- Freshman quarterback CJ Carr threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns in Notre Dame’s win at Arkansas.
- His 294 first-half passing yards were the third-most in program history for a half, and his four first-half touchdowns tied for second all-time.
- Through four games, Carr has totaled 1,230 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just one interception, the hottest freshman start in school history.
- Head coach Marcus Freeman called Carr a “rare competitor” who puts winning above individual stats.
Notre Dame has been searching for years for a quarterback who could add an element of explosiveness to the Irish passing game. On Saturday in Fayetteville, it looked like the Irish may have finally found one. CJ Carr lit up Arkansas for 354 yards and four touchdowns in a 56–13 rout, delivering another a performance that was not only efficient, but historic in Notre Dame’s record books. Four games into his career, it’s becoming clear that Notre Dame just might have its first star quarterback in many years guiding the offense.
A Historic First Half
Carr wasted no time in dismantling the Razorbacks. By halftime, he had already thrown for 294 yards and four scores, a stat line that put him in rare air. According to Notre Dame’s game notes, his first-half total ranked as the third-most passing yards in a half in program history and the most since Jimmy Clausen threw for 300 against Hawaii in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl on that glorious Christmas Eve.
The four first-half touchdown passes were tied for the second-most in school history, behind only Ian Book’s five against Bowling Green in 2019. To put that in perspective: last year Riley Leonard never even threw for four touchdowns in a single game – he had three two separate times and finished the year with just 21 in 15 games. CJ Carr has nine in four games already.
“It’s unbelievable,” Carr said after the game while brushing the praise towards his wide receivers. “There’s guys that will win one-on-one matchups and I thought we showed it out there today. And there are still three or four balls left on the table that we can come down with and that I can make better throws on. The talent in that receiver room is unbelievable.”
Poise Beyond His Years
Numbers aside, it was the way Carr operated the offense that stood out. With the game still in reach late in the second quarter, he orchestrated two back-breaking touchdown drives in less than three minutes. First, he found Jeremiyah Love for a three-yard score to stretch the lead to 35–13. Just seconds later, following Adon Shuler’s forced fumble, Carr dropped a perfectly-timed screen to Jadarian Price, who raced 35 yards for another touchdown.
What had been a manageable 28–13 game turned into a 42–13 blowout by halftime. Arkansas never recovered. It was a stark contrast to his performance in the middle-eight against Texas A&M when he threw a costly interception at the end of the first half when the Irish went from potentially increasing their lead to two scores with getting the ball in the second half to trailing at intermission.
“It was a step in the right direction,” Carr said of Notre Dame’s execution in the critical “middle eight” minutes that span the end of the first half and start of the second. “I thought we handled the end of that first half really well. Put two touchdowns back on the board and then the next step is like, okay, how can we come out of half and start faster than we did? The middle eight is so important and I thought we took a step in the right direction today for sure.”
Season Totals Stack Up
Through four games, Carr’s numbers are dazzling: 1,091 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, and two interceptions. His 354-yard outing was the most by a Notre Dame quarterback since Jack Coan threw for 509 yards in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. It was also the first 300-yard game for an Irish QB since Sam Hartman’s 330-yard performance against Central Michigan in 2023.
For a true freshman, it’s the type of production Notre Dame fans have long dreamed about but rarely seen. Carr’s blend of accuracy, pocket presence, and fearlessness in pushing the ball downfield has transformed an offense that at times last lacked a vertical passing attack for too long. Carr’s most important stat from Saturday, however, was his zero turnovers. It was the second week in a row that Carr didn’t turn the ball over after throwing costing interceptions in each of the first two games of the season – both Notre Dame losses. Since then, Carr has guided the Irish offense to 112 points combined the last two weeks.
Freeman: A Rare Competitor
Head coach Marcus Freeman didn’t just praise the numbers. He pointed to Carr’s mindset as the foundation of his hot start.
“There’s very few people that you come in contact with that are blessed with that just leadership competitive trait,” Freeman said. “Here’s the thing with CJ — it’s more important for us to win than it is for him to play well. That’s his mindset. He’s so competitive. I want to do whatever it takes to make sure this offense performs well and we win. That’s more important than how many yards I throw for and how many receptions and all those different things. He’s one of those rare individuals, man, that is just ultra-competitive. And I think that’s the driving force to his preparation and the way he practices.”
That competitiveness was evident in Carr’s willingness to attack downfield even after misfires. His 22 completions went to seven different receivers, led by Jordan Faison’s seven grabs for 89 yards. Carr connected with Will Pauling on a 23-yard touchdown, hit Love on a 34-yard strike, and trusted Price to finish off a short screen with game-breaking speed.
Changing the Standard
Notre Dame fans have grown accustomed to rollercoaster quarterback play in recent years. From the highs of Ian Book’s playoff run to the inconsistencies under Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne, the Irish rarely fielded a quarterback who could impose his will on an opposing defense for four quarters.
Carr may be changing that calculus. In hostile SEC territory, he looked like the best player on the field. His command of the offense kept Arkansas guessing, while his accuracy in tight windows showcased the arm talent that made him a five-star prospect.
More importantly, he’s stacking performances. Carr has now thrown multiple touchdowns in three of his four of his starts and topped the 300 yards for the first time in his career in his fourth start. With each week he’s improving and finding a rhythm with his wide receivers. He’s clearly developed a rapport with Faison and Malachai Fields. On Saturday he started looking towards the slot more with both Will Pauling and Jaden Greathouse seeing more targets. Through two weeks, Carr was going to tight end Eli Raridon like a safety blanket, but the passing game has been much more diversified the last two games.
Looking Ahead
Notre Dame is still just 2–2, and larger challenges await. But if Carr continues on this trajectory, the Irish have a foundation that can carry them through adversity and into contention. Freeman’s message after the game was clear: the key now is handling success with the same intensity as criticism.
“I still think it’s a lot harder to handle success than it is adversity,” Freeman said. “When people compliment you all the time and tell you how good you are, it allows you to maybe become complacent. And once you become complacent, you start to have habits that are below the standards you’ve set for yourself. That’s the challenge.”
For Carr, though, success looks like something he was built for. The poise, the production, and the perspective have all been there through the first month of his career. And on Saturday in Fayetteville, Notre Dame fans got another glimpse of what could be the start of something special.
