The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into Week 1 as heavy favorites, but they left Miami with both a loss and a flood of jokes at their expense. As Carson Beck delivered two touchdowns on his Hurricanes debut and true freshman Malachi Toney introduced himself with a highlight reel score, fans online had no mercy for Marcus Freeman’s crew or rookie quarterback CJ Carr.
Memes poured in as Notre Dame blew a 27-24 game from the start. Freeman’s team struggled to protect Carr and allowed a late Miami field goal to seal the upset. From ”Notre Dame feeding Jeremiah Love” funny clips to “more holes than Swiss cheese” for Notre Dame o-line, social media roasted the Irish collapse in real time.
notre dame feeding jeremiyah love pic.twitter.com/VOv3nkAX8V
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) September 1, 2025
MVPs of Notre Dame’s scoring drive pic.twitter.com/wgj8DBqSdJ
— Timothy Johnson (@MiamiCanes1971) September 1, 2025
Miami’s pass rushers looking at Notre Dame’s offensive line pic.twitter.com/xhyyn6yulC
— 19500 Frazier Rd (@RyanDay2Heaven) September 1, 2025
Notre Dame’s offensive line that last series 😬 pic.twitter.com/BsFc9kyK7v
— Chillindamos (@Chillindamos1) September 1, 2025
MARCUS FREEMAN (actual quotes)
“We have the best running back in the nation”
“We have the best receiving core in Notre Dame history”
Proceeds to run hitches behind the line of scrimmage and tight end flat routes all game pic.twitter.com/cBQGe2qP7j
— Tommy G (@TommygWinsAgain) September 1, 2025
nobody:
Marcus Freeman: pic.twitter.com/5eowFCrOXz
— huie (@callmehuie) August 31, 2025
Marcus Freeman without a 7th year transfer QB pic.twitter.com/YGguA0VF19
— LSU BY 50 (@couchpotatosprt) September 1, 2025
Meanwhile, former Georgia QB Carson Beck’s efficient outing with 20-of-30 for 205 yards showed that Miami’s offense has playoff potential, while Carr’s flashes weren’t enough to overcome turnovers and a leaky line. Freeman’s defense had no answers for the Hurricanes’ balance, leaving Irish fans groaning about déjà vu in big games.
Marcus Freeman Gave “Don’t Have to Win The Game” To CJ Carr in Miami vs Notre Dame
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman knew that the on-field lights would be blinding for CJ Carr. who stepped into his first start against Miami and Carson Beck. Despite the hard-hitting expectations, Freeman’s message to the redshirt freshman quarterback was not to try anything extraordinary.
Freeman stressed the essentiality of taking pressure off Carr’s shoulders by leaning on the run game, short throws, and a stout defense. More than anything, he wanted Carr to focus on being himself.
“His best is good enough,” Freeman told ESPN before kickoff. “You don’t have to win the game for us. Just do your job.”
Carr, who won the starting job over Kenny Minchey earlier this month, embraced the advice. Speaking before the opener, the young QB called it a “dream come true” to lead Notre Dame’s offense. He also leaned on conversations with former Irish quarterbacks Riley Leonard and Ian Book, who encouraged him to trust his instincts.
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