Notre Dame football's Week 1 matchup against the Miami Hurricanes was a battle of two top 10 teams looking to get their season off on the right foot. Week 1 is a great opportunity to take stock of players for the first time of the season.
All offseason Irish fans eagerly awaited the first matchup as an opportunity to see players in new roles, offseason growth from returning starts, and new faces make their debut with the team. In particular, a few players that fit right into those molds were at the center of the game for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Each of these players were either a player stepping into a new role, a player fans expected to see growth from, or a new player that was added to the team that fans expected to see star in their debut.
At the end of the day, it was not all bad for the offense, but there were definitely some things left to be desired for players, coaches, and fans alike. Here's the players in each offensive position group who had the biggest impact on Notre Dame's game.
QB CJ Carr flashed for the Notre Dame football team
I thought Carr flashed a little bit of everything in week 1 against a really solid and revamped Miami defense. He flashed his youth, forcing some short yardage throws that had no chance, including one that was intercepted.
He flashed more running ability than anyone expected, I think, finishing with 16 rushing yards and a touchdown that tied the game at 24-24 with just over 3 minutes remaining in game time. When removing sacks, Carr ended with 8 carries for 40 yards, good for a 5 yards per carry clip.
Carr also flashed his upside, especially on the two biggest offensive plays of the game for the Irish. In the second quarter, while trailing 7-0, Carr escaped pressure, drifted almost 20 yards into the backfield, then fired a no-look pass into the endzone for Micah Gilbert to tie the score at 7. Later in the 4th quarter, in desperate need of a big play, Carr again alluded pressure before finding tight end Eli Raridon alone downfield for a huge 65-yard gain. Carr would later run the ball in for the tying score.
I'm not quite ready to anoint Carr the second coming of Brady Quinn, but he did show a lot of upside, as well as some youth and areas to grow, in Week 1.
Jeremiyah Love needed more carries
Jeremiyah Love was arguably the most exciting player for Notre Dame last year, and maybe one of the most exciting and electrifying players in the entire sport.
Love was discussed as a pre-season All-American, consensus 1st round draft pick in the 2026 NFL draft, and potential Heisman Candidate. To say he had some lofty expectations from fans coming into the year would be selling it quite short.
To say fans were disappointed in his usage in Week 1 would be a massive understatement. Love finished with 10 carries for just 33 yards and added four catches for 26 yards out of the backfield. His most explosive run, which featured a highlight reel hurdle, was called back due to a holding penalty.
Love's frustrating day was largely not his fault, as offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock neglected to feature him early, calling a heavy dose of RPO (run-pass option) plays for CJ Carr. Additionally, it was not the best day for the offensive line, to say the least.
That being said, it still was not good enough for Love, who needs to improve for the Irish to reach the college football playoff.
Jadarian Price showed why people are excited about Notre Dame's RB room
Depending on who you ask, the best running back rooms in the country are either Notre Dame or Penn State. For the record, I'm team Irish.
Price finished last year with over 700 yards and seven touchdowns last year. Had it not been for his teammate Love, Price would have been the next superhuman Notre Dame running back entering the year.
I would argue Price showed exactly why on Sunday night. With the offense sputtering early and minimal workload for teammate Love, Price checked into the game in the second quarter and offered an immediate spark.
His 30-yard run down the sideline set up the first Notre Dame touchdown, and he finished that drive with six carries for 45 yards, good for a 7.5-yard average and best on the team.
It is utterly shocking then that Price did not get another carry the remainder of the game. He provided such a needed spark and showed his potential, and then literally never got another opportunity the rest of the way.
Moving forward, Denbrock needs to find ways to get Price his touches, same as Love. I know Coach Freeman and Denbrock have stated they no longer want to see the running back committee, largely because of how good Love is, but Jadarian Price has a major role on this team and will help them win games.
Malachi Fields left something to be desired
Fields was a massive transfer portal addition to the Notre Dame offense, coming over from Virginia.
Fields brought elite size, speed, and athleticism to the position, which was supposed to be a strength of the Irish heading into Week 1. Fans were already claiming that this wide receiver room was the best at Notre Dame in a long time. That said, Fields' first catch of the game resulted in an immediate fumble. Luckily, a botched snap saved Notre Dame from falling behind early, but it was a bad start to the season for Fields.
He would later make up for it with a sensational catch, flashing his true ability later in the second half that set the Irish up for a score.
All in all, Fields finished with 3 catches for 46 yards and a lost fumble. It was a pretty emblematic stat line for the offense as a whole; some real flash and some real disappointment.
Where was Jaden Greathouse?
Greathouse truly broke onto the scene last year during the College Football Playoff. He finished with 42 catches for almost 600 yards, with most of that happening during the playoff run, including spectacular plays against both Ohio State and Penn State.
With that in mind, fans were excited to see Greathouse start the year how he finished last year. Coaches and teammates talked up Greathouse all offseason. However, Greathouse seemed to have little to no role in the Notre Dame offense Week 1.
Greathouse finished with only three targets and caught none of them. 0 catches and 0 yards. Carr managed to complete passes to Jordan Faison, Eli Raridon, Malachi Fields, and Jeremiyah Love. Even Will Pauling was able to draw a pass interference on a target. Greathouse made no meaningful contribution on the game.
More concerning is that Greathouse was used primarily as a slot blocker, which is not at all the best use of his talents. Greathouse is a solid receiving threat, and he needs to be part of the offense moving forward for more Irish success.
Anthonie Knapp needs to see big improvement in Week 3
Knapp was a new face in a new place last year, sliding from interior lineman of the future to day one starting left tackle against arguably the best defensive line in the country against Texas A&M.
Knapp really showed some promise in that game, and went on to have a solid freshman season in one of the game's toughest positions,being left on an island against elite edge rushers.
Coming into this year, it is no surprise that Knapp had lofty expectations from fans and coaches alike as he was no longer a freshman, but rather a seasoned and proven commodity on the line, supposedly a strong unit for the Notre Dame offense.
Instead, the line got pushed around all night against a Miami front seven that dominated the game. Knapp in particular was egregiously bad.
Knapp finished the game with a putrid 10.5 PFF grade, by far the lowest on the team. No one really stood out on the line, but Knapp finishing at a 10.5 grade was maybe the most shocking, and disappointing development of Week 1.
Knapp has to get better, and quick, for the Irish to have any chance the rest of the way. Against Texas A&M he must be better, and the Notre Dame offensive line unit must be better as a whole, or else changes must be made.