CFB: Notre Dame Fighting Irish Week 6 Preview
By Stiofán Mac Fhilib
As Notre Dame finally made it to .500 for the first time in the 2025 season following an emphatic 56-13 victory down in SEC country at Arkansas, they can now look forward to a home matchup against last year’s G5 playoff team, Boise State.
Looking Back at Last Week
For those of us who predicted a high-scoring affair at Razorback Stadium with both potent offenses having their way with some questionable defensive play, we at least have the satisfaction of being half right. Notre Dame started as they meant to go on, scoring touchdowns on all six first-half possessions, and two of their next three in the second.
But Arkansas’ Taylen Green enjoyed a much less successful afternoon as the Irish defense celebrated its best outing of the season to date. The Razorbacks amassed 365 yards of total offense but had a pair of turnovers and also turned the ball over on downs twice. Once JacQawn McRoy ran in from a yard out to narrow the margin to 14-10 Notre Dame with just over 11 minutes of the second quarter remaining, the home side would add just three more to their total the rest of the way.
The Razorbacks entered the contest very hot in the red zone, having scored 16 TDs on 17 visits. The Irish only allowed them inside their own 20-yard line twice. Arkansas got a TD on the first occasion and turned the ball over on downs on the second. Green proved a dangerous runner, breaking loose on one 54-yard scamper, but the Irish defense wore their opponents down and had their best havoc play rate of the season so far.
But the main story of the day was the ND offense. A week earlier, Jadarian Price bagged four TDs against Purdue, while fellow RB, Jeremiyah Love, had a pair. Against Arkansas the roles were reversed. Love found the end zone four times, and Price two. Yet for all that, Irish QB CJ Carr perhaps had the most impressive outing.
In just his fourth start, he went 22 of 30 for 354 yards and 4 TDs. His QBR of 98.1 was the best in all of CFB for last week, and at 88.4 for the season, only USC’s Jayden Maiava (on 93.4) ranks ahead of him. His maturity is remarkable, and his potential is only just beginning to be tapped. It promises to be a very exciting couple of years for Notre Dame fans, and even more so should the defense continue to gel and improve.
For a home team full of anticipation for the first-ever visit of such a storied opponent, it was a deflating and disappointing afternoon for Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks. The Irish offense never gave the home crowd a chance to really get into the game, and the stands had long emptied before backup RB, Aneyas Williams, ran in the final score to make it 56-13 with just under nine minutes to play.
For Pittman, one of the genuine good guys in the sport, the defeat signalled the end of his five and a bit seasons in Fayetteville. But someone of his ability and reputation, hopefully, will not be away from the game for too long.
The Week Ahead
Boise State Broncos (Notre Dame Stadium); 3.30pm EDT; 8.30pm IST/BST
For the second consecutive week, Notre Dame will take on a new opponent for the very first time. Boise State had a remarkable 2024 campaign. They went 11-1 (7-0 in the Mountain West) in the regular season, losing only once, on the road by just three points to eventual Big Ten champions, Oregon. They clinched the MW Championship Game before falling to the Big Ten runner-up, Penn State, in the playoff quarter finals.
Without star RB Ashton Jeanty, the Broncos’ quest for a second consecutive playoff appearance got off to a rough start with a comprehensive 34-7 defeat at South Florida. Since then, they’ve moved to 3-1, averaging 49 points in their trio of victories. Should they leave South Bend with a fourth win, they would then be well and truly back in the hunt for the coveted G5 playoff spot.
With Jeanty’s departure, the Broncos have thrown the ball a bit more so far this season, though that, in part, is due to the deficit they fell behind to at USF. They are still a team that wants to run the ball and rely on play-action passing. QB Maddux Madsen is not a running threat and has struggled most when facing top FBS teams. The Irish defense will need to bring back memories for him of the Oregon and Penn State losses last year.
Dylan Riley has dangerous speed at RB, though the Boise State OL may struggle against a higher level of competition. Expect to see them try to run around rather than through the ND defensive front, with some trickery thrown in for good measure.
But if Notre Dame can stop their run game on early downs, then the challenge for Madsen and co. may become insurmountable. Especially given the number of drops by his receivers so far in 2025. The Broncos need to bring their A game to stand any chance. Even that may not suffice, but anything less will surely condemn them to defeat, and quickly.
Their defense will be aggressive and blitz regularly. DE, Jayden Virgin-Morgan, had 10 sacks, 15.5 tackles for a loss and a forced fumble last season. Keeping him away from Carr is a priority for an Irish OL that is gelling nicely with each passing week.
The TE blocking and RB blitz pickup play will be crucial for ND this week; should they be successful here, Boise has consistently given up chunk plays, and there’s no better QB than CJ Carr to punish a blitz that doesn’t get home.
In the secondary, it may be a game-time decision on whether Notre Dame transfer Jaden Mickey is out of the concussion protocol and fit to play after a huge hit against App State last week. Broncos’ HC, Spencer Danielson, said Jaden would definitely travel with the team while stressing that ultimately he would always put the player’s health and long-term well-being ahead of suiting up for any individual game.
Boise’s kick coverage units struggled at times last season, and Irish ST coach Marty Biagi will doubtless have a few ideas lined up for trying to take advantage of the right game situation. Expect to see Jadarian Price returning any kick-offs he has the opportunity to.
Game Prediction
NOTRE DAME 45-20 BOISE STATE
With the Irish improving with each game on both sides of the ball, Carr will hit enough big plays to give ND fans another relatively stress-free afternoon. The RB duo will both add to their TD totals for the year, and the defense will continue to be stout against the run, leaving Madsen with only a few big passing plays and nowhere near enough to threaten a Bronco victory.
Where to Watch
Sky Sports NFL (Channel 412 on Sky) coverage starts at 8.30pm IST/BST
NBC (in the USA)
Playoff Picture
Week 5’s big games delivered in style, with Oregon winning in overtime in a Happy Valley whiteout, and Alabama going on the road, winning by three between the hedges. Ole Miss helped their playoff chances by taking down unbeaten LSU in Oxford.
For Irish fans, though, it was a sub-optimal slate of results. USC losing at Illinois and NC State giving Virginia Tech their first FBS victory of the season were not helpful for ND at all.
Week 6 has fewer big matchups, though that is often a recipe for surprises and outright shocks elsewhere. Miami travel to Florida State, where a road win would suit Notre Dame. At this point, Navy might be the best chance the Irish have of a ranked win, so a win at home to Air Force to send them to 5-0 will be on every Notre Dame fan’s wish list. USC has a bye week, and not even they can manage to lose then!
And for connoisseurs of SEC football, the long-awaited rematch between Alabama and their nemesis, Diego Pavia’s Vanderbilt, is scheduled for Tuscaloosa. What will happen to the goalposts this season?!
STIOFÁN MAC FHILIB
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST
A VERY LONG-DISTANCE SUBWAY ALUMNUS OF NOTRE DAME, COUNTY ANTRIM-BASED STIOFÁN HAS BEEN A FAN OF THE FIGHTING IRISH SINCE 2000. FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @SMACFHILIB.