Notre Dame is now past the half way point of the 2025 season. Their offense flashed in the opener, caught fire from Texas A&M to Arkansas and has been up and down from Boise State to their latest win 34-24 over USC. Currently, they rank No. 11 in the country in points per game (39.1), No. 21 in the country in yards per game (462.1), No. 35 in the country in rushing yards per game (191.7) and No. 32 in the country in passing yards per game (270.4). The Irish won't play another snap of football until November, but they have a lot of good football to build on. I've broken down some key areas where Notre Dame's offense is trending heading into their final bye week of the 2025 season. 

Trending Up

1. Rushing Yards Per Carry - Notre Dame's rushing attack didn't start off the way many thought, but the last few weeks have been extremely promising. As a team, the Irish averaged under 3.6 yards per carry against both Miami and Texas A&M. Since then, they've averaged at least 5.3 yards per carry in every game except their outing against NC State who held Notre Dame to 3.7 yards per carry on the afternoon. Their performance against NC State was the outlier, and Notre Dame is coming off of their best rushing performance of the season. As a team, the Irish rushed for 306 yards, averaged 7.0 yards per carry and had three rushing touchdowns against USC. This run game is starting to take off as they prepare to head into the final five games of the season.  

2. Pass Protection - This facet of the offense got off to an abysmal start this season against Miami. They allowed 11 pressures and five hits plus sacks on the quarterback. Technically, the offensive tackles looked lost, and their interior was dealing with center Ashton Craig's return from an injury sustained in 2024 and right guard Guerby Lambert's first collegiate start. Since then, the Notre Dame offensive line has performed significantly better in pass protection and kept CJ Carr's jersey clean for the most part. They've only allowed 11 pressures, two sacks and no hits on the quarterback in their last three games combined. 

3. Limiting Dropped Passes - Last season, dropped passes were a major issue for the Notre Dame pass catching corps. They finished 2024 with 26 drops in 16 games, an issue that had to get fixed heading into 2025. So far, it looks to be resolved; the Fighting Irish pass catchers have only recorded six drops through their first seven games of the season. They're on pace for 13.7 drops this season if they end up playing 16 games, cutting last season's total in half. Receivers coach Mike Brown has a sure-handed unit this season and tight end Eli Raridon hasn't dropped a pass since week one against Miami in a game where he still had 97 yards receiving. 

Trending Down

1. 3rd Down Offense - Unfortunately, keeping drives alive hasn't been something the offense has excelled at the last couple of weeks. Notre Dame had their two worst performances on third down in their last two games against NC State and USC. Against the Wolfpack, the Irish converted six of their 14 attempts on third down (42.8%). This past Saturday, the Trojans held Notre Dame to three third down conversions on 11 attempts (27.2%). They've steadily declined after their back-to-back 60% third down conversion rates against Purdue and Arkansas. This is one of the things the offense will have to correct in the bye week. 

2. CJ Carr's Completion Percentage - Carr started out the season on a tear and is currently sitting at 1,754 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and four interceptions midway through his redshirt freshman season. With that being said, his completion percentage has dipped the past couple of weeks and he hasn't looked, as much, like the accurate passer we saw in September. He completed 61.3% of his passes against Boise State and 61.5% of his passes against USC, both are season-lows for the Michigan native. It was to be expected that Carr hits a slump halfway through his first year as a starter. The bye week will be crucial to get him back on track.  

3. Offensive Turnovers - The offense has been a little careless with the football in their last two games. They've had three turnovers in the last two games including a fumble and interception against NC State and an interception in plus territory against USC. This is shades of where they were at against Arkansas and Boise State, two opponents who weren't able to force a single turnover. Winning the turnover margin is crucial, and the offense will have to do their part in ensuring the program wins this battle week over week. 

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