No Defense, No Game: Irish Humiliate Razorbacks in Another Home Blowout

No hope, no miracles, no excuses. Saturday’s game said it all. A team without defense cannot beat a ranked opponent, and Arkansas proved it once again.

The No. 22 Fighting Irish (2–2) dominated the Razorbacks (2–3, 0–1 SEC) in a 56–13 rout, outgaining them 641 to 365 overall, including 431 to 207 through the air. Arkansas’ defense produced zero turnovers and only one sack all game.

It was the Razorbacks’ third straight loss since opening 2–0, but unlike the close calls against Ole Miss and Memphis, this dismantling by Notre Dame was completely one-sided. As head coach Sam Pittman admitted afterward, it was nothing short of an embarrassment.

For fans, there was no silver lining. By halftime, boos poured down from the stands and chants of “Fire Pittman” spread. Many of the announced 75,111 attendees in Razorback Stadium had already headed for the exits before the third quarter even began, leaving the stadium strangely empty.

How the Game Unfolded

The atmosphere at Razorback Stadium was electric at kickoff, as fans buzzed with excitement for a nationally televised showdown against a ranked opponent. Arkansas struck first after winning the toss and choosing to receive. Taylen Green connected with O’Mega Blake for a 33-yard gain, setting up Scott Starzyk’s 39-yard field goal. Arkansas led 3–0 with 12:55 left in the opening quarter.

Notre Dame responded quickly. CJ Carr completed a 21-yard pass to Malachi Fields, followed by a 25-yard connection to running back Jeremiyah Love. Love capped the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Irish a 7–3 lead with 8:16 left in the quarter.

Later in the first quarter, Carr connected with Eli Raridon for 18 yards and Will Pauling for 22, then found Love again for a short touchdown, extending Notre Dame’s lead to 14–3. Arkansas tried to respond with runs from Mike Washington and Braylen Russell, but the drive stalled, leaving the Razorbacks trailing by 11 at the end of the quarter.

Arkansas briefly regained momentum early in the second quarter. A sustained 14-play, 75-yard drive lasting nearly eight minutes culminated with redshirt freshman lineman Shaq McRoy, standing 6-foot-8 and weighing 344 pounds, powering into the end zone from one yard out. The score cut the deficit to 14–10.

The Irish then seized complete dominance. Carr hit Raridon for 25 yards, followed by a 21-yard touchdown pass to Pauling, stretching the lead to 21–10. Soon after, Carr connected with Jaden Greathouse for 24 yards and then set up a 34-yard screen pass that Love turned into his third touchdown, increasing the margin to 28–10.

Starzyk’s 49-yard field goal trimmed the deficit to 28–13 with under four minutes remaining in the half, but Notre Dame was far from finished. Carr led another drive, converting a fourth down before handing off to Love for his fourth touchdown of the day, putting the Irish ahead 35–13 with 35 seconds left.

Arkansas’ struggles worsened when Raylen Sharpe fumbled on the next possession. Carr immediately capitalized with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jadarian Price. By halftime, Notre Dame had amassed 420 total yards, including 294 through the air, and led 42–13.

The halftime atmosphere was tense, with fans clearly showing their frustration. Boos grew louder as the crowd voiced their disappointment in the team’s performance. 

Second Half: More of the Same

Arkansas recorded its first true defensive stop of the game in the third quarter and moved into the red zone, but wide receiver Jalen Brown dropped a potential touchdown catch before suffering a serious leg injury. The Razorbacks turned the ball over on downs, and Notre Dame responded with an 87-yard drive capped by Jadarian Price’s 16-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 49–13 late in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Arkansas attempted a comeback with completions to Raylen Sharpe and Andy Jean, but Green was sacked and failed to convert on fourth down. Notre Dame backup quarterback Kenny Minchey entered and connected with Matt Jeffery for 37 yards before Aneyas Williams scored on a 17-yard run, increasing the lead to 56–13.

Green’s desperation pass into the end zone was intercepted, and the Irish closed out the final minutes with runs by Gi’Bran Payne and Nolan James Jr., running out the clock.

Final Score: Notre Dame 56, Arkansas 13.

Love’s Game

Jeremiyah Love was the clear star. He scored four of Notre Dame’s six first-half touchdowns, finishing with 14 carries for 57 yards and two rushing touchdowns. As a receiver, he added five catches for 70 yards and two more scores.

Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green went 17-of-32 for 207 yards while rushing 10 times for 81 yards. Blake was his top target again, hauling in six catches for 73 yards. Washington paced the ground attack with 15 carries for 63 yards.

Pittman on the Hot Seat

Head coach Sam Pittman is facing heavy criticism, and much of it is warranted. His record since 2021 now stands at 29–27. Speaking after Saturday’s game, he did not hold back in his assessment of both himself and the team.

“I mean, we just didn’t play,” Pittman said. “We played terrible and we couldn’t get off the field defensively. And it’s the same thing. It’s the tackling, it’s the coverage at times, it’s the off-coverage where we’re nowhere close to the guy, and then it’s the man coverage, where at times we leave him wide open. It’s the easy scores, it’s the power play here at the end, where we had nobody even close to the guy. That’s on everybody. It’s not just on the players, that’s on all of us. But that’s been a trend now for five weeks.”

Pittman also acknowledged that the offense failed to bail out the defense this time. “What has bailed us out a little bit before was offense, was scoring, and we didn’t finish drives today… Defensively, we’re still not tackling well. I thought we had a good week of practice, but it didn’t show today at all.”

Addressing fan frustration, Pittman was candid. “If I was a fan, I’d be mad at me too. I’d be frustrated as hell with me… As long as I’m the head coach at Arkansas, I’m going to fight my butt off to get the guys out there.”

With his buyout situation looming, speculation about Pittman’s future continues. According to recent reports, there is roughly a $3 million difference in his buyout depending on whether he is fired now or after his record dips below .500 since 2021.

Still, Pittman insists there is time to turn things around. “Yes, it’s tough, but there are a lot of teams out there that have tough situations that turn it around. Am I glad there is a bye week? Yeah. We’ve got to figure out why this happened today because this one was very disappointing.”

What’s Next

The Razorbacks will use their upcoming bye week to regroup before traveling to Knoxville on October 11 to face No. 15 Tennessee. Kickoff is scheduled for either 2:30 or 7:00 p.m. CDT, with the television broadcast yet to be announced.