Notre Dame football sits at 0–2 for the first time since 2011, but the offense isn’t the culprit. On the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt pushed back against the narrative that freshman quarterback CJ Carr is the problem.
“Can I say that I don’t think CJ Carr and the offense are the problem?” Klatt said. “The offense moved the ball. They scored 40 points.”
The Irish did exactly that in a 41–40 loss to Texas A&M. A week earlier, they put up 28 points in a road loss to Miami. Through two games, Notre Dame is averaging 32.0 points and 371.5 yards of offense — numbers that typically win football games. Instead, they’re staring at a winless start.
Carr has been at the center of the conversation. The former five-star recruit has shown flashes of poise, completing 62.5% of his passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns.
But his two interceptions — both in critical spots — have magnified Notre Dame’s shortcomings. Klatt acknowledges the mistakes but urged patience.
“Now it’s his second start,” he said. “So I think like some grace … is warranted because you see a lot of good things.”
One of those “good things” was Notre Dame finally turning its offense over to Jeremiyah Love. After being underused in the opener, the sophomore running back was featured heavily against the Aggies, touching the ball 27 times for 147 total yards and two touchdowns.
“I thought Jeremiah Love was tremendous,” Klatt said. “If you run the offense through Love, it takes some of that pressure off of CJ Carr and I think they should be fine.”
Love’s impact is hard to ignore. His blend of toughness and versatility has made him the engine of the Irish offense, averaging 3.4 yards per carry while also contributing as a receiver.
His presence helped Notre Dame convert nearly 46% of their third downs — a key reason they were able to keep pace with Texas A&M’s high-octane offense.
The offensive line also deserves credit. Despite inconsistency up front in pass protection, the unit has created just enough push to keep drives alive. Carr’s numbers against A&M — 293 yards and a touchdown — show a quarterback developing chemistry with his weapons.
Tight end Eli Raridon leads the team with 182 receiving yards, while Love is emerging as the all-purpose threat Marcus Freeman’s staff envisioned when they recruited him.
Still, turnovers remain the Achilles’ heel. Notre Dame has committed three giveaways while forcing only one turnover defensively. That margin has flipped close games into painful losses.
But Klatt’s assessment cuts through the noise: the Irish are not losing because they can’t score. They’re losing because the defense isn’t holding up its end.
With Love emerging as a stabilizer and Carr continuing to grow, Notre Dame’s offense gives them a fighting chance every week. Whether that’s enough depends on whether the defense can meet them halfway.