Notre Dame Dominates Rice: Biggest Takeaways From Home Opener

Leave no doubt is the rallying cry of the 2026 Notre Dame football team, and it didn't take long for it to put that saying into practice Saturday in its home opener against Rice.

Just 14 seconds into the game, a forced fumble was recovered by Boubacar Traore and returned 24 yards to open the scoring.

That was just the beginning, as another fumble set CJ Carr up on a short field to throw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Faison. Another quick stop set up another short field, another Faison score, and the rout was on.

Notre Dame is 2-0 for just the second time in Marcus Freeman's tenure as head coach, with Michigan State coming to town next week.

Quick takeaways from Saturday's 52-0 drubbing of Rice, as this one went exactly as we thought it would.

Notre Dame vs Rice - Memories of Syracuse 2025

The Notre Dame defense picked up the home season right where it left off last season. Traore's early fumble return for the score was straight from the script of Senior Day 2025 against Syracuse, when Notre Dame scored three touchdowns before taking an offensive snap.

Safety Adon Shuler looked like a guided missile coming in to make the hit that forced the fumble, and Notre Dame was off and running.

Boubacar understood the assignment 🙂‍↕️#GoIrish☘️ | @24era24

📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/cWP4NjImtl
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 12, 2026

The Fighting Irish defense forced three fumbles before taking an offensive snap on Saturday and used them to jump out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead.

Yes, it's only Rice, but Notre Dame did to Rice what it didn't do to teams like Marshall and Northern Illinois in other recent home openers.

Over its last two home games, Notre Dame has outscored opponents 91-0 in the first half of play.

Notre Dame vs Rice - CJ Carr's Downfield Attack

Carr didn't waste any time getting going Saturday, completing his first nine attempts for 123 yards and a pair of scores - both to Faison.

Carr's first touchdown pass to Faison was for 25 yards and rivaled any of his deepest pass attempts all of Week 1 against Wisconsin.

Perhaps his most impressive throw of the day came when he completed a back shoulder to Jaden Greathouse in the first quarter for 23 yards. It was a perfectly thrown ball that is almost impossible to defend and a great sign for Notre Dame's downfield passing attack going forward.

Carr showed signs of Aaron Rodgers on his third touchdown pass of the day, a 39-yard toss to Micah Gilbert that was slightly improved after the Notre Dame quarterback was forced out of the pocket.

.@13Cjcarr x @Gilbert316Micah = 👨‍🍳🤌#GoIrish☘️

📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/RMcnaCevcV
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 12, 2026

Carr finished the day 16 of 20 passing for 253 yards (12.7 yards per attempt) and four touchdowns.

Notre Dame vs Rice - Bryce Young Emerging Star for Irish

On a day several sons of former NFL greats made an impact for Notre Dame, perhaps none was bigger than that of Bryce Young.

Young was credited with four tackles last week against Wisconsin, and was a pain in the side of the Owls on Saturday. As Young looks to take a step towards stardom, his performance against Rice was a step towards that as he recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Notre Dame vs Rice - Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa Looks Up To Speed

It doesn't feel like that long ago that tearing an ACL meant more than a year of recovery. Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is among the best at the position in college football when healthy and looked to be at full speed in his first game back from tearing his ACL last November.

KVA had a tackle for loss early in the game and was rewarded with a fumble recovery to set up another Notre Dame score in the second quarter.

Notre Dame vs Rice - An Appreciation of Luke Talich

An injury to All-American candidate Brauntae Johnson last week meant more reps to be had in the Notre Dame secondary on Saturday.

Enter Luke Talich, who Marcus Freeman said multiple times this week was already viewed as a starter, despite not going on the field first. A former preferred walk-on from Wyoming, Talich would start on a significant amount of Power Four teams nationally and took full advantage of his opportunity to officially start Saturday, recording four tackles, three of them solo on the day, and one for a loss.

Notre Dame vs Rice - Jaden Greathouse Sighting

A week after hauling in just one reception for eight yards, senior Jaden Greathouse had three receptions for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish game plan clearly had more of a plan to attack down the field and Carr's numbers reflected that.

Jordan Faison is going to be the go-to receiver for Notre Dame this season, but Greathouse is the guy who can take this position group to a level it hasn't seen in years. Saturday's showing was a nice step in the right direction for both him and Notre Dame.

Notre Dame vs Rice - QB2 is Known

A year ago at this time, Noah Grubbs was helping guide Lake Mary High School in Florida to a state championship-winning season. Now he's officially Notre Dame's QB2, as he was first off the bench to spell Carr.

Grubbs stepped in on Notre Dame's second possession of the second half and guided the Fighting Irish on a scoring drive that was capped by a 36-yard field goal off the foot of Spencer Porath to stretch the lead to 52-0.

It's not a given how long Grubbs holds the job, but its our first sign of clarity regarding the QB2 spot after that was the battle throughout fall camp.

Notre Dame vs Rice - Freeman's Bloody Tuesday Pays Off

Marcus Freeman made the executive decision this week to go with what he called a "Bloody Tuesday" at practice following the win over Wisconsin. Some would think that's not the best idea early in a long season, but Notre Dame responded well to the decision, simply overpowering Rice in every aspect of the game.

Notre Dame is fast, physical, and violent, and for large chunks of this season, the best opponent it will see is the unit opposite it in practice. Freeman knows that and having physical practices against each other, especially early on, should expedite the growth process for this championship-contending squad.

Next Up for Notre Dame

Notre Dame stays home next weekend when it plays host to Michigan State under the lights. It'll be the first meeting between the old rivals since 2017, and Michigan State's first trip to Notre Dame Stadium since beating the Irish under the lights in 2016.

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