- CJ Carr showed maturity, taking blame for a costly interception and vowing to improve.
- Biggest plays included a 65-yard strike to Eli Raridon and a scramble TD to Micah Gilbert.
- Freeman: “He’s an ultra-competitor… he’s a gamer, man. He performs when the lights are on.”
- Carr on his performance: “Tonight wasn’t good enough, out of me specifically. The only way to get rid of a loss is with a win.”
Notre Dame’s 27–24 loss at Miami left plenty of frustration, but it also delivered a glimpse into the future of Notre Dame football. Freshman quarterback CJ Carr, making his first career start, showed exactly why the Fighting Irish coaching staff has entrusted him with the reins of the Notre Dame offense moving forward. Carr wasn’t perfect, but he showed more than enough for Notre Dame fans to think that Freeman and his staff got it right.
CJ Carr went 19-of-30 for 221 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, adding 11 carries for 16 yards and a rushing score.
“He’s going to be a really good quarterback,” Marcus Freeman said after the loss. “Everything that I’ve thought he was going to be. His ceiling is so high.”
Poise Under Pressure
Carr’s first career start came on the road against a top-ten Miami team featuring perhaps the best defensive line the Irish will face all year long. The stage couldn’t have been bigger and the environment much tougher, and yet the sophomore signal caller who played all of four snaps last year never looked overwhelmed. Even after throwing an interception in the fourth quarter, Freeman praised his quarterback’s response.
“Great. Came back and drove us down for a field goal,” Freeman said of Carr following his interception. “And then the next drive after that was a 75-yard touchdown drive. I think it’s pretty impressive after you throw an interception off the tip ball.”
Carr himself shouldered the blame for the mistake. “On the pick, I should have just given [Jeremiah Love] the ball,” he admitted. “Cost us a big play. Just got to keep growing.”
That maturity, paired with the ability to bounce back, is impressive for a young quarterback. It would have been for someone with Carr’s inexperience to get rattled after the interception, but that never happened. That bodes really well for Notre Dame moving forward since the Irish won’t play in a more challenging environment the rest of the year.
A Playmaker at Quarterback
Carr’s first career touchdown throw was the kind of improvisational moment that separates quarterbacks – and the kind of play that Freeman envisioned Carr making for the Irish when he named him a starter. Flushed backward by pressure, he spun out and found fellow freshman Micah Gilbert in the end zone for a seven-yard score with a no-look pass.
“Throw it away. Throw it away. Throw it away. I was like, throw it away. And then, oh, great job,” Freeman said with a laugh. “We don’t draw them up like that, but those are plays that CJ Carr can make.”
Later, Carr delivered his biggest strike of the night — a deep ball to tight end Eli Raridon for 65 yards in the fourth quarter. Raridon was Carr’s fourth read on the play, but he stood poised in the pocket, made his progressions, and found his tight end alone behind the Miami secondary. That throw set up his own seven-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 24 with just over three minutes remaining.
Even though Miami answered with the winning field goal, Carr had done his part to give the Irish a chance.
Leadership Beyond His Years
The way Carr carried himself was just as impressive as Carr’s performance on the field. In the locker room, he didn’t deflect responsibility.
“Tonight wasn’t good enough, out of me specifically,” he said. “We got to be able to get better. My dad always says the only way to get rid of a loss is with a win.”
That accountability caught Freeman’s attention as much as the plays Carr made on the field. “He’s an ultra-competitor,” Freeman said. “He’s a gamer, man. He performs when the lights are on. He prepares his tail off.”
Bright Future for the Irish
For all the mistakes — three sacks taken, the interception, a brutal intentional grounding on Notre Dame’s final drive — Carr’s debut showed more promise than concern. Against a Miami team with one of the nation’s most talented defensive fronts, he kept plays alive, pushed the ball downfield when allowed to despite an unimaginative game plan, and nearly pulled off a comeback win.
“I think it’s a blessing to be where we are,” Carr reflected. “It was a great atmosphere, great opportunity. Now we just got to be able to get over the hump of winning.”
Freeman echoed the optimism. “He’s going to do great things, man. It’s just a start for him.”
The Irish have a bye week before hosting Texas A&M in their home opener. As a team, Notre Dame has a ton of work to do – especially along both offensive and defensive line. For Carr, it’s an opportunity to build on a debut that left Notre Dame fans encouraged despite the loss.
