For Notre Dame, the month of September has rarely offered smooth starts. In 2022, the Irish dropped their opening two contests, including a stunning loss to Marshall, which placed early scrutiny on Marcus Freeman just weeks into his first full season.
The following year, Notre Dame fell 17-14 to Ohio State after allowing a last-second touchdown with only 10 defenders on the field. Last fall, Northern Illinois delivered another upset before the Irish regrouped and advanced all the way to the CFP national championship game.
This September has opened with more trouble. The No. 8 Irish enter Saturday’s home game against No. 17 Texas A&M fresh off a 27-24 defeat at No. 6 Miami.
Defensive end Boubacar Traore acknowledged the disappointment but pushed forward.
“You can only hang your hat for so long,” he said. “We’ve got another game to play. Yeah, we lost, but we’ve got another opportunity.”
Under the expanded playoff structure, one loss is manageable, but two could be devastating given a schedule that currently lacks ranked opponents.
Notre Dame’s offense must address glaring issues exposed in Miami. The Irish managed just 93 rushing yards on 28 carries after scoring at least twice on the ground in every regular-season game last year. Despite returning four starters, the offensive line struggled.
“The standard is to play higher,” Freeman said.
Freshman quarterback CJ Carr threw for 221 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, but Freeman emphasized balance.
“We have to be able to run the football. But we feel like CJ can execute the entire game plan, the entire playbook. He’s a special player.”
Defensively, the challenge is Marcell Reed, the Aggies’ dual-threat sophomore who has more than five touchdown passes without an interception and over 100 rushing yards.
His supporting cast includes transfers Mario Craver, who has 236 receiving yards, and KC Concepcion, who has 145 yards plus an 80-yard punt return score in the opener.
Wideout Jaden Greathouse summed up Notre Dame’s mindset.
“When we reach our full potential as a team, we’re the best team in the country,” he said. “There’s nobody that can stop us.”
It remains to be seen whether CJ Carr and the Irish offense can rebound, or if the ‘September curse’ will strike again against Texas A&M.