Notre Dame football has put together four straight victories after beginning the year 0-2. The team’s 36-7 victory over the NC State Wolfpack was an imperfect performance, but it was more evidence that this Fighting Irish team is extremely talented and improving fast. During that four-game winning streak, the Irish are outscoring their opponents by an average of 44 to 14.3 points. 

There are two things about this Notre Dame team that are most impressive. One, it’s improving fast and has a high ceiling as a program. Two, it is nowhere near that aforementioned ceiling. That is both unsettling and exciting, all rolled up into one bowl of possibilities and downfalls. It’ll be fascinating to watch just how good head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad becomes by the end of the season. 

During the victory over NC State on Saturday, the Irish offense had several tremendous moments and big plays. There were, however, two key inconsistencies that kept showing up during that victory. It could be the difference between this team realizing its potential or being labeled as a team whose winning window is more during the 2026 season.

It could essentially make or break this particular campaign. 

Have to finish drives 

Even though Notre Dame put up 36 points at home on Saturday, 34 of them were credited to the offense, and they really struggled to finish drives. The Irish had little success in short-yardage situations, which was a big reason the offense went just six-for-14 on third downs and one-for-three on fourth-down attempts. They weren’t finishing runs, making some poor decisions in the passing game, and didn’t have enough key answers to create easy plays. 

Despite those inconsistencies in high-leverage situations, this is a testament to the amount of talent on that Fighting Irish offense. The Notre Dame defense also put its counterpart into great field position a couple of times when forcing turnovers. The offensive unit just has to be better in the important moments of a football game. 

Did that issue hurt them against NC State? No, of course not. In a game, like next week against USC, however, those big moments are more likely to be the decider in the football game. You can’t leave points on the field when you play a team whose talent level is more in line with your own. That is the challenge to the Notre Dame offense this week of preparation. 

Short yardage woes 

These issues are interrelated, but Notre Dame has a short-yardage offense issue right now. Whether it is Jeremiyah Love or Jadarian Price, the Irish offense is struggling to convert those situations. We have even seen offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock work in some wildcat with Love in recent weeks, and that hasn’t been overly efficient. Whether it’s due to the offensive line or the overall run scheme, defenses clearly have easy keys to stopping short-yardage runs. 

This issue is one of the main differences between quarterback CJ Carr and former starter Riley Leonard. Carr is a much more consistent passer, but Leonard’s legs were a weapon in short-yardage situations. Whether it was Leonard running or holding a defender with his threat, that was a strength previously of this Notre Dame team. They will have to figure out a way to function differently. 

With how Carr has opened up the passing game, and with the duo of Love and Price in the backfield, this has the chance to be one of the better offenses in college football. To ascend to that level, the Irish will need to finish better, both in conversions and overall drives. Those keys need to be a key focus for head coach Marcus Freeman during this week of preparation for the Trojans. 

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