the field goal posts," Freeman said. "So that's the issue. And we're going to keep putting guys in there until we consistently have somebody who can put the football through the field goal posts. And we have three kickers. But if you rotate three kickers, you don't have one."

Despite the special-teams frustrations, Freeman praised his team's overall resilience in what was a tougher-than-expected road environment, echoing a theme he's returned to often this season.

"We know there's a lot of things to clean up," Freeman said. "The challenges will get tougher. As you move farther into November, everything is magnified."

What's Next

Notre Dame's winning streak reached six games, moving the Fighting Irish to 6-2 with no ranked opponents remaining on the regular-season schedule as the team continued its push toward a College Football Playoff berth.

Lucky Lefty Top Play and Performers

Key Play: Adon Shuler's interception at the Notre Dame 5-yard line with 11:21 remaining flipped field position, and Jeremiyah Love broke off a 94-yard touchdown run on the very next offensive snap to put the game out of reach.

Offensive Performer: Jeremiyah Love — capped a 159-yard rushing day with touchdown runs of three and 94 yards.

Defensive Performer: Adon Shuler — his game-sealing interception near the goal line was the turning point of an otherwise sloppy, weather-affected win.

Box Score

Notre Dame 25, Boston College 10 — Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

SCORING BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F Notre Dame 0 12 6 7 — 25 Boston College 0 7 3 0 — 10

SCORING PLAYS Q2 15:00 — C. Carr 40-yd TD pass to M. Fields (ND 6-0) Q2 14:52 — PAT no good (ND 6-0) Q2 2:00 — C. Carr 44-yd TD pass to W. Pauling (ND 12-0) Q2 1:53 — Two-point attempt fails (ND 12-0) Q2 0:28 — G. James 25-yd TD pass to R. Harris (ND 12-6) Q2 0:22 — L. Lombardo PAT good (ND 12-7) Q3 3:40 — L. Lombardo 25-yd FG (ND 12-10) Q3 0:36 — J. Love 3-yd TD run (ND 18-10) Q3 0:32 — PAT no good (ND 18-10) Q4 11:21 — J. Love 94-yd TD run (ND 24-10) Q4 11:07 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 25-10, Final)

TEAM STATS Notre Dame Boston College Total Yards 458 281 Passing Yards 299 269 Rushing Yards 159 12 First Downs 22 21 Penalties-Yards 7-67 9-80 Turnovers 1 3 Time of Possession 24:33 35:27

PASSING CJ Carr (ND) — 18/26, 299 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT Grayson James (BC) — 30/45, 269 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT

RUSHING Notre Dame — 29 att, 159 yds, 5.5 avg, 2 TD, long 94 Boston College — 33 att, 12 yds, 0.4 avg, 0 TD, long 6

RECEIVING Notre Dame — 18 rec (25 targets), 299 yds, 2 TD, long 46 Boston College — 30 rec (44 targets), 269 yds, 1 TD, long 25

KICKING Notre Dame (Burnette/Schmidt/Diomede) — 0/1 FG Liam Lombardo (BC) — 1/1 FG, long 25

DEFENSE Notre Dame Boston College Total Tackles 69 53 Sacks 5.0 0.0 Interceptions 3 0 Forced Fumbles 1 1 QB Hits 6 0

what we learned: usc

A day after Notre Dame's 34 to 24 win over USC, this feels like the single most important victory of the season so far, a hard fought rivalry win over a ranked opponent that validates everything the program has been building toward since its 0 and 2 start.

The Positives

Jeremiyah Love was the best player on the field, carrying the ball 24 times for over 200 yards in one of the best individual performances of his career to date. Notre Dame trailed twice in the second half, including a 27 to 21 deficit in the third quarter, and did not panic. Jadarian Price's kickoff return touchdown immediately answered USC's go ahead score, and CJ Carr's fourth quarter rushing touchdown put Notre Dame ahead for good. The defense, which started the season as one of the worst units in the country, forced three turnovers in a game that mattered as much as any on the schedule to this point, with Jason Onye finally breaking through for a strip sack in the third quarter that Boubacar Traore recovered.

Price's return was the kind of moment that only makes sense with a little history behind it. Two years ago, almost to the day, Price broke off a 99 yard kickoff return touchdown against this same USC team at this same stadium, a play that put the 2023 meeting away for good. On Saturday, he did it again, breaking two tackles on his way to the house and delivering the exact type of dagger that has now become something of a signature against the Trojans. Price himself said afterward it felt like deja vu, and it is hard to argue with him. USC simply has not found an answer for him on special teams in either matchup, and Notre Dame has to feel like it has USC's number as long as Price is fielding kicks against them.

Marcus Freeman's postgame comments captured the significance of the moment, calling it a struggle against a good opponent and praising his team's resilience and opportunistic defense in the second half. Rivalry games, as Freeman put it, mean just a little bit more, and this win suggests Notre Dame's turnaround from 0 and 2 is no longer a fluke but a genuine trend heading into a much needed bye week.

The Negatives

Notre Dame's tendency to fall behind continued to be an issue on Saturday, even in a game it ultimately won. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59 yard strike to Ja'Kobi Lane that beat the secondary over the top on a play where Notre Dame simply had no answer for Lane's release off the line. Christian Gray was flagged for a costly pass interference penalty on USC's opening touchdown drive as well, and the Irish defense, while opportunistic with its three takeaways, still allowed USC to hang around deep into the fourth quarter of a game Notre Dame was favored to control from the start.

Who Shined

Jeremiyah Love's 200 plus yard rushing performance was the headline, but Jadarian Price's momentum swinging kickoff return touchdown was arguably the single biggest play of Notre Dame's season to this point, coming at the exact moment USC appeared to be seizing control of the game. It was also, fittingly, the second time in three years that Price has broken USC's heart on a kickoff return in this exact stadium, a piece of personal history that made Saturday's version feel almost inevitable once he got his footing. Jason Onye's strip sack was the defensive play of the game.

Who Disappointed

The blown coverage on the 59 yard touchdown to Lane and Christian Gray's costly penalty were the two individual low points in an otherwise winning effort, and Notre Dame's pass defense still had lapses against a talented USC passing attack, allowing over 300 yards through the air in a game that came down to the fourth quarter. It was a winning performance, but not a flawless one, and it leaves a clear blueprint for how future opponents might try to attack the Irish secondary during the second half of the season.

Notre Dame runs by USC 34-24 in Rivalry Showdown

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Oct. 18, 2025 — Notre Dame extended its winning streak to five games Saturday night, surviving a back-and-forth battle with rival USC to win 34-24 at Notre Dame Stadium in a game with major College Football Playoff implications for both programs.

The 13th-ranked Fighting Irish trailed twice in the second half before pulling away, improving to 5-2 on the season and dropping the 20th-ranked Trojans to their second loss.

Love Takes Over as Defense Comes Up Big Late

Jeremiyah Love carried the offense, rushing 24 times for over 200 yards and adding a rushing touchdown, while Jadarian Price added a kickoff-return touchdown after USC briefly took a 27-21 lead in the third quarter. CJ Carr also punched in a rushing score in the fourth quarter to put Notre Dame ahead for good.

Notre Dame's defense, which started the season as one of the worst units in the country, forced three turnovers — including two interceptions — and got increasingly stout in the second half after USC's Jayden Maiava threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59-yard strike to Ja'Kobi Lane.

Freeman: "It Wasn't an Easy Win"

Marcus Freeman was visibly drained in his postgame press conference, praising his team's resilience in what he called a hard-fought, physical rivalry victory.

"I'm just exhausted, and I know these guys that actually were on the field are [too]," Freeman said. "I appreciate — I told them in the locker room — the effort they give to this football program to give them a chance to have that type of outcome. That's what it's about. It's about sacrificing for the man next to you because they need you to."

Freeman acknowledged the game was far from comfortable, crediting USC for making Notre Dame earn every point.

"It wasn't an easy win," Freeman said. "It was a struggle, as I told them it would be, versus a good opponent. But they continued to be resilient, continued to run the football, be opportunistic on defense, and create some turnovers in the second half, and the result is the result."

On what a win in the historic rivalry — one that may not be played again for several years amid ongoing scheduling disputes between the two programs — meant to him personally, Freeman reflected on the significance of the moment.

"They mean just a little bit more," Freeman said of rivalry games. "You remember rivalry games. I remember my rivalry games from pee-wee to high school to college and the ones I've been a part of as a coach. Those are games that mean more, and hopefully you remember some things you did in that game that led to the outcome."

What's Next

Notre Dame's win streak reached five games as the Fighting Irish headed into their bye week at 5-2, with a clear runway toward the College Football Playoff after erasing an 0-2 start to the season.

Lucky Lefty Top Play and Performers

Key Play: Jadarian Price's 100-yard kickoff-return touchdown, coming on the very next play after USC had taken a 27-24 lead, instantly swung momentum back to Notre Dame in the third quarter.

Offensive Performer: Jeremiyah Love — 24 carries for over 200 yards and a touchdown, controlling the game on the ground in a physical rivalry battle.

Defensive Performer: Notre Dame's defense forced three USC turnovers, including two interceptions, tightening up considerably after a shaky start to the game.

Box Score

Notre Dame 34, USC 24 — Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

SCORING BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F Notre Dame 7 7 13 7 — 34 USC 10 3 11 0 — 24

SCORING PLAYS Q1 11:15 — J. Maiava 10-yd TD pass to L. McRee (ND 0-6) Q1 11:09 — R. Sayeri PAT good (ND 0-7) Q1 10:17 — J. Love 12-yd TD run (ND 6-7) Q1 10:11 — N. Burnette PAT good (ND 7-7) Q1 8:08 — R. Sayeri 42-yd FG (ND 7-10) Q2 14:45 — J. Price 16-yd TD run (ND 13-10) Q2 14:38 — N. Burnette PAT good (ND 14-10) Q2 1:47 — R. Sayeri 24-yd FG (ND 14-13) Q3 8:08 — C. Carr 6-yd TD pass to W. Pauling (ND 20-13) Q3 8:04 — N. Burnette PAT good (ND 21-13) Q3 6:23 — R. Sayeri 43-yd FG (ND 21-16) Q3 4:41 — J. Maiava 59-yd TD pass to J. Lane (ND 21-22) Q3 4:32 — Two-point conversion good (ND 21-24) Q3 4:32 — J. Price kickoff return TD (ND 27-24) Q3 4:17 — PAT no good (ND 27-24) Q4 7:24 — C. Carr 1-yd TD run (ND 33-24) Q4 7:16 — N. Burnette PAT good (ND 34-24, Final)

TEAM STATS Notre Dame USC Total Yards 442 396 Passing Yards 136 328 Rushing Yards 306 68 First Downs 23 23 Penalties-Yards 8-96 1-5 Turnovers 1 3 Time of Possession 32:58 27:02

PASSING CJ Carr (ND) — 16/26, 136 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Jayden Maiava (USC) — 22/42, 328 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT

RUSHING Notre Dame — 44 att, 306 yds, 7.0 avg, 3 TD, long 63 USC — 29 att, 68 yds, 2.3 avg, 0 TD, long 15

RECEIVING Notre Dame — 16 rec (26 targets), 136 yds, 1 TD, long 15 USC — 22 rec (41 targets), 328 yds, 2 TD, long 59

KICKING Noah Burnette (ND) — 0/1 FG Rasean Sayeri (USC) — 3/3 FG, long 43

DEFENSE Notre Dame USC Total Tackles 63 72 Sacks 2.0 1.0 Interceptions 2 1 Forced Fumbles 1 0 QB Hits 2 1

what we learned: nc state

A day after Notre Dame's 36 to 7 win over NC State, the winning streak now sits at four games, but anyone who actually watched Saturday's game comes away with a very specific and very valid complaint this morning. This team is still getting in its own way far too often, even while thoroughly outclassing its opponent.

The Positives

The underlying numbers were as lopsided as the final score suggested they should be. Notre Dame outgained NC State 485 yards to 233, and CJ Carr threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Kaleb Smith and Will Pauling for scores. The defense intercepted NC State quarterback CJ Bailey three times, with Christian Gray coming away with one and Leonard Moore adding another after being deployed as a rover across multiple spots in the formation, and the unit even recorded a fourth quarter safety on a wild, replay reviewed fumble sequence that Boubacar Traore was credited with forcing. This was, statistically, one of the most dominant performances of the season so far.

The Negatives

And yet Notre Dame made the game look far closer on the scoreboard than it should have been for long stretches, thanks to six penalties for 55 yards, three failed fourth down attempts, and a mediocre 5 of 8 mark in the red zone. Ashton Craig and the interior line were stuffed on back to back short yardage attempts near the goal line in the second quarter, forcing Notre Dame to settle for a field goal on a drive that should have been a touchdown, and Jadarian Price was stopped for no gain on a fourth and one that could have salted the game away far earlier than it actually ended. Marcus Freeman's blunt postgame message, telling his team to simply stop beating Notre Dame, was as pointed a piece of criticism as he has offered all season, and it is entirely deserved given how many free opportunities the team left on the field against a clearly inferior opponent.

A weather delay added an unusual wrinkle to the day, but it does not excuse the discipline issues that crept back into the team's performance after a cleaner effort against Arkansas two weeks ago.

Who Shined

CJ Carr's 342 yard, two touchdown day was his best passing performance of the season to this point, and Notre Dame's defense continued its turnaround with three more interceptions, giving the unit real momentum heading into next week's showdown with USC, the biggest game of the season so far. Leonard Moore's expanded role and Boubacar Traore's forced fumble were the individual highlights of the defensive effort.

Who Disappointed

Ashton Craig and the interior offensive line's short yardage struggles were the clear low point of an otherwise dominant win, and the overall red zone execution left points on the field that should have put the game away far sooner. Freeman's stop beating Notre Dame comment makes clear that the coaching staff views this as a self inflicted problem rather than anything NC State was doing well, and it is a fair critique of a team that had more than enough talent to win far more comfortably than it did.

Notre Dame Survives Weather Delay, Beats NC State 36-7

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Oct. 11, 2025 — Notre Dame extended its winning streak to four games Saturday, defeating NC State 36-7 in a rain-soaked affair at Notre Dame Stadium that included a lengthy weather delay.

The Fighting Irish dominated the statistical categories — outgaining the Wolfpack 485 yards to 233 and forcing three interceptions — but once again made the game look tougher than the final score suggested with self-inflicted mistakes.

A Dominant, if Uneven, Performance

CJ Carr threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Kaleb Smith and Will Pauling for scores, while Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price each found the end zone on the ground. Notre Dame's defense forced three interceptions and recorded a safety in the fourth quarter after a wild sequence in which an NC State fumble was initially ruled a Wolfpack recovery before being overturned on replay review.

Despite the lopsided statistical advantage, Notre Dame committed six penalties for 55 yards, failed on three fourth-down attempts, and finished just 5-of-8 in the red zone — issues that kept NC State within shouting distance for much of the game before Notre Dame pulled away.

Freeman's Blunt Message: "Stop Beating Notre Dame"

Head coach Marcus Freeman didn't sugarcoat his team's uneven execution after the game, delivering a pointed message about self-inflicted mistakes overshadowing otherwise dominant performances.

"Stop beating Notre Dame," Freeman said bluntly following the win, referencing the litany of penalties, missed opportunities, and short-yardage failures that turned what should have been a laugher into a tighter contest on the scoreboard.

Freeman also addressed the team's response to the adversity of the weather delay and a game that never fully settled into a rhythm.

"There's not a moment you say, 'That's it,'" Freeman said. "It's just continuously hard work, evaluation, and corrections. If our guys think it's one moment, they'll think we're good now. It's not — it's the work you put in that gives you a chance to play that way."

Asked about several controversial officiating calls that went against Notre Dame during the game, Freeman took the high road rather than criticizing the officials.

"Every Sunday or Monday you can submit clips in if you want clarification or you disagree with a call, and they'll give you a review," Freeman said. "We do it every week. It's an every-week thing. It's just trying to — more than anything — get clarification."

What's Next

Notre Dame's win streak reached four games, moving the Fighting Irish to 4-2 heading into a home matchup with rival USC, a game with major College Football Playoff implications for both programs.

Lucky Lefty Top Play and Performers

Key Play: A bizarre fourth-quarter sequence turned into a safety after a replay review overturned an initial NC State fumble recovery, pushing the Wolfpack ball carrier back into his own end zone — a two-point swing that capped Notre Dame's dominant day.

Offensive Performer: CJ Carr — 19-of-32 passing for 342 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Kaleb Smith and Will Pauling for scores in his most productive passing day of the season to that point.

Defensive Performer: Notre Dame's secondary intercepted NC State quarterback CJ Bailey three times, continuing the defense's turnaround after a rocky start to the season.

Box Score

Notre Dame 36, NC State 7 — Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

SCORING BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F NC State 0 7 0 0 — 7 Notre Dame 7 3 14 12 — 36

SCORING PLAYS Q1 9:50 — J. Love 2-yd TD run (ND 6-0) Q1 9:49 — N. Burnette PAT good (ND 7-0) Q2 13:54 — C. Bailey 45-yd TD pass to T. Anderson (ND 7-6) Q2 13:48 — K. Vinesett PAT good (ND 7-7) Q2 0:06 — N. Burnette 48-yd FG (ND 10-7) Q3 7:05 — C. Carr 18-yd TD pass to K. Smith (ND 16-7) Q3 6:58 — N. Burnette PAT good (ND 17-7) Q3 2:48 — C. Carr 12-yd TD pass to W. Pauling (ND 23-7) Q3 2:46 — N. Burnette PAT good (ND 24-7) Q4 12:53 — N. Burnette 34-yd FG (ND 27-7) Q4 9:36 — Safety (ND 29-7) Q4 5:14 — J. Love 1-yd TD run (ND 35-7) Q4 5:12 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 36-7, Final)

TEAM STATS NC State Notre Dame Total Yards 233 485 Passing Yards 182 342 Rushing Yards 51 143 First Downs 12 24 Penalties-Yards 5-60 6-55 Turnovers 3 2 Time of Possession 28:47 31:13

PASSING CJ Bailey (NCST) — 18/31, 182 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT CJ Carr (ND) — 19/32, 342 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

RUSHING NC State — 28 att, 51 yds, 1.8 avg, 0 TD, long 10 Notre Dame — 39 att, 143 yds, 3.7 avg, 2 TD, long 24

RECEIVING NC State — 18 rec (29 targets), 182 yds, 1 TD, long 45 Notre Dame — 19 rec (31 targets), 342 yds, 2 TD, long 42

KICKING Kanoa Vinesett (NCST) — 0/0 FG attempted Noah Burnette (ND) — 2/2 FG, long 48

DEFENSE NC State Notre Dame Total Tackles 67 57 Sacks 2.0 4.0 Interceptions 1 3 Forced Fumbles 1 0 QB Hits 3 4

what we learned: boise state

A day after Notre Dame's 28 to 7 win over Boise State, it is clear this game was not pretty, and it did not need to be. This was a game about whether Notre Dame could beat a genuinely good opponent even when its own execution was far from perfect, and the answer on Saturday was a resounding yes.

The Positives

The defense was the story of this game, and it is the clearest sign yet of how far that unit has come since the 0 and 2 start. Notre Dame intercepted Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen four times and sacked him four more, completely shutting down a Broncos offense that had been averaging over 500 yards per game entering the contest. Christian Gray came away with two of the four interceptions, and even Karson Hobbs, who had struggled in coverage through the first month of the season, picked off a pass of his own, a small but meaningful sign of progress for a player who had been a target for opposing offenses all year. Malachi Fields and Will Pauling both caught touchdown passes from CJ Carr, and Jadarian Price's 49 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put the game away for good.

The Negatives

The offense, by contrast, was uncharacteristically sloppy on Saturday. Notre Dame committed 11 penalties for 112 yards and repeatedly stalled promising drives with self inflicted mistakes, finishing with only 389 total yards, its lowest offensive output since the Miami loss in Week 1. Anthonie Knapp was flagged for two false starts in the first half alone, and Guerby Lambert was beaten for a hold that erased a long gain in the second quarter, part of a broader pattern of the offensive line pressing rather than playing loose. Marcus Freeman was visibly frustrated after the game, not just with his own team's execution but with several officiating calls, including a roughing the passer penalty that wiped out a Notre Dame interception.

The concerning part of this performance is how heavily Notre Dame had to lean on takeaways to win comfortably. Four interceptions do not happen every week, and a team cannot count on bailing out a penalty riddled offense with that kind of defensive performance against every opponent remaining on the schedule, starting with NC State next weekend.

Who Shined

Notre Dame's secondary was the unquestioned star of this game, turning in the best takeaway performance of the season and validating the defensive progress that began the week before against Arkansas. Christian Gray's two interceptions and Karson Hobbs' bounce back turn were the individual headlines, and CJ Carr's efficiency, while unspectacular in terms of yardage, kept the offense on schedule enough to finish drives when it mattered.

Who Disappointed

Anthonie Knapp and Guerby Lambert both had uncharacteristic penalty issues up front, and the offensive line as a whole struggled with drive killing mistakes throughout Saturday, contributing to the offense's total yardage dipping noticeably compared to the two blowout wins that preceded this game. Notre Dame got away with an inefficient offensive performance because of an outstanding defensive effort, but that formula will not work against every remaining opponent.