It’s time to shift our perspective as fans. The players have a different mentality– they need to take the process step-by-step because they’re actually doing things. But as fans, we can look ahead and hope. And my focus has shifted from Charlotte to January 19, 2026 at the Rock. Because, for the first time in 23 years, we have a team that can legitimately compete for a championship.
The Canes played on Sunday, so we were able to watch college football all weekend. Call me a homer–and I’m a proud one–but we can compete with anybody. The Saban-era Alabama squads aren’t hiding around the corner. The reign of terror is over.
We saw all the top quarterbacks in the country. Is
Carson Beck not at least in the conversation with those guys? He’s 25-3 with five Top 10 wins.
We saw the top offensive lines, including Notre Dame. Are you trading our giants for anybody?
We saw all the defensive players. Was anybody more dominant than
Rueben Bain?
This is a real team and a real roster. Maybe we’ll flop like the last twenty years. I have no idea how it’ll play out. But we have the goods. Some position-by-position thoughts below:
- Beck managed the team to the winner’s circle. I liked how he stood in the pocket- he’s tall and sturdy and showed good wheels on that first down that got called back. He already trusts his protection and did not look skittish coming off injury. I expect him to get more comfortable and let it rip as the season moves on.
- We obviously went into a shell late in the game. The criticisms are fair. My personal sense is they just didn’t trust our passing offense yet. This is Game 1 against an elite secondary and a team that finished Top 10 in takeaways. On our end, Beck just started throwing in mid-summer and we were playing two true freshmen. I think if this game was in Week 5, we would’ve put the ball in Beck’s hands more often.
- Our offensive line is the best in America. I’d buy an argument for Utah or Penn State, but I’m taking our guys. Notre Dame only had four hurries, which was their lowest total since they played Navy in 2017. We also outran them. Ultimately, we beat Notre Dame at its own game. As first reported in the Bank, the light has come on for
Samson Okunlola. He has extremely quick feet and a former wrestler’s ability to turn and steer guys. He got major reps at LG and performed at a high level.
- People thought I was hyping up
Malachi Toney too much, but the truth is I held back. He’s been The Man since camp started. One thing that stands out is his relationship with Beck. They have elaborate handshakes, they work together off the field, and Beck has been effusive in his praise on and off camera. Those two will do huge things together this year if they stay healthy.
- When he came back from surgery in mid-spring,
CJ Daniels made a catch in the IPF that was even better than what he did against Notre Dame. He has that ability to go outside the frame and make plays. Beck mentioned in his post-game that Daniels is the first player he really connected with when he arrived. I expect that relationship to continue to develop over the season.
- During spring practice, the two most hyped players on the offense were
JoJo Trader and
Elija Lofton. We didn’t talk about them much during camp and they weren’t featured against Notre Dame. Now that the game is over, we can talk about the reason: they were banged up and missed time. Both are getting close to 100%, so the issue now is just timing up with Beck. I expect both guys to be a huge part of the offense going forward.
- Our third running back was dragging Notre Dame defenders. There's a level of depth and size in the running back room that reminds me of the top SEC teams in the 2010s. It wears on defenses over time.
Marty Brown proved that he was our biggest coup of the second portal window. I thought it would be impossible to land him given the depth in the room, and Cal and Nebraska were close. But his addition was critical for games like this one. And for those who question why I like
Mark Fletcher so much, it’s for games like this. When you play big-boy football, you need big boys. We were the more physical team and Fletcher helped set that tone early.
- Our front seven showed they were playoff caliber. Notre Dame has one of the top rushing offenses in America, and we held their backs to 77 yards.
David Blay looked the part of a playoff-level war daddy,
Ahmad Moten had multiple blow-bys on pass plays, and
Justin Scott made one of the plays of the game running out on the WR screen.
Armondo Blount played with high intensity as the #4 DT. It should only get better- we won’t face a more potent running game than Notre Dame until the playoffs.
- I didn’t see a better defensive player this weekend than Bain. He's not only a closer as a pass rusher, he's also an elite run defender. His knockback power is rare.
Akheem Mesidor has been taking his care of his body like a pro (see my interview with him
here) and his twitch has gone to another level. Outside of Greentree and maybe Utah, it's hard to imagine two tackles matching them outside. That duo obliterated Notre Dame on the edges.
- I thought Corey Heatherman’s defense looked as advertised. We lined up better, we communicated better, we tackled better and we played fast. There were still some busts, including a really bad one on the TE, but it’s going in the right direction. We need that progress to continue instead of going backwards like we saw after UF last year.
- Aside from the miscommunication,
Jakobe Thomas and
Mo Toure were a breath of fresh air on the defense. They want to hit anything moving. We lacked that edge last year.
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Jaden Greathouse had 102 yards against Penn State and 128 yards in the championship against Ohio State. He was on a milk carton on Sunday.
Keionte Scott was outstanding in the nickel, and our four outside corners took turns erasing Notre Dame’s receivers. Aside from an insane
Malachi Fields catch against good coverage, their WRs did nothing.
- As Pete says, it sounds a wee bit different coming off
Carter Davis’s boot. He showed to campus with an explosive right leg and developed quickly as a field-goal kicker. I’ve seen him make it during team drills from 55+ yards away and he can probably break 60. Our coverage units were swarming with young talent, and I'm more comfortable with our returners (
Keelan Marion on kickoff, Toney on punts) than at any point since Mario got here. Need to clean up the snap operation, but other than that it was a good day on special teams.
- Everything around the game felt right. The stadium was packed, the stars were out, the whole country was watching on TV and the game delivered. The UM brand is in top shape. It could not have gone better from an optics standpoint.
- I have a lot of respect for Notre Dame. They have great coaching and the players care about the right things.
CJ Carr might’ve been the most impressive young quarterback I saw all weekend. He looked quick moving around and his no-look TD was unbelievable. He really kept them in the game despite subpar performances from
Jeremiyah Love, the offensive line and the wide receivers.
- Bottom line, this was a statement to the nation. Notre Dame had a Top 5 offense
and a Top 5 defense last year, and they brought back 11 starters. Miami was clearly the better and more physical team. We haven’t accomplished what we wanted in the first three years of Cristobal, but we are positioned right where we need to be. Now it’s time to put together a complete season.
