Oct 4, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) runs the ball against the Boise State Broncos during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

CJ Carr Struggled vs Boise State — and That’s Great News for Notre Dame

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By John Kennedy | Last updated Oct 5, 2025 7:42 PM ET

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr missed a few chances against Boise State.

In my opinion, CJ Carr has exceeded expectations in his first five games as Notre Dame's starting quarterback. Even in the games the Irish have lost, Carr had the team in position to win with a late drive, only to be undone by the then-inept but recently improved Notre Dame defense.

His arm talent is obvious and has been since his days as a recruit, but his poise and calm control of the offense are what have impressed me the most. After compiling a boatload of numbers the last few weeks, Carr had a bit of an off day against Boise State.

There were many throws that Carr could normally make in his sleep that he missed in this game. Am I concerned? Not one bit. This is a part of the normal growth arc of a first-time starting quarterback. With the Notre Dame defense holding Boise State to just seven points, it was a perfect day for Carr not to have his A-game.

LOVE THEE ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/Kr1ZtDD0vf
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 5, 2025

Notre Dame's offense will continue to get better

CJ Carr's skillset is turning the Notre Dame offense into the kind of unit Irish fans have been begging for. An offense that can beat defenses through the air and on the ground. Being multi-dimensional in this way presents so many problems for defenses; it totally changes how teams have been able to defend Notre Dame recently.

CJ Carr is going to be great for Notre Dame. There's already talk of him as a future number one draft pick. Hopefully, Carr's highlight reels will help the Irish land the next Malachi Fields from the portal, not to mention how his ascension could change the Irish's luck in traditional high school receiver recruiting.

Carr just started his fifth game for Notre Dame and had an off-day that resulted in a stat line of 15/23 for 189 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. I love it. If Notre Dame's defense continues to improve and the offense does as well, the Irish will become a truly dangerous team, two losses or not.

All Notre Dame can do from here is keep winning one game per week, let chaos happen everywhere else, looking at you, Penn State and Texas, and dare the CFP committee to keep a 10-2 Irish team out of the CFP field. After a frustrating start, Notre Dame is still very much alive!

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

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