CJ Carr tosses first Notre Dame TD of 2025 season after wild scramble, no-look pass
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CJ Carr made his first career touchdown pass for Notre Dame a special one.
With the sixth-ranked Irish trailing No. 10 Miami by a score deep into the second quarter, Carr faced a third-and-goal from the Miami 6. You would have thought Carr was on the sticks of a Madden game because seconds after the ball was snapped, he was standing on the 25 with his back to the endzone.
And he still managed to score on the play.
Carr managed to evade the Miami defensive lineman long enough to spin back toward the left sideline with some grass in front of him to reset and find a man downfield. From the 20, he lobbed a ball to a wide-open Micah Gilbert for 6 points.
The camera angle from the opposite endzone also adds another layer to the throw.
Carr did it without looking at his intended receiver.
Watch the way Miami’s No. 8 starts to move in the opposite direction as Carr is releasing the pass. That’s Miami defensive back Jakobe Thomas and he’s reading Carr’s eyes the entire time. Carr took him completely out of the play with the misdirect and made sure Gilbert was left alone.
A 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman, Carr made his first career start for the Irish on Sunday. He played in just 1 game last season after signing with the program as a hyped 4-star recruit. Carr then had to battle Kenny Minchey and the since-departed Steve Angeli for the job all offseason, but he won the starting spot in camp and you’d have to think plays like the one above were part of the calculus.
Carr ended the first half on Sunday with 54 yards and a score on 8-of-12 passing. He also had 4 rushing yards.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
