Notre Dame enters a must-win situation when it takes on Arkansas in the second road game of the season. The Irish need this road win to begin the process of salvaging the season and getting back to playing the brand of football this team is capable of playing.
If Notre Dame is going to make that happen they'll need to perform at a high level in several key areas as a team, and then as units on offense, defense and special teams. Part one of the keys to victory break down will look at the big picture keys to success for the Irish.
1. Be The More Physical Team - Notre Dame hasn't played the kind of physical football we saw last season, the kind of physical football this team is capable of and the kind of physical football you expect from a top team. A case could be made that Notre Dame has been the less physical team in two of its three games so far, and that was especially true in the opener against Miami.
Arkansas is a massive football team, especially in the trenches. The Arkansas defensive line is actually bigger on average than Notre Dame's offensive line, and the Irish defensive line faces a major disadvantage in size. Arkansas wants to bully opponents, and that is obviously something Notre Dame cannot allow. The Irish need to be the more physical team in the trenches and on the perimeter.
I expect Arkansas to take some big swings early on both sides of the ball, and if the Irish can be the more physical team early in the game, weather that early storm and punch back they should be in a good spot. Notre Dame has the athleticism advantage, and if they can be the more physical team and make this game about who has the better talent, and who has the better athletes, the Irish will be tough to beat.
2. Be The Aggressor - Being the more physical team also means being the more aggressive team. Being physical is about how the players perform, while being more aggressive is more about coaching. The game plans on both sides of the ball need to be build around attacking the Razorbacks. Notre Dame needs to be the aggressors in this game, and the game plans on both sides need to focus on playing fast, take the fight to Arkansas and being the team that dictates the face of the game.
Notre Dame needs to get the Arkansas defense on its heels, and on the other side of the ball the Irish need to use their speed and athleticism to swarm to the ball, disrupt the quarterback and put Arkansas behind the sticks.
Feeling out the opponent, playing read and react football will make it much, much harder for the players to play to their full potential. If the game plans are about playing fast and being aggressive the talent and athleticism advantage I discussed above should be evident throughout the game.
3. Win The Turnover Battle - This is always an important when playing on the road and its especially important in this matchup. Notre Dame was one of the nation's best turnover margin teams in 2024, but that has been a struggle in 2025. Turnovers have come at crucial moments for the offense, and the Irish defense has struggled to force turnovers. Both have to see different outcomes against Arkansas.
Of course, performing well in this area will be made easier by the defense living up to key number two. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash has been way too scheme heavy, and that has caused the defensive players to think way too much, they don't play with any aggressiveness and they aren't nearly as sound as we saw in previous seasons. That often has the players out of position to be as disruptive as it needs to be in order to force more turnovers.
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