A Home Opener That Left No Doubt: Notre Dame Shuts Out Rice 52–0

There are home openers that feel ceremonial, and there are home openers that become a statement. Notre Dame’s first game of the season inside Notre Dame Stadium was decided almost as soon as it began.

Fourteen seconds after kickoff, safety Adon Shuler forced a fumble and Boubacar Traore returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. The crowd had barely settled into its seats, and the Irish were already on their way to a 52–0 victory over Rice.

A start that set the tone

That first defensive play captured the afternoon. Notre Dame played fast, physical football and made Rice pay for every mistake. The Irish built a 21–0 lead in the first quarter, led 42–0 at halftime and turned four Rice turnovers into 21 points.

Shuler supplied the spark, but the pressure came from everywhere. Notre Dame finished with eight tackles for loss and held the Owls to 128 total yards. Rice never found the end zone, giving the Irish their first shutout of the season and their most complete defensive performance through two games.

CJ Carr spreads the ball around

CJ Carr did not need a full afternoon to put together an impressive line. He completed 16 of 20 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns before giving way to Noah Grubbs in the third quarter.

Jordan Faison led the receivers with four catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Carr also connected with Malachi Fields and Micah Gilbert for scores, while 12 Notre Dame players caught at least one pass.

That balance may be the most encouraging part of the offensive performance. Notre Dame did not have to lean on one player or one kind of play. The Irish created short fields, hit explosive passes and gave younger players meaningful work without losing control of the game.

The kind of win a contender should have

Rice was overmatched, and tougher Saturdays are coming. Still, good teams are supposed to handle these games cleanly. Notre Dame did exactly that.

The Irish improved to 2–0 and extended their winning streak to 12 games, with every victory coming by at least 10 points. According to the Associated Press, the only other Notre Dame team to win 12 consecutive games by double digits played under Knute Rockne across the 1921 and 1922 seasons.

That is a remarkable piece of history, but the present matters more. Two weeks into the season, Marcus Freeman’s team has shown that it can win through patience, as it did after halftime against Wisconsin, and through immediate force, as it did against Rice.

Next comes Michigan State. The challenge will be greater, but Notre Dame will enter it with momentum, depth and the confidence that comes from doing exactly what a championship-minded team should do in its home opener.

Go Irish.

Sources and highlights

• Associated Press recap via NBC Sports
• NBC Sports game highlights
• Rice–Notre Dame game center