- Carr torched the blitz vs. Arkansas (11/14, 11.9 YPA, 2 TD).
- Freeman praised both protection calls and offensive line execution.
- QB’s ability to adjust protections has accelerated his growth.
- Boise State brings more pressure than any defense ND has faced.
Quarterbacks are judged on how they perform when defenses send extra bodies. Against Arkansas, CJ Carr passed that test with flying colors. The freshman quarterback shredded the Razorbacks’ blitz looks, completing 11 of 13 passes for 167 yards, averaging nearly 12 yards per attempt, and tossing two touchdowns. It wasn’t just about arm talent — it was about recognition, decision-making, and trust in his protection.
“Protection was so important,” Marcus Freeman said this week. “There is no great quarterback without protection. They protected him. But you got to be in the right protection. The protection is also a schematic term. We have to be in the correct protection. That’s something CJ was able to do.”
Recognizing the Pressure
What impressed Freeman most wasn’t the throws Carr made under fire — it was his ability to see it coming.
“You can see a pressure and say, ‘Okay, I want to change the protection to pick up that pressure,’” Freeman explained. “I thought he did a great job of recognizing the pressure. Our O line did a good job of protecting him and executing what protection call we had to give him time.”
For a quarterback making just his fourth career start, that’s no small feat. Adjusting protections pre-snap is one of the most advanced parts of the position. Veterans struggle with it. Carr is already doing it well enough to carve up an SEC defense.
The Line Holds Up
Recognition only matters if the offensive line delivers. And against Arkansas, they did.
Freeman has long never hidden his feelings about the importance of both lines – he’s repeatedly said he wants Notre Dame to be a line-drive program while he is in charge. “You guys give me crap for loving up those O linemen,” he joked — but the Arkansas game proved his point. The line picked up stunts, redirected blitzers, and gave Carr enough of a pocket to make the Razorbacks pay.
“When you bring pressure and we can pick it up and protect our quarterback, it gives them time to throw it,” Freeman said. “I know this from the defensive side of the ball — you’re asking your guys to cover for less time than you do if you only bring four.”
That extra half-second was all Carr needed. His quick release and willingness to attack one-on-one matchups punished Arkansas whenever they gambled.
Chess, Not Checkers
Blitzing a young quarterback is supposed to be the easiest way to rattle him. Speed up the clock, force mistakes, create turnovers. Instead, Carr flipped the script.
Against Arkansas, blitzing Notre Dame meant exposing their secondary, which had even more breakdowns before last weekend than Notre Dame’s secondary, to single coverage. Carr recognized it, trusted his protection, and made the Razorbacks pay.
That’s the kind of maturity Freeman has been emphasizing since Carr took over. “To be a second-year college football player playing in your fifth game and performing at a level he’s performing at, it’s rare,” Freeman said. “But I think CJ Carr is rare.”
Ahead of His Years
For all the talk of schemes and protections, Freeman keeps returning to the intangible side of Carr’s growth. The ability to diagnose a blitz is part preparation, part competitiveness, and part selflessness.
“He’s got great talent,” Freeman said. “But he has this unique trait that very few people have — he’s a competitive, selfless individual. It’s not about CJ Carr. It’s about whatever we got to do to win. If I gotta motivate, if I gotta put my head down and run, if I gotta throw the ball — whatever it takes to win, he has that trait.”
Against Arkansas, that meant beating the blitz with calm precision. Against Boise State, it might mean more of the same.
Either way, CJ Carr isn’t just playing quarterback. He’s already orchestrating the Irish offense.
The Boise Challenge
The challenge ramps up this week. Boise State brings as much pressure as any defense Notre Dame will face in 2025. They thrive on forcing quarterbacks into hurried throws, disguising blitzes, and creating chaos.
“It’s going to be a great challenge for us to protect our quarterback,” Freeman admitted. “That’s going to be important.”
Carr’s ability to handle pressure will be tested again. Can he continue to make the right calls? Can the line execute consistently? And can the Irish turn Boise’s aggression into explosive plays of their own? If they can, the Notre Dame defense could benefit from facing a one-dimensional opponent forced to play catchup again this weekend.
