Notre Dame Has The Opportunity To Change The Narrative

I've spent a lot of time this week critiquing the Notre Dame offense and defense after their first loss in 16 games. The offense needs to exhibit more creativity and let quarterback CJ Carr loose. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has to get more creative in the red zone and get more personnel involved on a week to week basis. Head coach Marcus Freeman needs take a different approach philosophically to his offense and let the unit do what it does best. 

Defensively, they have to get back to their dominant ways from the first four games of the season. A lot of the attention was on the BYU game, but if we're being real with ourselves, these problems started against North Carolina. Find more creative ways to get after the quarterback, simplify what you ask your back seven defenders to do and let your athletes go be athletes. 

Having said all of that, everything the Irish want to accomplish is still in front of them. Both things can be true: Notre Dame has adjustments they have to make on both sides of the ball AND everything they want to achieve this season is there for the taking. Was the loss to BYU infuriating? Absolutely, and they didn't play to the standard. But we're still talking about the 4th-ranked team in the country that has the opportunity to right the ship against the No. 1 ranked team in the country on November 1. 

An 11-1 Notre Dame team still makes the playoffs and makes it comfortably. Their poor record in Top 10 games under Freeman outside of the 2024 playoff run speaks for itself, but there's still the opportunity to change that narrative. Beat Miami, handle business the rest of the regular season and make another run in the playoffs. 

Will they be able to do those things if they aren't able to make some of the adjustments we talked about throughout the week? It will be exceptionally hard. But make no mistake about it. This is still one of the most talented rosters in the country. Notre Dame still has one of the best signal callers in the country under center. They still have one of the most athletic, talented and experienced defenses in all of college football. 

We've seen this Fighting Irish team have their backs against the wall before. In those seasons, we've seen them beat a Top 5 team at home (2022) or make a run in the playoffs (2024). Nothing will be given to them, everything will have to be earned. Like we said in the preseason, the minute Notre Dame slips up, the national narrative will do a complete 180 and it has. Now, it's time to go back to work, make the proper adjustments and handle business the rest of the season. 

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