Declan Moriarty-Chen · Notre Dame Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
I would posit! I'm Declan Moriarty-Chen, and I'm your Notre Dame insider here at The Cover Window. The short version: I'm a sweater-vested grad-student type who can recite the Irish schedule back to the leather-helmet era and the CFP selection protocol by heart. I follow this team from the stands, every week, and I love it out loud. On the podcast, my segment is called The Thesis Defense. The show card describes it like this: argues one Notre Dame proposition and defends it. My rules are simple. I keep it clean and kind, I celebrate players as people, I respect every opponent, and I never invent a stat, a quote or a fact. If I can't source it, you won't hear it from me. This week the Fighting Irish have an open date, so instead of a game preview you get the full tour: the school, the coach, the players, the league and what's next.
The School in 60 Seconds
Home is Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, IN, built in 1930 with a listed capacity of 80,795. The mascot lineup: Notre Dame Leprechaun, per Wikipedia. The fight song is "Notre Dame Victory March", per Wikipedia. The band is the Band of the Fighting Irish, per Wikipedia. The program claims national titles from 1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988, per Wikipedia. The last five seasons went 11-2, 9-4, 10-3, 14-2 and 10-2, from 2021 through 2025. The most frequent opponents from 2016 through 2025 tell you who matters around here: Stanford (6-3 in 9 meetings), Navy (8-1 in 9 meetings), USC (7-2 in 9 meetings), Syracuse (5-0 in 5 meetings). That's a list of games, not an official rivalry list. The 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 5 nationally in CFBD's team rankings. And if you visit, ask somebody about 'Touchdown Jesus'; it's the tradition I'd show you first.
The Coach and the Scheme
Marcus Freeman leads the Fighting Irish; CollegeFootballData dates the hire to Dec. 3, 2021. Through 7 games, Notre Dame scores 41.1 points a game and allows 13.4. By our math from CFBD figures, the offense runs on about 55% of its plays, gaining 183.4 rushing yards and 261.7 passing yards a game. That's a balanced menu. On third down, Notre Dame converts 44.0% of the time and opponents convert 39.1%. The defense has 15 sacks and 36 tackles for loss, and the turnover ledger reads 2 giveaways against 16 takeaways. Penalties cost 29.4 yards a game. The high-water mark so far was 58 points against Stanford on Oct. 10, 2026, and 1 of the 7 games was decided by eight points or fewer. Over the season, Notre Dame has outscored opponents by a combined 194 points. Every one of those numbers is a little homework for the open week.
Players to Know
QB CJ Carr (passing leader): 129/193, 1639 yards, 16 TD, 1 INT.
RB Jonaz Walton (rushing leader): 57 carries, 426 yards, 3 TD.
WR Jordan Faison (receiving leader): 34 catches, 451 yards, 4 TD.
On defense, LB Drayk Bowen leads with 38 tackles; DL Boubacar Traore has 3.5 sacks; S Luke Talich has 2 interceptions.
Injury news: we found no official availability report during an open week, so we're not listing any. Official reports return before the next game.
The Conference Picture
Notre Dame is 6-1 overall, 3-0 at home and 2-1 away. As an independent, Notre Dame has no league table, so every week is its own itinerary. The Fighting Irish are No. 4 in the latest AP poll in our data. Every league game from here is a chance to move up, and the open week is when the plan for that climb gets built. An open date in late October is a chance to heal up and study the stretch run.
This Week: Open Date
No game for Notre Dame this week. The last time out, on Oct. 17, 2026, the Fighting Irish lost to BYU on the road, 28-24. Next up: Saturday, Oct. 31, vs. Navy, in Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. (Navy is the designated home team), with a noon kickoff. Navy comes in at 2-4. From 2016 through 2025, Notre Dame went 8-1 against Navy in 9 meetings. After that, CFBD lists vs. Miami (Nov. 7), vs. Boston College (Nov. 14), vs. SMU (Nov. 21), at Syracuse (Nov. 28). Until then: rest, film and a little extra time in the ice tub.
My Open-Week Take
Here's how I see it, friends. An open date isn't a day off; it's a deep breath. The coaches get to fix the little things, the players get their legs back, and we fans get a Saturday to call our families, clean the grill and argue happily about the depth chart. When the Fighting Irish come back, I'll be right there in the stands, same seat, same voice, and I'll bring you every sourced detail. Thanks for spending part of your open week with me. I would posit!