Notre Dame Fighting Irish News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back CharMar Brown (6) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

3 Quick Fixes For Notre Dame From the Miami Loss Going Into Texas A&M

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By John Kennedy | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 5:33 AM ET

Notre Dame did not get the result it was looking for in the season opener against Miami as the Irish dropped to 0-1 after a 27-24 excruciating loss at the hands of the Hurricanes.

The bad news is that Notre Dame lost its first game to a despised rival. The good news, if there is any, is that the Irish had a two-week window to make improvements before the Aggies visit South Bend in what is now a must-win ballgame.

Now that the dust is beginning to settle from the Miami mishap and the emotions have calmed a bit, let's take a look at a few quick fixes that may help put Notre Dame in a better position to collect its first win against the Aggies.

Notre Dame needs to use Jeremiyah Love and JD Price much more

I don't think Notre Dame entered the game against Miami planning for CJ Carr to have more carries than Jeremiyah Love, but that's what ended up happening, and it hurt the Irish. Combined, Love and Price had just 16 carries between them. This just isn't enough.

I realize that many of the sideways short passes that folks are frustrated with were RPO decisions made by Carr, but this entire plan needs to be rethought. There needs to be more plays where the plan is to get the ball into Love and Price's hands. Period.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Move the pocket for CJ Carr

Notre Dame's offensive line was a disappointment against Miami. The Hurricanes won this battle up front more than they lost it in terms of both the run and pass game.

The Irish like to fancy themselves as " O Line U", but they didn't play like it Sunday night. Miami was more physical, and that is a major red flag.

There are no easy solutions to an offensive line that cannot hold up. The equation becomes even more complicated when said line is trying to help a first-time starting QB acclimate to the speed of the college game.

If the offensive line cannot protect Carr on traditional drop-backs, perhaps Notre Dame should consider getting him on the move to evade pressure and let him find someone to throw to on a rollout or keep the ball himself.

This is admittedly not an ideal plan, but neither is CJ getting rocked in the pocket due to inadequate protection.

Despite the loss, Notre Dame's freshman QB CJ Carr made a name for himself on the big stage pic.twitter.com/dpmEjSU6f3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 1, 2025

Notre Dame must rethink defensive substitutions

Notre Dame learned some tough lessons against Miami. One of the key areas that needs improvement is the defensive strategy, specifically in terms of who plays what downs and in what situations.

For all of the effort Donovan Hinish gives, he is not physically able to hold up on early downs inside. Miami targeted him with success repeatedly. This cannot be a problem all year; adjustments are needed.

On the next two levels of the defense, we learned that KVA needs to play more snaps at backer and Karson Hobbs less in the secondary based on the situation. In the simplest of terms, play the guys that make more plays. Regardless of captain designation or anything else.

For more Irish news & notes, follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube, Patreon and on your preferred audio podcast provider

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: