On Saturday afternoon, No. 22 Notre Dame stormed into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and annihilated Arkansas. In their 56-13 thrashing, the Irish scored on each of their first six touchdown drives, improving to 2-2 on the season. Here’s how Notre Dame called off the Hogs in Fayetteville.
Irish make early stand and answer
Notre Dame fans eagerly awaiting the performance of Chris Ash’s defense couldn’t have been pleased with the game’s first few plays. After mobile Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green picked up a first down with a 14-yard run, he found wide receiver O’Mega Blake for a 33-yard gain into Irish territory. However, the Notre Dame defense buckled down, holding Arkansas to a 39-yard field goal on the opening drive.
Notre Dame’s offense then did what that or Arkansas could not, finding the end zone to take the lead. The drive started behind schedule, as an offensive pass interference penalty dug the Irish into a first-and-23 hole. Redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr made up that ground and more, hitting senior wide receiver Malachi Fields and junior running back Jeremiyah Love for gains of 21 and 25, respectively. Junior running back Jadarian Price eventually carried the ball down to the 1-yard line, setting up Love to muscle his way into the end zone for a goal-line touchdown.
Carr carves up Arkansas’ defense
Playing in a hostile SEC environment for the first time in career, Notre Dame’s young quarterback showed the opposite of jitters. In command of his offense from the start, CJ Carr finished the day passing for 350 yards and four touchdowns on a completion percentage of 73.3.
On Notre Dame’s second drive, Carr was at his best, completing all three of his passes to lead another touchdown drive. After tosses of 18 yards to senior tight end Eli Raridon and 22 yards to senior wideout Will Pauling, Carr found Love in the left-side flat from seven yards out. The elusive running back did the rest, instantly juking a defender after the catch and trotting to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game and a 14-3 Irish lead.
Razorbacks register their only touchdown
As the first quarter transitioned to the second, Arkansas briefly hung with the Irish by finding paydirt. The Razorbacks got there on the ground, running the football 10 times on their way down the field. Top Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. notched a big run early in the drive, covering 21 yards on a third-and-short scenario.
The Razorbacks eventually reached the goal line, where the Irish initially held strong to force a third down from the 1-yard line. Arkansas brought its jumbo package into the game, lining up 362-pound offensive lineman Shaq McRoy as the fullback behind Green. McRoy took the handoff and scored a touchdown that may have registered on the nearest seismograph. The Razorbacks were still in the game at 14-10, but their defense would soon take them out of it.
Notre Dame’s touchdown train continues
Notre Dame again leaned on its air attack to earn its third consecutive touchdown drive. Carr brought the Irish over midfield with a 25-yard heave to Raridon, later setting up shop at the 23-yard line. From there, he located a wide open Pauling in the middle of the field, and the Wisconsin transfer made the grab for his first Notre Dame touchdown.
The Irish repeated the effort on their next drive, paying off a three-and-out forced by their defense. Love’s 12-yard run and Carr’s 24-yard completion to junior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse set the drive in motion, leading the Irish into Razorbacks territory. From the Arkansas 34, Carr set up a throwback screen to Love, who raced down the left sideline before cutting inside for his third touchdown of the first half. The play, which moved the Irish into a 28-10 lead, unfolded the same way that Love’s receiving touchdown almost exactly a year ago against Louisville did.
Turnovers and touchdowns send Razorbacks packing
Arkansas would kick another field goal to remain within two possessions at 28-13, but Notre Dame made that a moot point in a hurry, scoring two more touchdowns before halftime. On the first scoring drive, Notre Dame converted a pair of third downs — one via Carr’s legs, and another in the red zone on a Greathouse catch. The Irish also mixed in a fourth-down pickup on a bootleg pass to Pauling. After all that, Love scored for a fourth time in the first half, carrying in a 3-yard touchdown.
With 35 seconds remaining in the half, Arkansas still had a chance to drive down the field and record points before the break, but wide receiver Raylen Sharpe fumbled the opportunity away on the first play of Razorback possession. Junior safety Adon Shuler stripped the football, and senior nickelback DeVonta Smith recovered it to start the Irish on the plus side of midfield. They’d need only two plays to cash in, as junior running back Jadarian Price turned a checkdown pass into a 35-yard touchdown, reversing field on the Razorbacks. At halftime, Notre Dame led by a whopping score of 42-13, driving away masses of Arkansas fans, particularly students.
The Irish would tally two more touchdowns for good measure in the second half, Price (16 yards) and sophomore running back Aneyas Williams (17 yards) each scoring on the ground.