SOUTH BEND, Ind. — CJ Carr threw for four touchdowns and No. 3 Notre Dame overpowered visiting Rice early on the way to a 52-0 victory Saturday.
Carr connected on 16 of 20 passes for 253 yards before being replaced by Noah Grubbs in the third quarter.
Notre Dame outgained Rice 478-128 in total yards and handed the Owls their worst loss since a 58-0 loss to Texas in 2021.
“His decisions are impeccable,” Freeman said of Carr’s performance. “Last week (in a 41-13 victory against Wisconsin) he made the right decision 99% of the time. This week it felt like he was making the right decision and getting us in the right protections, the right checks, all those different things that he does.”
Carr said he is more comfortable and confident in his second season as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback.
“We’ve worked through some different kinks in the offense for the last 2½ years here, so I feel really confident my own ability and then also the ability of the veteran guys like Jordan (Faison) that been here and done it for a really long time,” Carr said. “It’s something we’re striving for every game, and you know you do that through preparation and execution. Thought we did that really well today.”
The Fighting Irish (2-0) needed only 14 seconds to take the lead. Safety Adon Shuler hammered Rice running back Davis Lane, forcing a fumble that Boubacar Traore turned into a 24-yard scoop-and-score.
“That’s really a game-changer because it sets the tone, and it’s really good to see that,” Freeman said.
More Top Picks Gaming
Notre Dame cashed in on two more Rice fumbles in the first half on the way to a 42-0 halftime lead. The Fighting Irish forced four turnovers that they turned into 21 points. Notre Dame also punished Rice Rice (1-1) with eight tackles for a loss.
Faison caught four passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Notre Dame receivers. Twelve receivers had catches.
Rice quarterback Jacurri Brown was 8 of 12 for 64 yards. Coach Scott Abell said early turnovers that led to a 21-0 first-quarter lead for Notre Dame were a recipe for disaster.
“It was like throwing the chum in the water, and then jumping in and then saying, ‘Hey, let me go in and start swimming with the sharks,’” Abell said. “That starts with me, but at the end of the day, you give this kind of a program momentum to start the game, then you are truly playing at their mercy. We felt like we were trying to climb out of a cavern that we were not capable of climbing out of.
“Do I think they’re 50 points better than us? Absolutely not. Do I think they’re one of the best teams in the country? Yes.”
Brown said the turnovers were critical.
“That’s solely on us,” he said. “We can control ball security. Did they make good plays? Yes, but we can be better, and I think we’re going to be better. We’re going to have an emphasis on that, for sure.”
Shuler’s impact
Shuler has been at the point of the attack for the defense. The safety made seven tackles against Wisconsin. He forced the fumble 14 seconds into this game that led to the scoop-and-score.
“He’s playing extremely physical, which is a choice,” Freeman said of Shuler. “If you guys watch football and you watch teams across the country, man, not everybody plays the way Adon Shuler plays, and it’s a choice to play with that type of velocity and violence he does. As a head coach, you appreciate that. You appreciate the way he plays and the intensity and the focus he plays with.”
Matching Rockne’s streak
Freeman matched legendary Fighting Irish coach Knute Rockne for a dominating winning streak.
The Fighting Irish have won 12 consecutive games dating to the 2025 season — all by margins of 10 points or more. It is only the second time in history that the Fighting Irish have a streak of 12 victories all by double-digits.
Rockne’s teams racked up 12 consecutive victories by double digits over the 1921-22 seasons.
The takeaway
The Notre Dame defense had a championship look to it Saturday. Rice lost only seven fumbles last season, but the Fighting Irish forced four Saturday. Notre Dame handed Rice its first shutout since a 45-0 loss to UTSA in 2021, and the Owls managed only 128 yards of total offense.
More Top Picks Best Standing Desks Under 500 Dollars