CJ Carr completed 16 of 20 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns, and No. 3 Notre Dame cruised to a 52-0 win over Rice on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.
Jordan Faison caught two touchdown passes for Notre Dame (2-0), which was playing its home opener after facing Wisconsin at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field six days earlier. Nolan James Jr. added two touchdowns on the ground, and Micah Gilbert and Cooper Flanagan had one touchdown reception apiece.
Jacurri Brown completed eight of 12 passes for 64 yards to lead Rice (1-1). Brown also had a team-high 32 rushing yards for the Owls.
Notre Dame outgained Rice 478-128, including a 360-64 advantage in passing yards. The Fighting Irish went 7-for-12 on third downs and dominated on defense with four takeaways, compared with zero takeaways for Rice.
The defense for Notre Dame wasted no time in setting the tone for the rest of the game. Adon Shuler forced a fumble by Rice, and Boubacar Traore took advantage with a 24-yard scoop and score for the touchdown.
Carr and Faison followed with back-to-back touchdowns to increase Notre Dame’s lead to 21-0 before the end of the first quarter. They connected for a 25-yard score with 10:30 left in the quarter, and they joined forces again for an 11-yard score with 3:51 left.
Next came the first career touchdown run by Jones. He powered across the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown.
Jones Jr. added his second touchdown on another 1-yard plunge that looked like an instant replay from his milestone moment. His second score made it 35-0.
Carr found Gilbert for a 39-yard touchdown to boost Notre Dame’s lead to 42-0 with 1:17 remaining before the half.
The pace slowed but the domination continued in the second half.
Carr hit Flanagan for a 2-yard touchdown to put Notre Dame on top 49-0 with 11:41 to go in the third quarter.
Spencer Porath capped the scoring with a 36-yard field goal with 4:21 left in the third quarter.
