Why Notre Dame Should Be Concerned About the Showdown With Arkansas

The. Razorbacks' dangerous offense will be a tough matchup for the Irish.

Sep 20, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver O'Mega Blake (9) reacts after a first down against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Arkansas is a bad matchup for Notre Dame's defense

In case you haven't heard, Notre Dame is having some major issues defensively this year under new DC Chris Ash. The Irish went from being the No. 1 pass defense in the country the last two seasons to being one of the absolute worst.

While you could argue that right now, every team the Irish play is a bad matchup for the Irish defense, Arkansas will present an acute challenge. Let's examine some specific reasons why.

Taylen Green is one of the best quarterbacks Notre Dame will face

At 6-6 and 230 pounds, Arkansas QB Taylen Green is big, talented, and a true run/pass threat.

So far this year, he has passed for 12 touchdowns and amassed just under 1200 yards through the air. On the ground, he averages over eight yards per carry and is never afraid to tuck and run the ball with his big, durable frame.

Notre Dame's pass defense is a shell of its former self, and if Leonard Moore isn't available due to an ankle injury, the Irish may have an extra-long and frustrating day defending the Razorbacks' potent offense that features six pass catchers with over 100 yards each.

For Notre Dame to win this game, it must try to get pressure on Green and limit big chunk gains as much as possible, both things that the Irish have not done a good job of so far in 2025.

Notre Dame is on the road in the middle of the day

The Arkansas trip presents a very interesting challenge for the Irish. A SEC road game with a noon start. After the first couple of games were late-night in primetime, the Irish enjoyed some home cooking last week against Purdue with a comfortable 3:30 afternoon home kick.

Perhaps the noon start helps the Irish as the Arkansas fans will only have a couple of morning hours to enjoy beverages before kickoff, leading to a non-electric home crowd? On the potential downside, Notre Dame can't be sleepy entering this game. The Irish must be full-go and ready for this 11 am CT kick, which is the earliest of the season.

Sep 20, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and quarterback CJ Carr (13) sing the alma mater after beating the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

CJ Carr has been solid, but danger lurks

CJ Carr has played about as well as anyone could've hoped in his first three games as the Notre Dame starting QB, especially when you consider the first two opponents and the lack of help he's received from the Irish defense. That being said, first-time starting quarterback development isn't linear, and that's a potential concern.

Due to Notre Dame's defensive issues, which are numerous and devastating, Carr and the Irish offense have very little wiggle room. If Notre Dame has a few drives where it doesn't score, the Irish are in a bad spot since they can't trust the defense.

I hope CJ Carr's trajectory continues on its current path to being elite, but if he has an "off-day" or has multiple costly "rookie mistakes" that we haven't really seen yet, I don't trust the Notre Dame defense to save the day. This is an ongoing risk.

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