Notre Dame Falls to Miami in Loss Filled with Brutal Irony

CJ Carr will be just fine as Notre Dame's quarterback.

I couldn't think of a tougher venue and situation to make a first start as a quarterback than the "hurricane" CJ Carr walked into Sunday night. For all the pressure, all the hype, all of the competition, and drama, Carr handled himself well overall in his first start. On my list of reasons for the loss, his play is low on my radar. No, he wasn't perfect, but it's obvious to see that he can handle this role and has major upside.

Overall, Carr was 19/30 for 221 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a booted interception on a play call that was dialed up much too often. Carr also had 11 carries and a touchdown with his legs. For all of the talk and concern about Notre Dame's quarterback play, Carr was fine, and the Irish still lost, which raises new concerns.

CJ CARR.

TIE GAME#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/OVz4i35EeG
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 1, 2025

The Notre Dame Defense and Offensive Lines Underperformed

Notre Dame's defensive plan was weak and timid. The Irish were allowing Miami skill players an absurd amount of cushion when running routes, which, when combined with the lack of pressure the Irish got for the night, led to many easy completions for Carson Beck. This is not the Notre Dame defense we've come to know. This is the kind of defense played when you don't have talent. Notre Dame has talent.

While the Miami run game numbers weren't galling at only 119 yards, it's clear to see that teams with big offensive lines will pick on the middle of the Irish's defensive front in the run game. This is an ongoing concern. So too is the fact that the Irish caused no turnovers in this contest.

Notre Dame's offensive line did not do its best job of helping CJ Carr in this game. There were far too many missed assignments, whiffs, or hurries allowed. This is not how you protect your new signal caller.

Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) hurdles over Miami Hurricanes defensive back Dylan Day (23) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's concerns aren't what we thought they were

The sick irony in this loss for Notre Dame is that the questions the Irish now have were barely on the radar throughout fall camp. The big question was who would win the quarterback job and how that player would play. It turns out, CJ Carr won the job, played fine, and the areas of the program that were considered strengths didn't do their parts.

The Notre Dame defense and offensive lines, historic Irish strengths, needed to be what they've been for the Irish to win this game, and they weren't. The question now is, was this a week 1 thing or an ongoing issue?

For better or worse, we'll get the answer in two weeks from Texas A&M.