Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1547006
26 OCT. 10, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. The Jordan Faison-CJ Carr Connection Has Its Best Day Yet When the ball left his hand, Notre Dame junior quarterback CJ Carr thought he overthrew it. The read was perfect. Carr initially thought he'd be able to hit junior wide receiver Micah Gilbert against man coverage, but North Carolina came out in zone. He then progressed to two post routes from senior wide receivers Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison. The deep safety drove on Great- house, giving Carr the window he needed to lead Faison to the back of the end zone. The throw, as it turned out, was also perfect. Faison made it that way. "He's just got that speed to run under one of those," Carr said. Later, on Faison's second touchdown — this one resulting from a complete coverage bust — Carr genuinely did overthrow it. No matter. Faison's speed took over again, and he made a diving catch at the goal line for a touchdown. Faison caught 8 passes for 132 yards and 2 scores. Each of those numbers is a career high, with the touchdowns tying the mark he set in Week 2 against Rice. Fittingly, his career day came in front of Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick, who has long held a special place in his heart for former lacrosse players. The connection between Carr and Faison is im- peccable right now. 2. Carr's Awareness Showed Up On Multiple Occasions Realistically, he does that around 80 times each game at this point. But there were two instances I want to highlight here. First, he earned himself a free play by drawing North Carolina offside on fourth-and-goal. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said after the game that the Irish planned to take a delay-of- game penalty and attempt a field goal if the Tar Heels didn't jump. Carr didn't induce movement on his first attempt, but he acted like he was trying to quick-snap it on his second after looking toward the sideline. UNC jumped, and in the chaos that followed, Carr ran it in for a touchdown. Later, Carr recognized an all-out blitz from North Carolina. He did the fake-clap bit a few times, saw that the Heels' defenders started to creep down toward the line of scrimmage and checked into a sprint-out. It was the same play, or something very similar, that produced Faison's second touchdown. We've seen Carr check out of a bad play and into a better one a million times, but specific examples like this that are obvious enough to see live are worth pointing out. It's advanced quarterbacking that not everyone in college football is capable of. 3. Freeman Was Right To Go For It; Defense Let Him Down Going for it on fourth-and-3 or less at the goal line is almost always the correct decision. When Freeman made that call on what would be Notre Dame's final offensive drive of the first half, his defense was playing extremely well. The worst- case scenario there would be Heels ball with 97 yards between them and the end zone. That's an advantageous position for the team that goes for it. Freeman also pointed out that with wet weather, he was concerned the Irish would mishandle the snap (which happened later in the game). The defense, however, let him down. "That's the disappointing part," Freeman said. "I was convinced that if we don't get this, they're go- ing to start with the ball on the 3-yard line, and our defense is playing really well. They'll hold them, and that wasn't the case." Notre Dame did a great job forcing turnovers, both with Luke Talich's ball-hawking and Bouba- car Traore's quarterback-destructing. But when it wasn't forcing turnovers, it was an uncharacteristic performance for the Irish defense. 4. Tight End Run Blocking Was Exceptional Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike Denbrock raved about Cooper Flanagan and James Flanigan's work in the run game all offseason. Against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C., was the first time Irish fans really saw what they're capable of. Whether it was sealing the edge or lead-blocking on insert plays up the middle, Flanagan and Fla- nigan were fantastic. They deserve a ton of credit for Notre Dame's season-best performance on the ground. 5. The Answer At Running Back: Play The Hot Hand I get it. Jonaz Walton is the most talented run- ning back on the Irish, and he even showed out in the passing game with 2 receptions for 28 yards. But with the rain essentially nullifying the passing game, the disparity in pass blocking between Wal- ton and James or Williams became a moot point. That's not to say Walton didn't earn his heavy workload in Chapel Hill. He absolutely did. Walton was the hot hand on Saturday, and it continues the three-week trend of Notre Dame picking the back it feels is running best and sticking with him. In Week 3 against Michigan State, it was James. In Week 4 against Purdue, it was Williams. Walton will be a star at some point, perhaps even this season. But for now, the best move is to continue riding the hot hand. ✦ FIVE THOUGHTS BY JACK SOBLE Junior quarterback CJ Carr's awareness at the line of scrimmage, repeatedly checking out of unfavorable plays and into better ones, helped Notre Dame beat North Carolina 37-26. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP