National rankings may have Notre Dame sitting at No. 3 after a 27-10 win over Michigan State, but the bigger conversation has been a pointed ESPN comment about CJ Carr that didn’t sit well with those who watched the game closely.
In ESPN’s latest Power Rankings recap, David Hale described Carr’s outing this way:
"CJ Carr was ordinary (234 yards, no TDs) and the ground game again was more quantity than quality, though Nolan James Jr. did rack up 121 yards rushing. Instead, it was the defense that really shined for the Irish in a 27-10 win over Michigan State.
Notre Dame held the Spartans to 167 yards -- making it the first time the Irish have held back-to-back opponents to less than 200 total yards since the first two games of the 2023 season. Notre Dame had four sacks and two interceptions, and utterly swallowed Michigan State's ground game.
If it wasn't exactly a dominant win, it was yet another reminder that the Irish can beat teams in a lot of ways, and they don't need to always rely on Carr to be exceptional to come away with an easy victory."
Notre Dame’s drop to No. 3 is easy enough to understand, especially with Texas beating Ohio State and Ole Miss beating Louisville and LSU. The pushback comes from the idea that Carr’s performance was “ordinary.”
That label doesn’t hold up if you actually watched the game. Carr completed 75-percent of his passes, opened with a perfectly placed 61-yard bomb, and later connected on a 39-yard go route that helped put Michigan State away. He also completed a pair of fourth-down attempts that set up a rushing touchdown.
The numbers only sharpen the case. Carr’s 234 yards came with a 75-percent completion rate and 9.8 yards per attempt.
If those numbers were repeated over a season, they would have ranked No. 2 and No. 1 nationally last season, respectively. His 234 passing yards were also about 14 yards more than what last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, averaged per game, and more than Mendoza threw for in any of his six games against ranked opponents last season.
Carr was also central to Notre Dame’s touchdown drives, even if he didn’t finish those series with a passing score. His big throws were what got the Irish into scoring position in the first place.
The real issue in the game wasn’t Carr’s play. It was that offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock didn’t ask him to do even more through the air. Carr was precise, decisive and in control throughout the night, while Notre Dame’s problems finishing drives had more to do with the run game and the offensive line.
So no, this wasn’t a Heisman-defining performance. But it also wasn’t ordinary. It was a strong, efficient showing from a quarterback who did plenty to drive Notre Dame’s win, even if the box score alone doesn’t tell the full story.
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