Notre Dame football managed to come out with a 28 to 7 victory over the Boise State Broncos on Saturday at home. It was an interesting overall performance from Marcus Freeman’s squad, which included the best performance we have seen from Chris Ash and his Fighting Irish defense this season. It appears that side of the football has figured some things out. 

There still were, however, several parts of this team that need to continue showing improvements. That includes some big winners during the victory, and other “losers” that need to get better. Don’t take that word loser too harshly. There aren’t any actual losers during a win overall. 

Here are my picks for players that impressed, and others who need to improve from what we saw on Saturday in Notre Dame Stadium. 

Winners

Jordan Faison and Malachi Fields 

With quarterback CJ Carr leading this offense, the Notre Dame wide receivers have had the opportunity to make several big plays. Junior Jordan Faison has been the main beneficiary, hauling in six receptions for 83 yards on the day. While Malachi Fields’ stat line of four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown won’t blow anyone away, it felt like he was able to make a ton of plays, and even draw some penalties as well. Fields is the big boundary receiver that this team has needed desperately, and the 6-4, 222-pound pass catcher continues to make his impact felt. Former Wisconsin transfer Will Pauling also made a couple of great plays during the day. 

DC Chris Ash

Narratives aren’t created, or disproven in a week, but defensive coordinator Chris Ash is certainly starting to earn an apology from some Notre Dame fans and analysts (myself included). We saw growth last week in the second half against Arkansas, and the Irish put together their finest performance on Saturday. If this is a sign of things to come, then the defense is going to be just fine. They finally looked aggressive during this contest, which was great to see. 

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa 

At this point, the love for Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has become a weekly conversation. Outside of cornerback Leonard Moore, there is a very strong argument that KVA is the best player on defense right now. The 6-3, 230-pound defender ended the night with eight total tackles, half a tackle for loss, half of a sack, and a pass breakup. His versatility is tremendous. 

Leonard Moore and the secondary 

Getting All-American cornerback Leonard Moore back from the ankle injury was such a huge boost for this Irish secondary. Moore managed to haul in two interceptions during the contest, and the defense forced four turnovers overall. The 6-2, 195-pound cover man is among the best in college football, and he showed that against the Broncos. Notre Dame also received great performances from several other members on the back end, including Tae Johnson and Adon Shuler. That was the aggressive secondary we have all come to know and love. 

Pass protection 

For the second straight game, the offensive line played a clean overall football game. In pass protection, they were able to keep quarterback CJ Carr clean, not allowing a single sack. With all the scrutiny thrown the way of left tackle Anthonie Knapp early on, it’s been refreshing to see his growth in pass protection. This offensive line seemed to be getting better and better, and it could end up peaking at the right time down the stretch of the season. 

Losers

CJ Carr’s deep ball 

The great thing about Carr is that even when he doesn’t play his best, he still makes several big time plays and throws. This game against Boise State, however, certainly wasn’t Carr’s best. It was his deep ball that was the biggest issue. It felt like that deep ball was just a bit off all day, lacking the consistent ball placement for wide receivers to make big plays. Carr also threw late a few times, or flat out missed like the end zone shot to Will Pauling. It just wasn’t the best showing from the redshirt freshman, but that’s to be expected at times. There’s no reason to panic because of the off day. 

Enjoying a clean football game 

Call me a purist but typically when I watch football games, I like to watch football being played. During this game, Notre Dame and Boise State combined for 24 penalties for 224 yards. There were several penalties on both sides that were warranted, but others that were extremely questionable. The constant stopping of action really hurt the natural enjoyment for watching the game, which is a shame for both teams, and both fanbases involved. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish News

The Notre Dame storyline we watched during the Fighting Irish victory over Boise State that everyone needs to talk about 

The Notre Dame defense put together a nice defensive performance against Boise State. That side of the ball had one of the biggest storylines of the game.

Ryan Roberts