Report card: Grading Notre Dame football in 27-24 loss to Miami

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — No. 6 Notre Dame began its 2025 season 0-1 on Sunday night, falling to No. 10 Miami 27-24.

Here are Blue & Gold‘s grades for the Fighting Irish, many of whom have work to do after their loss to the Hurricanes.

Passing Offense: B-

Redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr played well, all things considered. He completed 63 percent of his passes for 7.4 yards per attempt. He also made the play of the game from Notre Dame’s perspective, scrambling 20-plus yards behind the line of scrimmage before finding fredshirt freshman wideout Micah Gilbert wide open in the end zone for his first career touchdown pass.

Carr was generally accurate, and his numbers would look better if senior tight end Eli Raridon did not drop 3 (!!!) passes. But he did throw a disastrous interception to Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., which he admitted after the game was his fault (it was a run-pass option and he should have given it to junior running back Jeremiyah Love).

Pass protection needs to improve, too. Notre Dame had the ball with just over a minute to go in the fourth quarter, needing a field goal to tie the game. The Irish could not block Bain whatsoever, and he quickly ended any comeback hopes.

Rushing Offense: C-

Nothing came easy for Notre Dame in the run game, which was the opposite of what we had expected. The Irish finished with 3.3 yards per carry, and their most efficient runner, redshirt junior Jadarian Price, took a seat for the second half because he fumbled inside the 5-yard line.

Blocking was an issue. The Irish couldn’t get any push for Love, and the one time they did — leading to one of No. 4’s signature hurdles — a holding penalty on Raridon nullified the play.

Notre Dame did find some success with quarterback draws for Carr, but it also tried a couple Riley Leonard-style QB powers, which did not work. It was an underwhelming night on the ground.

Passing Defense: D+

Miami quarterback Carson Beck was rarely, if ever, uncomfortable in the pocket throughout the first two-and-a-half quarters. 

That was issue No. 1. Issue No. 2 is the one time the Irish did pressure him in the first half — the result of a lethal spin move from redshirt sophomore defensive end Boubacar Traore — Beck lofted a prayer into double coverage that Hurricanes wideout CJ Daniels caught for a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore safety Adon Shuler must have thought Daniels had no shot at it, because instead of attacking the football, he waited for it to come to him.

That was the story of the night: Notre Dame’s pass defense was far too passive, both schematically and in its play style. The Irish covered relatively well on the outside; props to junior Christian Gray and sophomore Leonard Moore. Over the middle, though, they were vulnerable. And the pass rush only pressured Beck four times, which is unacceptable.

Rushing Defense: C-

Miami finished with 3.1 yards per carry, but if you take away the botched field goal snap that became a loss of 8, it rises to about 3.4. That number is kind of misleading, because while the Hurricanes did not create any explosive plays on the ground — their longest gain was 15 — they consistently moved the ball in 4-8-yard chunks.

Notre Dame had only 1 tackle for loss in the run game, courtesy of sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. It failed to put Miami behind the chains enough. Its interior defensive line got bullied by the Hurricanes’ blockers; if we graded that position group individually, it would be in the D range or lower.

The lack of explosives saves this grade, but the Irish can’t be satisfied with their run defense in Week 1.

Special Teams: B

North Carolina transfer kicker Noah Burnette passed his first test with a 39-yard field goal that kept Notre Dame alive in the fourth quarter. Punter James Rendell had a solid night, averaging 45.0 yards on 4 punts with a long of 55. He pinned Miami at its own 5-yard line for its first possession. Nothing good or bad happened for either side in the return game.

The lack of fireworks on special teams is preventing this grade from being higher. Notre Dame could’ve used a spark, which it got from the third phase so many times last season.

Coaching: D

Notre Dame came out flat, which falls on coaching. It failed to properly utilize and create advantageous situations for the best running back in the country, which falls on coaching. And its defense played largely uninspired football, which falls on coaching.

No individual coach or player is responsible for Notre Dame’s loss. It was a team effort, and it will take a team effort to bounce back.