Eli Rairdon hauls in a CJ Carr strike in the 4th quarter Saturday. (Photo: Joe Weiser)
First and Fitzharris
A weekly look at Notre Dame Football with Connor Fitzharris
Notre Dame continues to do what’s needed to keep its push for the College Football Playoff hopes alive: win. After a slow offensive start against NC State, they came away with another convincing victory on a golden fall afternoon in South Bend, 36–7. With the score tied 7-7, you could sense some nerves inside Notre Dame Stadium as halftime neared, but after a frantic 2 minute drill drive, placekicker Noah Burnette hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Irish a 10–7 lead. That made things slightly easier on those halftime nerves.
It had been another sluggish start for the offense, much like the opener against Miami. Notre Dame moved the ball effectively at times in the first 30 minutes, but except for their first possession, couldn’t finish drives. That changed after the break. Led by freshman quarterback CJ Carr, the Irish put up 26 points to move to 4–2 and extend their winning streak to four games.
And College Football Playoff hopes in fact, are alive and well.
Eli Raridon is making a claim to becoming a rightful heir to the storied ND tight end legacy. He had the best game of his career, catching seven passes for 109 yards, including a spectacular throw-and-catch from Carr in the 4th quarter. Wide receiver Will Pauling continued his strong play, hauling in four receptions for 105 yards and the opening drive touchdown.
The once maligned defense has really come of age since the second half of the Purdue game. They’re forcing turnovers, getting after the quarterback, and generally looking like the unit we expected back in August. The defense held the Wolfpack to just 233 total yards and didn’t allow them into Notre Dame territory until just over three minutes remained. Notre Dame picked off quarterback CJ Bailey three times, giving the defense seven interceptions in the past two games. Boubocar Traore, Kingston Viliama-Amasa, Dryak Bowen, Adon Shuler, a healthy Leonard Moore, to name a few: this defense, in the words of their head coach, is playing with clarity and therefore velocity.
So, where are the Chris Ash naysayers now?
Notre Dame continues their transformation into the team we thought they would be coming into the season, heck I’d say they have arrived at that destination.
And that brings us to this week’s game.
USC Offense Led by Maiava, Lemon, and King a True Test for the Irish
USC, the Trojans, Southern Cal, oh my!
Up this Saturday night in Notre Dame Stadium, for the Irish is their longtime rival, the 20th-ranked USC Trojans. USC has not defeated Notre Dame since November 26, 2022 — 1,052 days ago. The Trojans enter this matchup coming off an impressive 31–13 win over No. 15 Michigan.
That win was fueled by freshman walk-on running back King Miller (that’s right, I said walk-on), who rushed for 158 yards and averaged 8.8 yards per carry. The Trojan backfield was hit hard by injury last week, with Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders both sidelined for an extended stretch, but King Miller (named “King” because he was born on MLK day) made the most of his opportunity when they went down last week.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava continues to put up standout numbers, Through six games, he’s thrown for 1,852 yards, 13 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. Maiava ranks third nationally in passing yards and fourth in passer rating at 185.6. Last year against the Irish, he passed for 360 yards and three scores.
USC also features one of the nation’s most productive receivers in Makai Lemon. Last week, Lemon caught nine passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Over the last three games, he’s totaled 28 receptions for 371 yards and four scores. Expect Notre Dame’s top cornerback, Leonard Moore, to be matched up with him throughout the night.
Analysts at Fighting Irish Preview have noted in recent weeks that the Irish defense and secondary continue to show steady improvement, this week we will find out just how much improvement there has been.
Head coach Marcus Freeman expects nothing less than a pitched battle with the Trojans in town. Asked about it during his Monday press conference, Freeman didn’t hesitate: “It’s got to be a physical, bloody game.”
Two ranked historic rivals, intensity, playoff implications and the Irish is on a roll — everything looks to be coming together for a Saturday night to remember in South Bend.
