Why was Notre Dame’s rout of Rice important? No new September horrors, key boxes checked

Economy World


SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It took Notre Dame 14 seconds to answer the big question.

Under Marcus Freeman, the Irish had developed an odd habit of flopping against Group of 6 competition at home in early September, falling to Marshall in Freeman’s home debut and then face planting against Northern Illinois two years ago before making a run to the national championship game. Rice offered no such drama or resistance as Notre Dame rolled to a 52-0 blowout, which got out of hand in a hurry.

On Rice’s second play, safety Adon Shuler drilled running back Davis Lane, who crumpled to the turf as the ball came loose. Defensive end Boubacar Traore returned it for a 24-yard touchdown. CJ Carr then led touchdown drives on six of his seven possessions before being pulled for backup Noah Grubbs. Carr finished with as many touchdowns passes (four) as incompletions as Notre Dame’s passing game stretched the field in a way it couldn’t a week earlier against Wisconsin.

Here’s what we learned as No. 3 Notre Dame (2-0) again looked like a program capable of playing deep into January. The Irish have won 12 straight games dating back to last season, all by double-digit margins.

Notre Dame needed more from its wideouts. It got it

Jaden Greathouse was supposed to be a complement to Jordan Faison in the pass game, but that was more a theory than practical reality. After back-to-back 100-yard games against Penn State and Ohio State in the College Football Playoff two years ago, Greathouse has been basically anonymous. A hamstring injury dogged him most of last season, but that didn’t fully explain the lack of chemistry between Greathouse and Carr.

In five games with the Heisman Trophy candidate at the controls, Greathouse had been targeted just nine times, good for just five catches, 79 yards and no touchdowns. In the first half against Rice, Greathouse was targeted three times, which turned into three catches for 48 yards, including a 23-yard deep shot.

Was it a revelation for Greathouse? Probably not. Doing it against Rice demands grading the receiver on a curve. Yet, it’s significant for Notre Dame to get something from the senior, because Faison (four catches, 54 yards, two touchdowns) can’t carry the entire passing game down the field.

The Irish also got something from the boundary receiver combination of Micah Gilbert and Jerome Bettis Jr., who totaled four catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Gilbert’s 39-yard touchdown catch closed out the scoring in the first half, putting the Irish up 42-0.

Notre Dame doesn’t have an A+ room of wide receivers, and there was never really an expectation the Irish would. But a week after the Irish were put under the microscope for not having enough talent on the outside, the home opener suggested there’s more to see from Carr’s targets.

Did the Irish defense get better?

It’s a frightening thought with an unavoidable answer.

After sitting out the season opener for precautionary reasons because of last November’s ACL tear, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa returned to the linebacker rotation against Rice and took a defense that was already elite and made it feel untouchable. It took Viliamu-Asa three snaps before he notched his first TFL, shooting straight through the Owls line to drop receiver Ben Grice for a 7-yard loss.

Rice didn’t run a play in Notre Dame territory until the fourth quarter.

The box score was a horror show for the Owls’ option offense, which finished with 128 total yards as quarterback Jacurri Brown completed 8 of 12 passes for 64 yards and led his team with 32 rushing yards. Rice fumbled on three of its first seven plays. Notre Dame recovered two of them.

It’s hard to know how much of a difference Viliamu-Asa made in how dominant Notre Dame played on defense, but it’s easy to forecast his impact when the Irish head to BYU in October and host Miami in November. In those matchups, an inside linebacker with surefire NFL ability could be what makes the difference. The junior gives Notre Dame a different level of explosive ability at a position that’s already talented.

Notre Dame did play without safety Brauntae Johnson (left foot) and defensive tackle Jason Onye (left ankle) against Rice after they suffered injuries against Wisconsin. Onye might be back this month, while Johnson’s recovery timeline could take longer. That means Notre Dame might not field its best 11 on defense until October at the earliest.

Whenever that happens, Notre Dame’s defense might find another level.

Notre Dame’s young depth gets a shot

This is how games against overmatched competition are supposed to look, basically requiring a full roster to track all the players making their competitive debuts.

Quarterback Noah Grubbs got his first action backing up CJ Carr. Running back Jonaz Walton got his first carries. Receiver Elijah Burress made three catches for 33 yards after taking a DNP against Wisconsin. Defensive end Rodney Dunham got extensive work, along with safety Joey O’Brien, a couple of five-star prospects pushing for roles as freshmen.

While none of these players will be critical to taking Notre Dame’s season the distance, they might be important in keeping tread on the tires of the Irish starters. Notre Dame figures to be a heavy favorite during the next four games before that Oct. 17 date at BYU — and it might still be a touchdown favorite in Provo. Point being, these young reserves should get plenty of opportunity to make their case for time, maybe not within this season, but instead looking forward to when the staff decides to hit the portal this winter or stick with the talent on hand.

That’s the more critical part of these blowouts for Notre Dame, not the “leave no doubt” mantra or scoring style points. It’s a way to self-scout the roster to know what it’s got (or needs) down the road.

The evaluation of Grubbs will be critical — same story with freshman Teddy Jarrard — because Notre Dame going back to the portal at quarterback next winter if Carr departs will be a multi-million-dollar decision. Grubbs went 7 of 11 for 78 yards against Rice and didn’t put the ball in harm’s way. Jarrard took over midway through the fourth quarter but was basically charged with running out the clock. He completed 2 of 2 passes for 29 yards.