Notre Dame Football Primer: Irish Seek Breakout Game at Arkansas

It wasn’t pretty, but Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish secured their first victory on Saturday evening against a Big Ten opponent. There is still an enormous hill to climb, but a victory on the road against an SEC opponent could spark the Irish for the rest of 2025. In a battle of former Lou Holtz–coached programs, Notre Dame will face the Arkansas Razorbacks for the first time ever on the gridiron.

Essential Game Info:

• Game Time: Saturday, September 27, at 12:00 PM ET on ABC
• Location: Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Matchup History: This will be the first all-time meeting between Notre Dame and Arkansas (Razorbacks will visit South Bend in 2028).
• Odds: Notre Dame -6.5

Details

• Conference: SEC
• Head Coach: Sam Pittman
• 2025 Record: 2–2 (0–1)
• 2024 Record: 7–6 (3–5)

Arkansas Storylines:

Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks enter this matchup with a 2–2 record. They cruised to victories over Alabama A&M and Arkansas State but lost at Ole Miss (41–35) and at Memphis (32–31). I fully expect this week’s matchup to be a high-scoring contest, with the amount of points the Fighting Irish and Razorbacks have surrendered this season.

This showdown will take place at 11:00 Central Time, which is unusual for Notre Dame Football. Fortunately, the Fighting Irish will not have to play this game in primetime, which is customary for road games. But I do expect the stadium to be loud as Arkansas Football has declared a “Stripe Out” of Razorback Stadium.

The Razorbacks’ offense is led by quarterback Taylen Green. Through four games, Green is 81 for 126 (64%) with 1,191 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and 3 sacks. He is also the leading rusher for Arkansas. On the year, Green has 44 carries for 360 yards (8.2 yards per carry) with 2 rushing scores.

Wide receiver O’Mega Blake and tight end Rohan Jones are the top receiving targets for Arkansas. Blake has 24 receptions for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Jones has 5 catches for 197 yards with 2 scores.

Notre Dame Storylines:

The Notre Dame offense continues to look elite. Last week against the Purdue Boilermakers, CJ Carr went 10 for 12 with 223 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. On the ground, Jeremiyah Love had 19 carries for 157 yards (8.3 yards per carry) with 2 rushing touchdowns, while Jadarian Price had 9 attempts for 74 yards (8.2 yards per attempt) with 4 touchdowns (1 via kickoff return).

The Fighting Irish defense struggled against mediocre Purdue. Chris Ash’s defense allowed 30 points to an inferior Boilermakers offense and looked awful in the first half. The Irish secondary struggled without Leonard Moore, and as this article is being written, it is uncertain if he will be available for Arkansas.

On the positive side, the Notre Dame defense finally tallied two sacks last Saturday and only gave up 7 points in the second half.

Most Fighting Irish fans are used to the offense struggling early in the year and peaking in the second half of the season. Perhaps 2025 can be the reverse for Notre Dame Football? The most frustrating aspect of the defense’s struggles has been how many players returned from a season ago (including injured players). With Boubacar Traore, Junior Tuihalamaka, Jordan Botelho, Jason Onye, Gabriel Rubio, Bryce Young, Josh Burnham, and others, I have no idea how this team only has a few sacks on the year.

I have faith in Marcus Freeman to make adjustments, but I do not trust defensive coordinator Chris Ash. So we will see how the season progresses and how involved Coach Freeman gets with this defense.

Head-to-Head Matchups:

Notre Dame Offense vs. Arkansas Defense:
The Fighting Irish offense is averaging 426 yards per game, while the Razorback defense is allowing 371 yards per matchup.

Mike Denbrock’s offense is not the reason Notre Dame is 1–2. I still think they have another dimension when CJ Carr is able to scramble, but that is a topic for another day.

Meanwhile, the Razorbacks’ defense has struggled in 2025, much like Notre Dame’s defensive unit this season. I give the Irish the advantage in this matchup.
Advantage: Notre Dame

Arkansas Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense:
The Arkansas offense is averaging 552 yards per contest, while the Notre Dame defense is allowing 402 yards per game.

The Razorbacks’ yards per game is alarming, but matchups against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State have skewed the numbers higher. I expect those numbers to drop significantly after SEC play.

However, Arkansas does have the advantage with a strong dual-threat quarterback facing an unusually poor Fighting Irish defense and a defensive coordinator no one has faith in. I give the Razorbacks the advantage.
Advantage: Arkansas

Special Teams:
Scott Starzyk is 2 for 4 this season for the Razorbacks, with his longest conversion at 53 yards. Conversely, Noah Burnette is 3 for 3 with his longest make at 39 yards. However, as this article was being written, Burnette’s availability is uncertain. His replacement, Erik Schmidt, went 8 for 8 last week on extra points but missed a 31-yard field goal.

There is no distinct advantage on special teams.
Advantage: Tie

My Prediction:

The Razorbacks and Fighting Irish never met in South Bend back in 2020 due to COVID-19. But they will meet for the first time ever this Saturday. Although not a primetime matchup, I expect the crowd to be loud next weekend as this is the first-ever meeting between the two schools and likely the last time Razorback fans get to see the Fighting Irish at their home stadium.

Yet, I believe this could be the breakout game for Notre Dame Football. Arkansas is coming off a loss to Memphis on the road, where they surrendered an 18-point lead. That can be devastating for a team’s confidence.

The Notre Dame offense is led by a strong quarterback and two of the best running backs in the country. While I do expect the Irish defense to give up points in this matchup, the defensive line has too much talent to not be getting more pressure on the quarterback.

Arkansas does not have that great of a record, but I believe a victory on the road could go a long way to creating momentum for the rest of the season.

I have the Irish winning in Fayetteville by a touchdown, and I cannot wait to see this game in person!
Prediction: Notre Dame 41, Arkansas 34