The Irish now have two games under their belt, and some themes have emerged. What's trending up, and where are improvements needed?Notre Dame wide receiver Micah Gilbert (14) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a NCAA football game against Rice at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectIn this story:The first big challenge for Notre Dame in 2026 is getting through the month of September without a loss on the ledger. Two weeks in, so far so good on reaching that goal, as the Irish sit at 2-0 and are ranked third in the country as they await Michigan State's after-dark visit to South Bend this Saturday night. There have only been two games, and not against the toughest opponents, but there are still some things we've learned about this Irish team. The Notre Dame defense is on track to be eliteSo far, in 2026, the Notre Dame defense is what we thought it'd be. Really good. While losing Brauntae Johnson and Jason Onye to injury in the Wisconsin game is not ideal, the overall results of the defense have been. Through two games, Notre Dame is allowing an average of just 6.5 PPG to the opponent while causing a boatload of turnovers. For as stout as the Irish defense has been, it's not even a finished product yet and will continue to sharpen up and improve as this unit plays more snaps together and the rotations and personnel packages come into ultimate focus. For Chris Ash's group, the goal is simple. Keep doing what you are doing. Went to work.#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/u0w4Qo98cS— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 13, 2026The passing offense is still finding itself, and that's fineOne of the biggest questions everyone had all off-season related to the Irish passing game. CJ Carr can sling it; that was never in doubt. The question had more to do with the receivers. The Rice game was a step in the right direction towards further cementing a rotation and getting more players involved downfield and building up some group and individual confidence. It's clear that Jordan Faison is the leader of this group, but he and CJ Carr need some help. Micah Gilbert, Jaden Greathouse and Jerome Bettis Jr. all took big steps the right direction against the Owls. This progress needs to continue weekly heading into the meat of the schedule down the road. The Irish passing game doesn't look like Ohio State's, but it doesn't have to. It just needs to be good enough to keep defenses honest.The Notre Dame run game is very much a work in progressRegardless of who the running back carrying the ball is, the Notre Dame run game will get better weekly as the Irish offensive line plays more snaps together; I'm certain of that. What I have questions about is the running back rotation. I have not seen a big "spark" from Aneyas Williams yet this year, and I'm not sure what to make of it. I suspect that Ju'Juan Seider will continue to mix and match carries and backs until something naturally clicks. That hasn't happened yet, as the rushing numbers and efficiency aren't quite what anyone had hoped for through two weeks. Nolan James has shown the most wiggle of the group, and I'm interested to see if he gains more carries against the Spartans. Notre Dame doesn't need Jeremiyah Love and JD Price in the backfield to win games, but it does need more juice than it has had the first two weeks. This is something to keep an eye on. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished 3 minutes agoJOHN KENNEDYFounder and content creator of the Always Irish LLC Notre Dame Football social media, podcast, and radio show brand since 2016 covering all things Irish football daily from the fan's perspective. Previously Notre Dame Football staff writer for USA TODAY Fighting Irish Wire before joining Notre Dame On SI. Known as the “voice of the Irish fan.”