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On September 13, the excitement for the new season was palpable as Irish fans flooded into the stadium for the season’s home opener versus Texas A&M. The crowd’s energy alone could have powered the stadium lights as the Fighting Irish took the field for the first time since last season. The students, proudly sporting The Shirt, were on their feet for the entire game, whether that meant dancing to “The Rakes of Mallow” or getting loud to force an Aggie false start. The excitement did not stop there, though. The Irish fans were back the very next week to take on Purdue, where CJ Carr’s pass to Malachi Fields had the whole stadium doing touchdown pushups within the first two minutes of the game. The Irish fans came into the season ready for a show, and CJ Carr and his offense have not disappointed.
Despite the overwhelming success with a run-oriented quarterback in their previous championship run, Notre Dame is sporting a new swagger under center this year. Marcus Freeman made it clear that a passing threat was long overdue when giving Carr the starting job amidst an intense QB preseason battle, and the payoff has been tremendous. The young leader has already etched his name in the history books, setting a single season record with an accumulated passer rating of 166.7 through three games. Even with the 0-2 start, Carr led the Irish to score the most points against Texas A&M in their 7-game history. The Michigan native particularly showed impressive composure by bouncing back against Purdue with a veteran-style poise. “What he's done, through the way he's kind of played the game and run the offense, has proven us right, that he's willing and ready to kind of take on as much as we're willing to give him,” Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock said leading up to the Arkansas game.
In this new era of an aerial offense, Freeman has made it a priority to surround Carr with a surplus of receiving talent. Through just the first three games of the season, a total of eleven different players have completed a reception. To start, the Irish return star wideout Jordan Faison who is looking to take over WR1 duties this year. They also gained transfers Malachi Fields from Virginia and Will Pauling from Wisconsin. Among these receivers, tight end Eli Raridon is looking to continue building Notre Dame’s case as Tight End University. Beyond route running, CJ Carr has the best running back duo in the nation by his side in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, both of whom are looking to improve beyond last season. CJ Carr may have stepped into one of the brightest spotlights in college football, but he certainly has the tools to excel on the big stage.
Looking forward, the Fighting Irish offense faces towering expectations. Nevertheless, they appear poised to exceed them regardless of whatever bumps they face along the way. CJ Carr has proven himself as a leader with the supporting cast to go far with a star-studded lineup of receivers and the best one-two running back in the country. Mike Denbrock has all of the tools to help the Notre Dame offense to go beyond what they did in their national championship run, so all that remains for Irish fans to do is to sit back and enjoy the ride.