SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Freshman quarterback CJ Carr has been selected as the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week for his performance vs. Arkansas. The Shaun Alexander Award honors the top freshman player in college football.
Carr put on a show as he led the Irish to a 56-13 victory over Arkansas. Carr, who played just the first three quarters due to the lead, completed 22 passes for 354 yards and four touchdowns as he quarterbacked the Irish offense to 641 total yards on the day. Carr was also named a Manning Award Star of the Week and to the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 for his performance.
Carr’s 354 passing yards on the day were the most by an Irish quarterback since 2022. Carr passed for 294 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. The 294 passing yards in the first half for QB CJ Carr were the third-most in program history for the first half, and the most since 2008. His four first half passing touchdowns are tied for the second-most in Notre Dame history, just behind Ian Book’s five against Bowling Green on October 5, 2019.
Carr leads all freshmen nationally in yards per attempt (10.49 – fifth among all FBS players), yards per completion (15.37 – sixth among all FBS players), passing efficiency (181.1 – 10th among all FBS players), and passing yards per game (272.8 – 20th among all FBS players).
Notre Dame’s whopping 641 total yards of offense on the day were the most yards by an FBS team this weekend. Notre Dame’ 42 points scored in the first half were the most in a half by a non-SEC team visiting an SEC team.
Notre Dame’s 420 total yards in the first half were the most in a first half for Notre Dame since 2018, and the 42 points in the first half tie for the third-most in program history. The 641 total yards are the most for Notre Dame since 2017.