For the second week in a row, Notre Dame’s offense crossed midfield with ease — and for the second week in a row, it couldn’t finish.
The Irish rolled to 485 yards of offense in Saturday’s 36–7 win over NC State, but converted just five of eight red-zone trips into points. A week earlier against Boise State, the offense settled for field goals and a handful of stalled drives inside the 20. In back-to-back wins, the scoreboard looks dominant. The film says something else.
Marcus Freeman didn’t sugarcoat it. “It’s not the fourth-down plays,” he said. “It’s the plays leading up to that. You can’t put yourself behind the sticks.”
Those “plays leading up” continue to be the difference between good and great. Against the Wolfpack, Notre Dame came away empty on two first-half red-zone drives — a fourth-and-one stop at the NC State 7-yard line and an end-zone interception from CJ Carr on a fourth-and-three attempt. In the second half, a false start and holding call forced a field-goal attempt instead of a touchdown.
The Repeating Pattern
Last week at Boise State, it looked nearly identical. Notre Dame got stuffed on a fourth-and-goal from the one against the Broncos early on and went into halftime, leaving far too many points on the field instead of the scoreboard.
For Freeman, it’s a problem of execution, not design. “We can move the ball between the 20s,” he said postgame. “But when you get down there, the margin for error gets smaller. The details matter.”
The problems are deeper than just missed opportunities in the redzone, though. Notre Dame is struggling mightily on fourth down in general. The Irish are just 5 of 14 on the season, but two of those conversions have come on fake punts, meaning the offense has converted just 3 of 12 attempts on the season. Last year, third and fourth and short meant a heavy dosage of QB-power with Riley Leonard. So far this year, Notre Dame has not found a replacement for that, and their inability to convert on short yardage situations is a major cause of their failures in the redzone.
A Young Quarterback Learning Fast
CJ Carr sees it the same way. “It’s just the reps in practice and continuing to be detailed with that red-zone stuff,” he said. “I thought they played it on defense really well today, and we put ourselves in some bad situations with penalties. But we’re going to get it corrected and fixed and be back at it Monday.”
Carr’s numbers were impressive — 342 yards passing, two touchdowns, and a second 300-yard game on the season — but it came with blemishes. His fourth-down rollout to Will Pauling fell incomplete, and his first-quarter interception came on a forced throw into traffic. It’s the kind of learning curve every first-year starter faces, only magnified by the precision the Irish offense demands near the goal line.
On top of last week’s failed fourth and goal, Carr missed Pauling for what should have been an easy touchdown on another failed fourth and 8. This week, Carr threw both of his touchdown passes on essentially the same route – one to Pauling and another to KK Smith.
Tight Ends, Targets, and Timing
If there’s a bright spot, it’s the (re)emergence of Eli Raridon, who turned in seven catches for 109 yards and a series of chain-moving grabs on intermediate routes. Raridon acknowledged the frustration but also the fix. “We just keep working on it every day through practice,” he said. “Talk it over with coaches, get on the same page with the O-line. We’ll get it fixed and do better.”
Notre Dame’s best red-zone looks have come when Raridon and Pauling are involved — quick throws off play action or rub concepts that let Carr make one-read decisions. But those sequences have been too rare.
Where Notre Dame Sits Nationally
Notre Dame ranks 78th nationally in red-zone scoring percentage at 82.76%. Over the last three games, the rate is 76.47%, and in the last game, it dropped to 62.50% (the NC State 5-of-8 showing). For context, several teams — including Kansas State, Florida, and Oklahoma — are perfect at 100%, and most College Football Playoff contenders sit in the mid-90s. The Irish are converting reliably overall, but the recent trend underscores the finishing problem that’s lingered through October.
Season snapshot:
• 2025 total: 82.76% (Rank 78)
• Last 3 games: 76.47%
• Last game: 62.50%
• Home: 76.19% | Away: 100.00%
The Balance Between Urgency and Patience
Freeman’s offense is still young and still forming an identity with a first-time starter. But the clock is ticking. With some tougher matchups looming – most notably this coming weekend against USC – every empty trip inside the 20 is a wasted chance to separate early. The penalties — six for 55 yards on Saturday — are symptoms of a team pressing to make the next jump.
Freeman has made it clear the fix starts Monday, not Saturday. “We didn’t play our best game,” he said. “There’s plays and situations we have to clean up if we want to reach our full potential.”
The Irish have shown they can move the ball at will. Now comes the hard part — proving they can finish.
