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Zander reflects on his careers at Marian and Purdue, making it to the NFL and rebuilding his career now in the CFL, where he is closing in on the CFL’s single season rushing record. Horvath is doing all of that while his wife and daughter are living 2,300 miles back here in Michiana.

Our Focus on Faith interviews are presented by Vince and Pat Turner.

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Instead, Saturday night, Freeman got in the kitchen of running back Aneyas Williams for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  Monday, Freeman expressed regret for his sideline behavior.

“We talked about it this morning in our coaches’ Bible study,” a solemn Freeman told the media. “In leadership, your job is to be able to correct your players and be what they need. But as they reviewed it, I thought he probably didn’t receive the message in the way it was intended because of my animation, so I wanted to grab him and say ‘here’s why I was upset’. We spend a lot of time trying to learn from the mistakes of others, and for us to get penalized for that, I was disappointed.

“After the game, I watched the coach’s copy, and it doesn’t show the celebration, so I watched the TV copy, because I wanted to see what they got penalized for. I watched my reaction — I don’t normally watch the TV copy, but I did — and I didn’t like it. I reached out to him (Williams) and 1) I said ‘I love you’ and 2) I said more than just the team needs to learn from this play, myself included.

“I always tell our program, ‘we have to keep things in the kitchen’. It’s a reflection of when I used to work at Texas Roadhouse. The kitchen is dirty and messy, but people can’t see inside the kitchen. We’ve got to keep things in the kitchen, and coach, too. If that situation happened at practice, I have no problem with my animation and getting after him, because he trusts me. He knows that I care about him. I don’t want outsiders and people that don’t know the relationship I have with our players to see that, because then you can make your own narrative. I didn’t love that, so I apologized for it.”

Freeman and the Irish have to move on from that, as they prepare for their first true road game Saturday, visiting 1-2 Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium.

“I think they’re an ascending team and much-improved from last year,” notes Freeman. “Their offense is really good. They present some challenges that we haven’t seen this year, especially with the quarterback (Ryan Browne), the way he’s protecting the football, making good decisions. He’s finding a lot of targets.”

Indeed, Browne has completed 73 percent of his passes for 1024 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception. He threw for 250 yards and a touchdown in last year’s 56-30 Irish win at Notre Dame Stadium.

“He is being really patient in the pocket,” admires Freeman. “He’s not taking sacks. He’s making good decisions. He’s improving over time. We would be insane to say we’re going to have the same game plan as we did last year.”

The Irish may be without the services of safety Luke Talich, who is listed as questionable on the injury report with a hand injury. As safety Brauntae Johnson is already out with an injury, freshman Joey O’Brien may get the nod at safety Saturday.

Saturday’s game is slated for a 2 p.m. kickoff, only on Peacock. Hear more about the Irish and Boilermakers Monday night at 7 on “Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s Irish Football Fix.” The show airs on Pulse FM (92.1, 96.9, 103.1), as well as in podcast form on Apple and Spotify.

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Be sure to tune in Monday night at 7 p.m. on Pulse FM for the latest episode of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s Irish Football Fix.

GAME: Notre Dame 27, Michigan State 10

RECORD: Irish are now 3-0

HITS

The Irish Defense

This was a one-possession game for most of the contest, but it never felt like Notre Dame was ever in trouble. That’s because of the play of the Irish defense, which has now given up just 23 total points in three games. The rush defense ranks among the very best in the country in multiple categories.

Start of the 4th Quarter

After Notre Dame extended its lead to 20-10 late in the 3rd quarter, Michigan State started the 4th quarter at the Irish 43, looking to get it back to a one-possession deficit. Two sacks (by Loghan Thomas and Boubacar Traore) and a pass breakup by Leonard Moore later, and MSU faced a 4th and 31 and was forced to punt.

CJ Carr then hit Micah Gilbert on passes of 28 and 39 yards to lead to a TD to put ND up 27-10. Captain Adon Shuler picked off Michigan State’s next play from scrimmage, but the Irish missed a field goal to cement what would have been a nearly perfect first six minutes of the 4th quarter.

Micah Gilbert

Last week, I questioned whether Notre Dame had a true #2 wide receiver behind Jordan Faison. Micah Gilbert was one of those contenders, but I wanted to see more, and boy did he show it Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Gilbert caught eight passes for 170 yards, the most yardage for a Notre Dame receiver since 2017. Gilbert is proving to be a deep-play threat the Irish need.

Game Control

CJ Carr’s numbers were really good. The Irish quarterback was 18-of-24 for 234 yards while rushing for a touchdown. This game marked the first of his career as a starter where he didn’t throw a touchdown pass. What Carr did best was lead the Irish on significantly long drives. Notre Dame won the time of possession battle by more than 13 minutes as Carr had scoring drives of six minutes, five minutes and nearly 10 minutes.

That game control led MSU to have just 43 offensive snaps, keeping the Irish defense fresh throughout the night.

Luke Talich

With the injury to Brauntae Johnson against Wisconsin, Luke Talich made his 2nd start of the season at safety. The Wyoming native had an interception, pass breakup, sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Turnover Margin

The Irish have yet to turn the ball over through three games while taking it away from Michigan State twice.

FIXES

Run Game

If you look just at the final box score, this may not stand out, but for everyone that watched the game, the Irish run game was the most noticeable concern yet again.

It took 5 rushes for an Irish running back to just get positive yards on a play. Notre Dame didn’t get its first rush from a running back of more than 10 yards until the 3rd quarter. That marked the 29th carry of the game for ND before they reached over 100 yards. It got better in the 2nd half as Nolan James Jr. got the bulk of the work at RB.

James had 121 yards rushing and a touchdown, although his 26 carries on the night are a concern long term. Starter Aneyas Williams had just 25 yards on 9 carries with a questionable touchdown.

Don’t Celebrate Good Times, Come On.

I’m still not sure Williams ever got in for the touchdown, but it was the celebration of the TD that caused head coach Marcus Freeman to lose it on the sidelines after Williams was flagged for an excessive celebration. Freeman was so upset he actually bumped Williams while chewing him out.

Here’s the part I don’t understand. The entire offense was a part of the celebration, including captains Jordan Faison and CJ Carr. Yes, Williams was the one that scored the touchdown, but I’m not sure he should have been singled out in the way he was.

And it didn’t end there. Williams was benched for a long time at that point, which led to all the carries for Nolan James Jr.

Tight Ends

They make the Fix list for the 2nd week in a row. Last week, Cooper Flanagan at least scored a touchdown. This week, the tight ends didn’t even have a single catch. And when it comes to blocking, they actually got run into by the Irish running backs a number of times in the 1st half.

Not so Special Teams

The special teams weren’t bad, but so far in 2026 they haven’t been the difference-maker like they were in 2025. There was good and bad. Spencer Porath made his first two field goals but missed his 3rd attempt in the 4th. The Irish, who were superb at fake punts in 2025, failed to convert a first down on a fake punt attempt on Saturday.

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Using an offense that at times was very methodical, the third-ranked Irish raised their record to 3-0 with a workmanlike 27-10 win over Michigan State (now 2-1) Saturday night at the Stadium.

“it wasn’t perfect, as everybody saw,” lamented Irish coach Marcus Freeman, ” but it was a good victory and a hard-fought victory. Those are the types of victories you’re going to have to find a way to win.”

Quarterback CJ Carr was solid, completing 18 off 24 for 234 yards and rushing for a touchdown.  Receiver Micah Gilbert had a breakout night, snaring eight receptions for 170 yards, including a 61-yarder to start the night.

“I didn’t realize he hit 170 until after the game,” beamed Carr. “I said ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a good deal’. Just super happy for him because he’s a guy that puts in the work.”

The Notre Dame defense turned in a solid performance holding the Spartans to 167 yards of offense with four sacks and two interceptions.

“When we play Notre Dame defense, teams can’t gain anything,” said safety Adon Shuler, who had one of the interceptions. “We’ve got depth in all areas in all rooms.”

It looked like it might be easy for Notre Dame early. The Irish broke to a quick 3-0 lead with a 25-yard field goal from Spencer Porath. After Matt Jeffery deflected a punt, Notre Dame embarked on an 11-play, 41-yard drive that took six minutes off the clock, capped by a two-yard touchdown run from Nolan James, Jr.

After a Liam Boyd 32-yard field goal put Michigan State on the board early in the second, the Irish took another lengthy drive — 10 plays, 75 yards — capped by Aneyas Williams’ one-yard touchdown, making it 17-3.

The Spartans wasted little time answering as Alessio Milvojevic hit Rodney Bullard, Jr on a 53-yard strike. On the next play, backup quarterback Cam Fancher wiggled 15 yards for the score, and it was a 17-10 game going to halftime.

The second half was all Irish, as Notre Dame committed to the run game on a 17-play, nine minute 45-second march resulting in a Porath field goal to make it 20-10.

Then in the fourth, consecutive sacks by the Irish defense forced a Spartan punt. Carr and Gilbert hooked up for two electric passes to the MSU 3, and Carr rushed it in for the final points of the night.

James finished with the first 100-yard rushing night of his career, toting the ball 26 times for 121 yards and a touchdown.

“There were some runs early that weren’t popping,” admitted Freeman. “I thought more than anything the adjustments that we made in game as a coaching staff and the abilityfor our players to then go out on the field and execute them was tremendous.”

Garnering “The Megaphone” with this rivalry win, the Irish now head to Purdue next week to “Battle for the Shillelagh” with kickoff at Ross-Ade Stadium set for 2 p.m. on Peacock.

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Jadin is 24 years old. At Notre Dame, she was a three-time national champion in track. And last year, she became an Olympian in a winter sport.

It’s the kind of story that sounds too wild to believe—but you don’t know half of it.

Before the championships, before Notre Dame, before the Olympics, there was a little girl fighting. It was a battle that brought a grade-school Jadin to some of the darkest thoughts imaginable.

Jadin shares her story of pain, perseverance and faith.

Our Focus on Faith interviews are presented by Vince and Pat Turner.

The post Must Listen: Jadin O’Brien shares her incredible and inspirational story appeared first on Sports Michiana.

On the September 14th, 2026 edition of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s Irish Football Fix, hosts Chuck Freeby and Angelo Di Carlo look at the State of the Irish after a 2-0 start to the 2026 season.

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Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman understands his players may not be aware of the history and significance of this game, so he’ll be in teaching mode this week.

“If you’re playing for a rivalry trophy, you have to know why and the history behind it or why even play it,” notes the fifth-year Irish head coach. There’s actually a physical reward. This one has the megaphone. It’s our job to make sure they’re educated about the rivalry.”

The two teams have not played since an Irish victory in 2017, but Michigan State won its last visit to Notre Dame Stadium back in 2016. A lot has changed in the Spartans program since then, with former Northwestern boss Pat Fitzgerald assuming the helm.

“They’re physical, they’re tough, they don’t mess up…they have Pat Fitzgerald’s DNA written all over them,” states Freeman. “They’re going to be tough. They’re going to be confident. They’re going to play the game hard. We understand the challenge and we’re going to prepare that way.”

Fitzgerald also shares great admiration for the Irish. “We’re playing an outstanding opponent. They’re incredibly talented across the board. CJ (Carr) is a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback. Their defense is physical and violent at each level. First-round corner (Leonard Moore), potentially the first pick of the draft. They’ve got talent everywhere.”

“We have to play to our standard for four quarters of football, and we still have not done that yet,” continued Fitzgerald. “That will be our focus as we embark on this week. The rest of the stuff is just outside noise and can lead you to being on social media too much, and then your algorithm gets screwed up.”

Fitzgerald knows all about beating Notre Dame. He did as both a player (1995) and coach (2014) at Northwestern.

Game time at Notre Dame Stadium is just after 7:30 pm Saturday. Chuck and Ang preview the game Monday night on Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s Irish Football Fix at 7 p.m. on Pulse FM (92.1, 96.9, 103.1)

The post Unbeaten Spartans visit ND Saturday appeared first on Sports Michiana.

Be sure to tune in Monday night at 7 p.m. on Pulse FM for the latest episode of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s Irish Football Fix.

GAME: Notre Dame 52, Rice 0

RECORD: Irish are now 2-0

HITS

ADON SHULER

The Irish captain “set the tone” with his bruising hit two plays into Saturday’s home opener that resulted in a Rice fumble that Boubacar Traore scooped up and returned for a Notre Dame touchdown just 14 seconds into the game.

For a team that’s had issues in early-season games under Marcus Freeman, that was an instant statement.

And it was more than just a fast start. Notre Dame forced five Rice fumbles and recovered four of them in the game.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE

Six days after a physical game against Wisconsin, the Irish showed zero signs of a letdown against an inferior opponent.

Marshall. Northern Illinois. We’ve all seen it. This team wasn’t letting THAT happen again.

Notre Dame jumped out to a 42-0 halftime lead and never looked back.

CJ CARR

Last week, he took what the Wisconsin defense gave him, and that was short passes. Marcus Freeman described him as making the right decision 99% of the time against the Badgers.

Carr was able to take deep shots this week and showed why he’s one of college football’s top quarterbacks.

He completed 16 of 20 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns, and he did it while playing only the first half and one series of the third quarter.

PROTECTION OF CARR

CJ Carr said after the game he felt like he didn’t even play in a game because he was never touched by Rice.

He wasn’t kidding.

Carr was able to operate with plenty of time and was never sacked. In a long season where you cannot afford to lose him, keeping Carr from taking hits is a massive win for the Irish offensive line.

BACKUP QBs PLAY

Carr also didn’t feel like he played a game because he only played a little over half a game.

Noah Grubbs was solid in his first action, completing 7-of-10 passes for 73 yards. And while Teddy Jarrard had limited opportunities, he got out there in a real game and looked comfortable, completing both of his passes, including a 20-yard completion to Devin Fitzgerald.

Both will need experience in case anything were to happen to Carr this season.

KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA

KVA saw his first action of 2026 after suffering a torn ACL in the home finale last season. Marcus Freeman said KVA showed early in the game, with a big tackle for loss, that “he’s back.”

When KVA was asked if he felt that was the case, he said, “I mean, I felt like I’d been here the whole time. Yeah. Never left.”

Then he burst into a big laugh.

KVA finished with five tackles, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery in just 17 plays.

FIXES

IRISH RUN GAME

While Notre Dame protected CJ Carr and Carr was able to throw downfield, the Irish didn’t show dominance in the run game.

Aneyas Williams had just nine carries for 29 yards. Just six days earlier, he rushed 20 times against a physical Wisconsin defense. He looked sluggish against Rice.

The whole run game did. The Irish finished with just 118 rushing yards on 32 attempts, an average of 3.7 yards per carry.

WHO IS THE 2ND WIDE RECEIVER?

Jordan Faison is the clear-cut No. 1 Irish wide receiver, and he could certainly be a HIT after catching four passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns Saturday.

But the drop-off to the No. 2 wide receiver is very noticeable.

At this point, is Micah Gilbert the No. 2? He had a great touchdown catch. Is it Jaden Greathouse? He had his most productive game since January, 2025.

If Mylan Graham, with all his talent, isn’t going to torch Rice, are we sure he’s going to muster much against anyone that’s any good?

The Irish spread the wealth to a lot of different pass catchers. Twelve different Notre Dame players caught a pass Saturday.

But you know how they say, if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one?

Well, if you have that many pass catchers, is anyone truly standing out?

TIGHT ENDS

Cooper Flanagan scored a touchdown, but outside of that, the tight ends didn’t have a huge impact on the game.

That probably isn’t a major concern after a 52-0 win, but it’s something to monitor when the Irish need options.

The post Hits & Fixes for Notre Dame vs Rice appeared first on Sports Michiana.

Notre Dame wasn’t taking Rice lightly.

Adon Shuler made a devastating hit on Rice’s Davis Lane, Jr., popping the ball loose. Boubacar Traore scooped up the loose ball and ran 25 yards for the touchdown, and Notre Dame began a 52-0 rout of the Owls at sold-out Notre Dame Stadium.

“It was huge,” stated Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. “You don’t ever know how a game is going to go, but you want to come out with an attack mentality. You see Adon’s hit force that fumble, that’s a game-changer because it sets the tone.”

It’s Notre Dame’s first shutout since a blanking of Boston College in 2022.

The Irish clicked in every phase of the game, with quarterback C.J. Carr completing 16-of-20 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns, two to co-captain Jordan Faison. The highlight throw came late in the first half, a 39-yard laser to a leaping Micah Gilbert, who soared above two defensive backs to make the grab in the end zone.

“His decisions are impeccable,” beamed Freeman. “Last week, he made the right decision. This week, he made the right decision. He’s got to continue trust in taking the checkdown if the shot is not there, but if it’s there, take the shot.”

Notre Dame spread it around to 12 different receivers and played three different quarterbacks in raising its record to 2-0 on the season.

The defense was equally impressive, creating four turnovers and holding the Owls to just 128 yards total offense.

Linebacker Kyngston Villiamu-Asa returned to the lineup after last year’s knee injury and made his presence felt with five tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

“He made that play in the back field early…I don’t know what it down it was, but I just chuckled and said ‘he’s back’,” smiled Freeman.

Fellow linebacker Jaiden Ausberry also made five tackles. Bryce Young continued his sparkling start to the season with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss at defensive end

It’s only the second win in five home openers for Freeman, and his first over a FBS opponent.

Notre Dame returns to the Stadium next Saturday to face Michigan State. Kickoff will be shortly after 7:30 pm on NBC and Peacock. We’ll preview that game and break down today’s Irish win Monday night on Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s “Irish Football Fix” at 7 pm on Pulse FM (92.1, 96.9 and 103.1)

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