One of these years, perhaps Notre Dame fans will get used to the Irish responding to being pushed to the brink of doom. Year after year it has occurred and year after year ND brings its A game just when fan pessimism is at its height.

There was no question of the Irish’s A game Saturday as they demolished Arkansas 56-13, stabbing the Razorbacks’ balloon of hype for ND’s first visit to Fayetteville very quickly.

A ray of hope for the defense?

Chris Ash’s side of the ball has been taking it on the chin all year, including from us, after a terribad start to the season. Saturday, though, the Irish provided the biggest signal yet that the defense can be, if not the shutdown outfit it was in 2024, at least competent.

It’s easy to forget after watching the Razorbacks’ hilariously uninspired effort most of the way today, but they came in considered one of the top offenses in the game, led by QB Taylen Green, who just had the first 300/100 game in school history. They looked the part early on, as only dropped passes prevented them from scoring TDs throughout the first half. But as ND’s own offense (more on that later) poured it on, the Razorbacks became less and less effective. The final verdict – 13 points given up against a team that hadn’t failed to hit 30 all year.

It wasn’t just the results, though they were good. Green barely completed 50% of his passes, and after a blistering start, ND was able to limit the Arkansas running game later on. The Razorbacks’ yards per carry average, nearly 9 at one point, dropped to a still bad but at least not depressing 5 by game’s end.

More than that, though, ND appeared to be playing with some degree of confidence, even with Leonard Moore missing his second straight game. The secondary largely flew around – Tae Johnson is going to be a special player – and broke up a pass or two at the last second. The pass rush at least started getting home now and again, forcing some poor throws from Green.

Ash (or whoever is responsible for the improvement) hasn’t yet fixed everything, but Saturday was a step in the right direction.

The offensive line set the stage for an explosion

Arkansas’ defense is bad, and we knew that going in. However, that doesn’t mean the Irish didn’t do a damn nice job on the offensive side of the ball Saturday. Six possessions, six touchdowns in the first half – which brought the team to 13 TDs in the last 14 first-team possessions at one point, including nine in a row.

And the biggest reason was ND’s offensive line. Such a disaster at Miami, the group has bounced back in a big way. They made life very easy on CJ Carr, allowing him to survey the Razorback defense, and allowed Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to have another outstanding day, with five combined touchdowns.

It helps a defense an awful lot when the opponent feels like they’re going to give up TDs every time, and by bringing that fear to reality, ND buried the Razorbacks early to the point where even the ESPN broadcasters were shading them.

Jeremiyah Love made some ND history today, as the first Irish player to ever score 2 TDs both rushing and receiving in the same game. And he did it in the same half. He’s very, very special. Thanks to Mike Denbrock for dialing up the same screen-pass TD that worked so well against Louisville last season.

And speaking of the offense, CJ Carr is That Dude

We’ve been waiting most of our adult lives for Notre Dame to have A Quarterback. Not just a guy at the position, but a true difference-making kind of arm.

Riley Leonard gave us fans a taste of it last season with his dual-threat abilities. But it just feels a little bit different when it’s the guy who committed to you first, doesn’t it?

Just like with the defense, with Carr it’s less the stats – 22/30, 354 yards, 4 TD – than the feeling of how he got them. He’s just in complete control of everything at almost all times. The ball’s out on time and if it’s not right on target, it’s close. One thing I love is Carr’s trust in his wideouts to go make a play. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes you get a PI flag, or even better, Jaden Greathouse’s ridiculous catch on the sideline in the first half of today’s game.

And he’ll never be a running quarterback, but that third-and-5 scramble for a first down, complete with pump fake to keep the Razorbacks secondary in position, was a thing of beauty.

And it isn’t just ND fans who are noticing.

One week at a time

It’s not going to help Notre Dame’s strength of schedule metrics, but the road to 10-2 is forming in front of them. USC can’t stop anybody and just lost. Pittsburgh blew a 17-point lead to Louisville and lost. The only currently unbeaten team among the 8 remaining opponents is Navy.

And for the first time today, the Irish looked like a team capable of beating them all. Next week is Boise State. Let’s hope we’re all talking about a focused team in green and gold playing well after that one, too.