Notre Dame’s Win Over Arkansas Proved QB CJ Carr Is a Star

The Irish were looking for their next great quarterback, and he apparently has arrived.

Sep 27, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) passes during the third quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Notre Dame won 56-13. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

CJ Carr was near perfect against Arkansas

Notre Dame's offense is heating up, folks. Against Arkansas, the Irish amassed 431 yards passing and 210 on the ground. On the day, CJ Carr was 22/30 for 354 yards, 4 TDs, and no INTs. Just how efficient was the Irish offense? In the first half, Notre Dame had 6 offensive drives and 6 touchdowns.

Notre Dame compiled 420 yards of total offense in the first two quarters and was able to do it via the ground and air with seeming ease. Under CJ Carr, Notre Dame has become a passing threat and a run threat offensively. This has been the missing element from recent "good" Irish teams.

Opponents can no longer load up and crash the line of scrimmage, selling out to stop the run with no fear of getting beaten downfield in the passing game. Adding this feature to the Irish repertoire also helps the already dangerous run game.

Notre Dame's offense will continue to get better week by week. Can the defense do the same?

Leaving Arkansas with the W ☘️#GoIrish☘️ | @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/tXMFu8RTGs

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 27, 2025

Carr's greatest strength can't be measured

Before CJ Carr even took a snap at QB for the Irish, everyone knew he had an elite arm that could make every throw a QB must make to be considered "great". Arm talent was never the question for Carr once he was named the starter; the question was how he would handle the moment and pressure of being a first-time starter.

Carr played against Arkansas like he was in his fourth year, not his first game as the starting QB. Nothing seems to bother him. He's a cool customer, and the team feeds off of it. After just four games, Carr has become a leader of the program. This level of poise isn't teachable, measurable, but is invaluable.

The Notre Dame offense under Carr will continue to grow and improve. The Irish have found their next great QB to build the program around. The question now is, will the defense do its part, get its act together, and support Carr and the offense in the coming months and years?

In a bit of painful "Notre Damey" irony, who would've thought that right when the Irish build a truly exciting offense around an elite QB, the defense of all things would hold the program back from reaching its goals? Not me. While the defensive side of the ball still has major questions, the Irish offense has found its biggest answer in the name CJ Carr.

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