SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It took Notre Dame 14 seconds to answer the big question.Under Marcus Freeman, the Irish had developed an odd habit of flopping against Group of 6 competition at home in early September, falling to Marshall in Freeman’s home debut and then face planting against Northern Illinois two years ago before making a run to the national championship game. Rice offered no such drama or resistance as Notre Dame rolled to a 52-0 blowout, which got out of hand in a hurry.On Rice’s second play, safety Adon Shuler drilled running back Davis Lane, who crumpled to the turf as the ball came loose. Defensive end Boubacar Traore returned it for a 24-yard touchdown. CJ Carr then led touchdown drives on six of his seven possessions before being pulled for backup Noah Grubbs. Carr finished with as many touchdowns passes (four) as incompletions as Notre Dame’s passing game stretched the field in a way it couldn’t a week earlier against Wisconsin.
It only took 14 SECONDS for a fumble recovery and touchdown for the Irish! 😱
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 12, 2026Here’s what we learned as No. 3 Notre Dame (2-0) again looked like a program capable of playing deep into January. The Irish have won 12 straight games dating back to last season, all by double-digit margins.Notre Dame needed more from its wideouts. It got itJaden Greathouse was supposed to be a complement to Jordan Faison in the pass game, but that was more a theory than practical reality. After back-to-back 100-yard games against Penn State and Ohio State in the College Football Playoff two years ago, Greathouse has been basically anonymous. A hamstring injury dogged him most of last season, but that didn’t fully explain the lack of chemistry between Greathouse and Carr.In five games with the Heisman Trophy candidate at the controls, Greathouse had been targeted just nine times, good for just five catches, 79 yards and no touchdowns. In the first half against Rice, Greathouse was targeted three times, which turned into three catches for 48 yards, including a 23-yard deep shot.Was it a revelation for Greathouse? Probably not. Doing it against Rice demands grading the receiver on a curve. Yet, it’s significant for Notre Dame to get something from the senior, because Faison (four catches, 54 yards, two touchdowns) can’t carry the entire passing game down the field.The Irish also got something from the boundary receiver combination of Micah Gilbert and Jerome Bettis Jr., who totaled four catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Gilbert’s 39-yard touchdown catch closed out the scoring in the first half, putting the Irish up 42-0.
