Notre Dame football is 0-2 after playing two ranked opponents to start the season, but redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr is off to a productive start. The 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pounder has completed 39 of 62 passes (62.9 percent) for 514 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt.
Those aren't world-beating numbers, but it's easy for a freshman to do worse against No. 10 Miami and No. 16 Texas A&M in the first two starts of his career. However, Carr did something in Saturday's 41-40 loss to the Aggies that could've given the opposing defense an edge.
The Michigan native stood with his feet parallel to the line of scrimmage pre-snap for run plays and staggered his feet for passes about 90 percent of the time, via The Athletic's Peter Sampson. This is called a "tell," and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli commented on it postgame.
“There were some tendencies,” he said. “It’s been addressed, and we’ll move forward. I don’t think it really hurt us offensively.”
The fact that Notre Dame scored 40 points suggests that the Texas A&M defense rarely benefited from Carr tipping plays. Still, the Fighting Irish must clean up all the mistakes they can to get back in the CFP picture.
Heard whispers last night CJ Carr tipped run/pass based on pre-snap.stance.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 14, 2025
Sure enough, on 58 of 64 plays where Carr receives the snap, stance tells you run or pass. Feet parallel at the snap is run. Staggered stance is a drop back pass. Every stagger was pass, save one attempt
Notre Dame's playoff chances in trouble after 0-2 start
Under the four-team CFP format, the Irish's loss to the Aggies would've been a fatal blow after their 27-24 defeat to Miami. Now that the CFP is 12 teams, though, they still have a chance.
Clemson earned the No. 12 seed in the bracket with a 10-3 record last season, while SMU, Ohio State, Tennessee, Penn State, Texas, and Georgia all made it with two-loss records. The main reason for that is the strength of schedule, as the country's top programs often face more difficult opponents than lesser teams.
As of this writing, the only ranked opponent left on No. 24 Notre Dame's slate is No. 25 USC on Oct. 18. If it defeats the Trojans along with the rest of the teams it will play, then it'll finish with a 10-2 record, with its only losses coming against ranked opponents. That resume will at least give it a fighting chance to qualify for the dance.
Still, the Irish can't get ahead of themselves. Up next is a home date with Purdue on Saturday, and they must win convincingly to get back on track.