Thoughts After Attending Notre Dame's Cooking of Rice

The Irish aren't a finished product, but are doing exactly what they need to do, improve each week

Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa celebrates after getting a stop during a NCAA football game against Rice at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

I've attended over 100 football games in Notre Dame Stadium in my lifetime, and my blood pressure has never been lower from beginning to end in any of them than it was for Notre Dame's complete beatdown of the Rice Owls.

Sleepy September week two home game upset?

Not so fast, my friend.

Notre Dame dominated this ballgame from beginning to end the way the third-ranked team in the country should.

Notre Dame's defensive dominance and depth showed against the Owls

Rice isn't Miami, USC or even Wisconsin; that being said, shutouts move the needle regardless of who they are against. The first-string Irish defensive unit set the tone early by causing and recovering multiple fumbles, crushing any hope the Owls had of an upset from the start. This is exactly what Irish fans were hoping to see. Rice is a triple-option team that put up 64 yards rushing on the day.

That's dominant defense.

While the Irish starting defense blanked the Owls on the day, so did the backups, and that's what I find most impressive. Even the second- and third-stringers and young players held Rice in check. This is a terrific sign for the future that displays how much depth Notre Dame has defensively and how promising the future looks on this side of the ball. Terrific job across the board.

Irish win! ☘️#GoIrish☘️ | @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/0ZNskh4x79

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 12, 2026

Notre Dame's offense takes steps in the right direction, but questions remain

Offensively, Notre Dame entered this game wanting and needing to spread the ball around more in the passing game to further establish a proper rotation and to build more players' confidence. The Irish did just that. Through a very efficient four-touchdown game by CJ Carr, who went 16/20 for 253 yards, a dozen different players caught passes. Even if it's "just against Rice", this is a step in the right direction for an Irish passing game that is trying to find itself and establish reliable targets beyond just Jordan Faison.

Regarding the Notre Dame run game, there is still much to be desired. Aneyas Williams just doesn't move like a lead back. Nothing will look like Jeremiyah Love and JD Price, but I expected to see more juice from Williams than we have through two weeks. I feel like the Irish are still trying to find the right carry dispersion rates between all of the backs, and I expect that experimentation to continue next week.

Notre Dame had a great homecoming against Rice; next comes a night game against a very familiar opponent in Michigan State with a head coach very familiar with Notre Dame as a player and a coach, Pat Fitzgerald. I look for the Irish to continue to play great defense and take more steps towards becoming a dangerous and efficient offense.