THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2025 | VOL. LX, NO. 29
Notre Dame sinks 49 on Navy in frosty conditions
By Noah Cahill Sports Editor
Fireworks painted the night sky red as the first university band performed “The StarSpangled Banner.” The pyrotechnics shot out the roof of college football’s cathedral, simulating the rocket’s red glare. This pregame rendition of the national anthem carried a bit more weight this time around, as Notre Dame hosted Navy in the first night game in series history. In the 98th edition of a storied rivalry, the Irish sought their seventh-straight victory after a 0-2 start. The Midshipmen were trying to bounce back from their first loss of the season last weekend against North Texas. Like last season, the game had massive College Football Playoff implications, with both teams fighting for their postseason lives.
Already outmatched in the talent department, a late scratch to quarterback Blake Horvath made Navy’s task feel even taller. Braxton Woodson stepped in for Horvath to
a touchdown.
for loss and a sack. His play reflected the tone Notre Dame set all game — an aggressive one.
spearhead the triple-option attack. He faced a swarming Irish defense that had spent all week preparing for the unique challenge.
“All week as a defense, we
talked about how they were going to show us a lot of window dressing,” sophomore linebacker Jaiden Ausberry said. “Once the ball is snapped, it’s football. You got to play fast,
Student government backs disability studies minor
By Emily Barlett News Writer
Notre Dame student government is sparking important conversations around inclusion and education across campus, specifically through advocating for the creation of a minor in disabilities studies.
Benjamin Gallei, director of the Department of Disability Advocacy, explained the multistep process towards meeting this goal includes the department needing to accept the minor, professors committing to teach classes for it and administration facilitating an academic approval process.
“The idea has been revised and refined over the years, with other initiatives such as establishing ASL courses being created as we went
| PAGE 2
along,” Gallei said.
An aspect of this initiative that has remained consistent is that it has been a studentled effort aimed at recognizing a meaningful gap in the University’s curriculum.
“We hope that this minor would allow students to be prepared to better be able to advocate for and understand the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities in their own careers and personal lives,” Gallei mentioned.
Brent Fragnoli, a care and wellness consultant at the Center for Student Support and Care, shared his strong support for the initiative.
“If a disability studies minor were to be created, it would be a meaningful step in creating an even more inclusive and empathetic community at Notre Dame,” he
said.
The minor would better equip Notre Dame students with the knowledge and awareness to encourage deeper discussions of inclusion in both academic and professional workspaces.
“This would be an opportunity to broaden understanding of disability in cultural and historical perspectives and foster a deeper understanding and awareness of an important student population that our office serves,” Fragnoli said.
Senior Katie Finn has spent years advocating for increased levels of awareness on disabilities.
“Much prejudice and discrimination towards disabilities comes from a lack of understanding of disability
see “Disability” on page 2
SCENE | PAGE 7
play violent, and that’s what we talked about all week.”
Ausberry was the catalyst of a dominant defensive display, with a team-high eight total tackles, including two tackles
Navy won the toss and elected to receive. They only managed one first down before punting it away, but pinned the Irish at their own 6-yard line. After a pair of Jeremiyah Love rushes went nowhere, it looked like Notre Dame would give the ball right back. That was until the junior running back leaked out of the backfield and took a pass from freshman quarterback CJ Carr 27 yards for a first down. A play later, Carr connected with senior receiver Malachi Fields on a gorgeous downfield pass, and the Irish were in business. Love did the rest from there. The Heisman candidate needed three attempts to gain the remaining 15 yards, punching in his 15th score of the season from the 1-yard line. Most notably for a Notre Dame team plagued by kicking woes, freshman kicker Erik Schmidt tacked on
see “Football” on page 8
Professors decry loss of SNAP funds
By Sophie Lewandowski News Writer
The United States government is approaching its sixth week of the shut-down. In the midst of the uncertainty it has caused and confusion on when it may resume, government programs have faced consequences. This includes the risk applied to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which supplies food to citizens and families from low-income backgrounds.
SNAP benefits have faced hurdles through the government shutdown, with many individuals facing food insecurity as a result. On Saturday, the Trump administration directed all states to stop funding SNAP for the remainder of November.
Living on a college campus, this problem may feel far away; however, it is not nearly so distant.
Patrick Pierce, retired
| PAGE 10
professor emeritus of political science, studied public policy for most of his career. His research generally focused on state policy making and various issues such as legalized gambling, abortion laws or right-to-work laws. He mentioned that the SNAP program, like many of these public policies, can have a ripple effect on societies.
“What people often don’t know is that farmers like SNAP… SNAP creates a market for their goods for crops.
It’s one of the reasons that the program is not housed in Health and Human Services, it’s in the Department of Agriculture,” he stated.
He mentioned that SNAP helps the economy, compared to what people typically think of in terms of SNAP use.
“On top of that, SNAP benefits just drive the economy generally. There are estimates that for every see “SNAP” on page 3
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
Junior running back Jadarian Price evades five defenders en route to the red zone during Notre Dame’s 4910 defeat of Navy at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. Price had 10 carries for 47 yards and
ndsmcobserver.com “TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH AND REPORT IT ACCURATELY”
900 Hesburgh Library, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Editor-in-Chief
Liam Kelly
Managing Editor Gray Nocjar
Asst. Managing Editor: Aynslee Dellacca
Asst. Managing Editor: Grace Tadajweski
Asst. Managing Editor: Henry Jagodzinski
Notre Dame News Editor: Sophie Hanawalt
SMC News Editor: Berhan Hagezom
Opinion Editor: Redmond Bernhold
Sports Editor: Noah Cahill
Scene Editor: Peter Mikulski
Photo Editor: Mariella Taddonio
Graphics Editor: Isabelle Rutland
Social Media Editor: Duncan Stangel
Ad Design Manager: Isabelle Rutland
Business Manager: Zack Pohlman
Systems Administrator: Jack MapelLentz
Advertising advertising@ndsmcobserver.com
Editor-in-Chief lkelly8@nd.edu
Managing Editor gnocjar@nd.edu
Assistant Managing Editors adellacca01@saintmarys.edu, gtadajwe@nd.edu, hjagodzi@nd.edu
Business Manager zpohlma2@nd.edu
Notre Dame News Desk shanawal@nd.edu
Saint Mary’s News Desk bhagezom01@saintmarys.edu
Opinion Desk rbernho2@nd.edu
Sports Desk
ncahill2@nd.edu
Scene Desk pmikulsk@nd.edu
Photo Desk mtaddonio01@saintmarys.edu
Systems & Web Administrators webmaster@ndsmcobserver.com
Policies The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of any institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content.
The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors. Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer. Opinion space is available to all readers. The
Questions
Today’s Staff
Corrections
The Observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at editor@ ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.
Disability
Continued from page 1 in cultural and historical perspectives and foster a deeper understanding and awareness of an important student population that our office serves,” Fragnoli said.
Senior Katie Finn has spent years advocating for increased levels of awareness on disabilities.
“Much prejudice and discrimination towards disabilities comes from a lack of understanding of disabilities themselves,” Finn said. ”If people would take the time to study disabilities, they would gain further understanding of the complexities and in turn foster more inclusive communities.”
Finn also brought attention to the gap of academic offerings in the subject area at Notre Dame. She emphasized that this minor would be valuable to students across disciplines, from healthcare to education fields, especially as they enter into diverse workplaces and leadership roles.
“If we want to truly invite educated dialogue surrounding politics and relevant topics in not only today’s society, but the future’s, then we need to study the foundations to gain understanding,” she said.
In the process of developing the minor, student government has examined similar programs at other top universities, where “Boston College, Georgetown, Villanova and WashU offer
a minor to undergraduates in disability studies or a closely related subject,” Gallei said.
Student government has created a list of classes that the minor would include. Some of these are: Disability in American History and Culture, Abled in a Disabled World, Creating Inclusive Identities, Fundamentals of Austism and Social Movements for Health and Disability Justice.
Additionally, they have surveyed over 200 people to gather data about interest in the minor. Student body president Jerry Vielhauer, vice president Sonia Lumley and chief of staff Ethan Chiang have joined Gallei to discuss the addition of the minor with dean of the College of Arts and Letters Kenneth Scheve.
“The impact that I
envision this minor will have on the broader scene of disability awareness on campus is that it will be a massive victory for the disability advocacy community on campus, as it would cement disability advocacy in a permanent way through the academy,” Gallei said.
Members of the Disability Advocacy Department have met with multiple departments across campus about including the minor in their curriculum.
“Even if students don’t take the minor, having the minor present can increase interest and enrollment in many disability related classes, getting students more involved,” Gallei said.
Contact Emily Barlett at ebarlett@nd.edu
First Gen Week inspires hope, stories
By Leylany Rivera News Writer
The Office for Student E mpowerment (OSE) and First Gen Family collaborated to celebrate First Gen Week from Monday to Friday, in order to celebrate the experiences and resilience of first-generation students at Saint Mary’s College. Throughout the week, students, faculty and staff gathered for events centered on empowerment, reflection and community.
The celebration kicked off Monday morning with coffee, doughnuts and first-gen sweatshirt pick ups in the Division for Belonging. The sweatshirts, designed by students, included symbolic items from the college and phrases celebrating first-gen students.
On the following night, First Gen Family held their Flower Bouquet
and Vision Board Making event, where students were able to decorate bouquets and wrote letters to themselves as a reminder to “bloom where they are planted.”
As one of the bigger events for First Gen Week, the organization hosted their First Gen Dinner Celebration in Stapleton Lounge, where first-gen students, faculty and staff shared a meal of catered Mexican food and desserts. The space was decorated with stars featuring personal stories of Saint Mary’s first-gen students on what it means to them being first-gen in college.
A keynote speech was given by Isela Garcilazo ‘19, a counselor at the college’s Health & Counseling Center. In her speech, Garcilazo reflected on her own first-generation journey and the challenges of balancing family expectations and personal dreams.
Garcilazo shared how she once planned to become a nurse, a dream her parents had for her, but ultimately
decided to follow her passion for social work.
“Telling them I wanted to change my major was one of the hardest conversations I had,” she said. “But they saw that it would be far worse for me to stay in a field that I didn’t love than to pursue something that truly inspired me.”
Garcilazo also encouraged students to seek support and use campus resources.
“I want other students to understand that they don’t have to go through difficult things by themselves,” she said. “There are staff and faculty members who truly care and are ready to help. All they have to do is reach out.”
Faculty members in attendance also reflected on the importance of the celebration. Tracy White, director of advising, expressed that First Gen Week is deeply personal to her.
“It gives me an opportunity to share my story with students, to encourage them and support them
in their own journey,” White said. “I want to help them realize their dream of being the first in their family to earn a college degree.”
Ruth Solarte, visiting assistant professor of Spanish, echoed this sentiment, sharing how the week allows her to connect with students in new ways.
“Sometimes in class we’re so focused on the material,” Solarte said. “But when we’re at events like this, we can have more relaxed conversations, and students are more willing to ask about our experiences.”
She hopes that first-gen students know that faculty are here to help and that “we’re willing to talk to students anytime.”
The celebration wrapped up Friday morning with the First Gen photo shoot on The Avenue, where students proudly wore their first gen sweatshirts for a group photo.
Contact Leylany Rivera at lrivera01@saintmarys.edu
LEYLANY RIVERA | The Observer
Continued from page 1
dollar spent in SNAP benefits, you generate close to $1.50 in economic activity. So it actually promotes economic growth.” He shared.
According to Pierce, around 10% of the population participates in SNAP, with variations state by state. A large portion of recipients are those who are unable to work or work in the same capacity as most of the population.
Previous barriers have limited access to SNAP, including a work requirement that was officially implemented as of Sept. 1.
“The situation that folks are facing now, however, is that the Trump administration had to be forced to use … an emergency fund in SNAP to continue providing those benefits. There’s probably going to be a delay in folks receiving them and even the emergency fund is not going to fully fund SNAP for any period of time,” Pierce said.
He mentioned that this development does not help anyone affected by this change as it creates more confusion and unreliability.
“This is not good news for any of the involved parties,” he shared.
It’s not as though farmers are going to like the situation, because, again, it harms their economic livelihood and folks on SNAP benefits who are at risk in terms of their food. There’s gonna be a situation of uncertainty for them.“
Kristin Bail, assistant professor of political science, also spoke about the SNAP situation. By studying global politics, she explained how this shapes her view of SNAP benefits into a more abstract
piece of a larger system, one that plays an important role serving the function of the government.
“Governments exist in theory to do a number of things, one of them being to make people’s lives easier, right?
The theory that if you have a government, then you are better off than you would be without a government,” she stated. “And so one of the ways that it does that is it implements policies and programs that are supposed to support people’s quality of life.”
She mentioned that these programs are to further help and assist individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Right, so one of the things about society is that there’s a lot of inequality. So programs like the SNAP benefits that the United States uses, but also other countries use similar sorts of approaches, are supposed to say, ‘all right, we recognize that some people are living by virtue of a number of circumstances … much closer to or below the poverty line than is sustainable if they want to have a good life and if we want our children to have good access to nourishment and nutrients and all that kind of stuff,’” she explained. “So the government implements these programs that kind of serve as a stopgap.”
Bail foresees not only short-term impacts caused by cuts to SNAP benefits, but also long term ones that result from financial insecurity the people who rely on them will face.
“If you are in a pretty precarious financial position from the beginning, and then you lose access to this source of stability in your life, even if only partially, that can sort
of [have] a cascading consequence in your other domains,” she said.
In Indiana alone, around 571,000 people rely on SNAP when recorded in September. So, while loss of SNAP benefits may not directly touch on-campus students, it will impact the South Bend community. Students are implementing efforts to try and close the gaps left by SNAP cuts.
Senior Margaret Butler, a social work and psychology major, and senior Kelly Shea, a social work major, are president and vice president of the college’s Social Work Club, where they are heading a food drive for food pantries and students at Dickinson Academy, a Title I school in South Bend.
Butler explained that the food drive initially began as a project to provide students and their families with Thanksgiving dinners. However, in the midst of the loss of SNAP benefits and its overarching impact on families, it has shifted into supporting families on a daily basis. She mentioned experiencing the direct effect the loss of SNAP benefits has had on young families.
“Last Wednesday, I got a call that was [about] a few students, not for my school, but family members [a sixth grader, a seventh grader, and two third graders] actually broke into the elementary school cafeteria in South Bend, specifically broke into the kitchen of South Bend … in order to try and get food.
So that’s pretty heavy, that’s pretty moving,” she said.
Shea has worked at Catholic charities with financial assistance programs. She shared that the people who rely on them face difficult
choices.
“A lot of people coming in and seeking financial assistance now are coming in and saying that they either have to choose whether they want to pay their electric bill or their mortgage or they want to spend the money on the food.” Shea said. “As a social work major, we believe that food is a human right. It’s something that no one should have to wonder where their next meal is coming from and with these SNAP cuts it’s affecting a lot of people in the community.”
She mentioned that it’s important for Saint Mary’s students to know what SNAP is and how it affects various groups of people.
“This is affecting individuals, families, children, so this is a problem and an issue that needs to be addressed,” she stated. “I think
it’s really beneficial for the community of Saint Mary’s to understand what SNAP is … and also to really understand what demographics are using SNAP and that it’s not just certain groups of people. SNAP, it covers all people.”
Uncertainty remains at the forefront of the future. While Pierce remains confident SNAP benefits will return eventually, it is not clear when. For now, the effects of their loss will remain and reshape the lives of many who rely upon them.
“So it’s very important that we all come together as a community in order to build up our families and continue to carry out the mission of the college, which is to help and serve others,” Butler said.
Contact Sophie Lewandowski at slewandowski01@saintmarys.edu
Asian Allure shines a spotlight on dance culture
By Claire Lee News Writer
The Asian American Association of Notre Dame held their annual cultural showcase, Asian Allure, at Washington Hall this past Friday and Saturday.
The show centered on the theme, Heirloom, exploring how, for many Asian American students, culture is passed down through memorabilia and stories from one generation to the next. More than just a series of individual performances, the show was unified by a heartfelt skit following a typical Asian American family as they anticipated their eldest daughter’s departure for college.
The show opened with a lion dance presented by the Vietnamese Student Association, featuring performers concealed beneath
traditional lion costumes who lifted one another high into the air. The Vietnamese lion dance mimics the movement of sacred animals and is performed to the rhythm of drums and cymbals to celebrate blessings, prosperity and luck.
Following it was the Filipino American Student Organization’s performance of tinikling, a traditional Filipino folk dance that entails performers stepping over and between bamboo poles that are tapped and slid together. At one point in the act, dancers blindfolded themselves, requiring enhanced rhythmic footwork and coordination. Halfway through the performance, they took on a modern interpretation of tinikling by dancing to the music of Bruno Mars, a notable global star of Filipino descent.
Throughout the show, several acts paid tribute to the international K-pop phenomenon, featuring choreography to hits by Seventeen, KATSEYE, and Blackpink’s Jennie. Sophomore Ian Park took on viral dances, including KAI’s “Mmmh” and TAEMIN’s “Guilty,” hoping his act would reflect a distinct transition in Korean culture.
“In the past, Korea was always known as the ‘shrimp between two whales.’ We never had our own culture and even now, when we’re trying to find what our culture is, it’s pretty difficult to find,” Park said. “K-pop really did pave a way for this new era where people are able to say, ‘Oh, this is part of the culture,’ and are able to expand on the historic importance and significance of Korea through the initial
K-pop that got them into the culture.”
Providing contrast to the night’s more energetic acts, the Hawai‘i Club presented two tranquil performances: “Malama Mau Hawai’i” and “Kanikapila.” “Malama mau Hawai‘i,” which translates broadly to “always care for Hawaii,” featured a traditional hula, a dance form that uses body movement and hand gestures to convey stories recounting history and tradition. The performers wore floral adornments and moved in unison to the Hawaiian song.
Senior Melina Ventura was grateful to perform hula at the event.
“It’s really meaningful to me, because that’s something that was a big thing that I was a part of back home. I danced hula all my life,” she said. Ventura continued to
express gratitude for “the opportunity to showcase that here, and also teach that to other people from Hawaii who maybe didn’t know about it or want to be proud of their culture, or even teach other people that aren’t from Hawaii that want to learn, including them in that beautiful tradition.”
Following the hula performance, sophomores Rob Gonzales and Maya Ventura took the stage playing the ukulele and ipu, a traditional gourd drum. Gonzales sang a Hawaiian song, “Nani Koolau,” and filled the auditorium as a duo with only two instruments, one voice, and no speakers or microphones.
Gonzales said that “a lot of traditional Hawaiian songs actually talk about the land and the need to honor and
See “Allure” on page 4
Sophie Lewandowski | The Observer
A flyer is shown posted regarding a food drive project where students can donate nonperishable food for the Social Work club at the College.
Allure
Continued from page 3 take care of it and that’s what the song kind of correlates to.”
Ending the first act was established dance crew NDeepam, who performed bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form known for its vibrant and embellished attire, precise footwork, expressive gestures and storytelling traditions.
“I feel like we don’t really see the traditional aspects of a lot of our culture and I feel like being able to bring that to the campus is a big deal for us,” senior Rachael Thumma said.
In addition, the South Asian Student Association presented a mashup of seven south Asian dance styles such as bhangra, Garba, Bollywood, and dappankuthu. Blending classical and contemporary elements, the performance highlighted the vast diversity that can be found within the region alone.
The Korean Student Association followed with simultaneous performances of Samulnori, a traditional Korean percussion music genre that uses four distinct drums and Talchum. Talchum is a traditional Korean art that combines dance, music and theater, where masked performers use satire and humor to comment on social issues.
“I feel like often people would lump certain ideas into
what it means to be Asian and I feel like the show really does a good job of showing that there’s a lot of diversity and that diversity in itself is part of the reason why I find the Asian community at Notre Dame to be so strong,” Senior Matteo Siazon, who led the Samulnori team, said.
The Japan Club performed Wotagei, a Japanese dance style originating from fan culture, characterized by synchronized movements of light sticks and coordinated cheers, transforming audience enthusiasm into choreographed performances.
The Chinese Culture Society danced along to the viral Chinese song, “Stacks from All Sides,” showcasing both modern choreography
and traditional fan dancing. Choreographers Scarlett Chu and Kalena Yee shared how they wanted to honor both styles of dance as they are “both very characteristic of our club and culture” in addition to intentionally selecting a song “that has a traditional sounding component to [it] and also a modern sounding component with the rap.”
The last act of the show was a duet performed by senior Gabrielle Benitez and junior Arvin Picardo where they sang “Palagi.” The song, sung in Filipino, expresses a universal sentiment of two lovers who continue to choose each other, bringing the show to an emotional conclusion.
Picardo shared that singing the duet was “a cool
challenge, because it reminds me of back home, where I would speak with my family in Tagalog, but when I’m away from them, I don’t really have the chance to speak it.”
She hopes that audience members can learn more about art and culture in the Philippines through the performance provided.
Benitez hopes that their band could “show how other people can relate to [her] culture, especially since the Philippines is known for their love songs and romance. It’s nice to show [the audience] a glimpse of that.”
Both nights concluded with a feast of various Asian cuisine in the community kitchen of LaFortune Student Center.
The theme, Heirloom, was selected by this year’s directors junior Adam Acunin, junior Enzo Gonzales and junior Ryan Nguyen. Through the performances and skit, the directors aimed to highlight the responsibility and opportunity Asian American children have to carry their families cultures and legacies forward.
“Our parents always told us about our culture and they taught it to us and passed it down from their parents. We just thought the idea of passing down the culture is an important part of our Asian community. We think it’s an experience many people have, especially our performers,” Gonzales shared.
He shared that the special meaning of the theme is personal to his experiences in learning his family’s history and culture.
“For me, Heirloom was inspired by countless family nights, getting lost in family memory books and seeing my aunts and uncles as little kids in old photographs,” he said. “My culture has always been something I hold close, and being able to celebrate it through performance is incredibly meaningful. Heirloom is about remembering the stories that shaped me while creating my own.”
Contact Claire Lee at clee35@nd.edu
Lucy faculty showcase efforts on AI initiatives
By Maggie Sheehan News Writer
On Friday afternoon, representatives from Notre Dame’s Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society hosted a presentation titled, “Why RISE AI?” to discuss initiatives related to improving AI strategies and informed students about ethical AI usage.
Michele Martin, executive director of the institute, began the lecture by explaining the purpose of it.
“The Lucy Family Institute was established in 2020,” Martin said. “We were founded on a beautiful gift from the Lumpkins family that really focused on how data can impact societal issues.”
She then went on to discuss that although the institute focuses on using technology as a resource, the technology is far from complete in its development. Martin showcased the current flaws in artificial intelligence by displaying AI-created images meant to fit the prompt, “Notre Dame in the 1930s.” From missing limbs, to robotic gazes, to images featuring only women when women had not yet even been allowed
into the University, the AI was far from accurate.
“I did this to give an understanding that we are in the very early stages of AI,” Martin said. “I give this to you with a little bit of optimism and a little bit of caution.”
RISE, the institute’s new AI initiative, promotes responsibility, inclusivity, safety and ethics regarding artificial intelligence, which Martin believes is especially crucial in our rapidly developing technological world.
“This is where we believe we, at Notre Dame, have a voice and an imperative to be standing strong in front of and helping to define standards and policies, as well as creating the next generation of data scientists who believe and emulate this RISE moniker,” Martin said.
Adam Czajka, associate professor of computer science and engineering, went on to discuss his research on the potential use of AI for iris recognition of infants to prevent abductions and baby swaps.
“My AI is related to biometrics and all the algorithms that can
automatically recognize people using iris recognition,” Czajka said. “Baby swaps and abductions are difficult to solve without strong biometrics.”
Biometrics are unique physical traits used for the automated recognition of any human.
In an interview with The Observer, Czajka said he hopes his research will make an impact on the Notre Dame community by encouraging collaboration among faculty.
“One impact of my biometrics research may be that people from different disciplines will come to the same table,” Czajka said. “There’s always something to consider that I didn’t think about.”
Although AI has been proven to wield great power, Czajka believes that to optimize its potential, we must work together with the technology.
“I think that the future of AI is human and machine pairing,” Czajka stated. “I’m not a big fan of the theory that AI will take over our life.”
However, many companies lack the components of the RISE initiative that
Czajka’s lecture promoted.
“I would love to see, especially from those who are leading technology development, more awareness related to human values, rights and ethics and how the technology ultimately serves us,” Czajka said.
Sugana Chawla, associate professor of the practice and data science education program director, discussed the Interdisciplinary Training and Research in Ethical Data Science program.
The program trains scholars in using data science ethically, beginning at a middle school level and continuing into college.
“That’s the heart of iTREDS: empowering students to use data to build a better future,” Chawla said.
Junior Elizabeth Rhee, a student in the iTREDS program at Notre Dame, discussed the program’s initiative to use data to improve health through housing in underresourced communities.
The program hopes to lead similar initiatives in other cities in the future, as well as using these principles of data collection and analysis to improve other areas of society.
Nitesh Chawla, founding director of the institute and professor of computer science and engineering, closed the lecture by sharing about the motivations behind all of the institute’s initiatives.
“[Any project] starts with what societal challenge we’re going to address, then we back it up to think how we can involve students and faculty in a very collaborative way,” Chawla said. “No problem or challenge is a domain of any one discipline.”
“Housing stability and quality plays a major role in both physical and mental health and low income households in particular find greater challenges when it comes to housing instability,” Rhee said. “The overall goal of this project is to develop a data driven model to evaluate how built environment factors relate to health risk using large scale public data in South Bend.”
Contact Maggie Sheehan at msheeha9@nd.edu
CLAIRE LEE | The Observer
Cultural student groups and associations conduct performances for an annual event, Asian Allure, held by the Asian American Association of Notre Dame, where dances were displayed embracing cultural heritages.
The intellectual life cannot be programmed
By Richard Taylor Columnist, “Just Glad To Be Here”
What does an “intellectual life” look like at Notre Dame? How do we students live a life devoted to learning and truth in the midst of a demanding course load, a chaotic schedule, a vibrant social life and professional pressures to succeed and to achieve?
I am not the only one asking these questions.
Notre Dame senior Erica Dowd recently wrote a column titled “Leave learning alone,” in which she expresses the desire that “the value of learning is not compromised” in the modern university. Dowd’s column expresses the conflict between the practicality of obtaining a degree to secure a job and the ideal of living an intellectual life at Notre Dame.
St. Mary’s freshman Sienna Stephens recently wrote a column titled “Spend more time alone,” in which she articulates the value of solitude in a campus culture that tends to look down upon alone time as “being on the sidelines.” Stephens’ column explores the conflict between living a bustling social life and pursuing a quiet, contemplative intellectual life in this tri-campus community.
English graduate student Oliver Ortega recently wrote a column titled “In the trenches: Surviving Hesburgh Library’s dissertation boot camp,” in which he reflects on the grueling process of writing his dissertation and wonders, “Was it intellectual curiosity or intellectual masochism that put me on the Ph.D. path?” Ortega’s column expresses the conflict between living the disciplined and highly structured “academic life” and living the free and creative intellectual life at Notre Dame.
Professor of Philosophy Paul Blaschko recently wrote an article titled “Creating a Culture of Virtuous Leisure in a World of Total Work,” in which he attempts to answer the question (originally posed by one of his students), “What does leisure look like today?” Blaschko notes that many of the models of living an intellectual life (or a life that cultivates “virtuous leisure”) are outdated and not suitable for Notre Dame’s environment (e.g., “ancient symposia, 18th-century salons, or even monastic rules of life”).
Blaschko then describes Notre Dame’s Sheedy Family Program in Economy, Enterprise, and Society (SFP), which explores the relationship between business and the liberal arts, as a community and a curriculum at Notre Dame that successfully cultivates virtuous leisure. For Blaschko, SFP — with its “competitions, academic workshops and lightly structured late-night dialogues around a campfire on the shores of Lake Michigan” and its “three-hour dialogues over dinner each month in a room that looks like we’re on the set for ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Downton Abbey’” — successfully “integrate[s] the life action with the life of contemplation through dialogue.”
I do not think Blaschko’s answer is quite right. A community and curriculum like the SFP may succeed in dissolving the conflict between practicality and liberality expressed by Dowd by integrating business and the liberal arts. It may succeed in dissolving the conflict between gregariousness and solitude expressed by Stephens by promoting independent learning integrated with communal discussion. It may succeed in avoiding the conflict between the grueling labors of
academic life and the curiosity and creativity of intellectual life expressed by Ortega. However, programs like SFP ultimately cannot truly foster intellectual life long-term. The more the Notre Dame student relies on programs, curricula and, to some extent, even communities to structure his or her intellectual life, the more the student will fail to develop the personal habits necessary to live an intellectual life.
In one of my classes, we recently discussed a classic book on this subject, “The Intellectual Life” by French Dominican A.G. Sertillanges (1863-1948). The angle that my professor and many of the students took was that Notre Dame needs to ease off its rigorous academic requirements and work toward fostering a culture of leisure. Sounds good to me. But in my opinion, so long as we students look to Notre Dame to live the intellectual life for us, we will
fail to live it ourselves.
We cannot live the intellectual life by adding another minor, applying for another major or joining another club. Neither do we need to engage in more “academic workshops” or dine in “a room that looks like we’re on the set for ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Downton Abbey.’” We only need to, after a long day of coursework, in the silence of our own cinderblock dorm rooms at our reused desks, take a peek inside a worn-out library book for no other purpose than to satisfy our curiosity. We only need to, on the walk between classes, jot down a note on a cracked iPhone screen about an interesting thought we just had or admire the sun shining through colorful autumn leaves through smudged glasses. We only need to, while getting lunch with a friend and overheating in South Dining Hall, raise a question about faith or the economy (or even some other far more trivial
topic) and stumble together toward an answer.
The pedagogue has the impossible task of getting students to do something only they can do for themselves. Designing programs and curricula to create a culture that fosters the intellectual life at Notre Dame is a noble endeavor that addresses a real problem with our current “achievement” culture. However, this is a cultural change that can only be effected from the bottom up — from the free wills of curious individuals choosing to value truth, driven by the joy of knowing, in the leftover time in their schedules and in conversations with their friends.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Write to Richard Taylor at rtaylo23@nd.edu
The divide between dignity and respect
By Carlos Basurto Columnist, “Eudaemonic Banter”
For me, there are two types of moral imperatives: those regarding dignity and those regarding respect. The former type is born out of kindness; the latter, out of duty. While dignity will uplift your humanity and those around you, respect has the capacity to turn into silent shackles to control you and forever inhibit your human potential. Thus, it is no coincidence that since before the moment we are born, we are tasked with an unjustifiable, unconscionable debt of respect.
There is no greater evil, no greater failure to our humanity than to cede what you could have been for a debt that never was.
Let me be clear. Moral
imperatives regarding dignity are intrinsic components of what makes you a morally good human being. They have the sole goal of leaving the world a better place than you found it, to recognize the inalienable, baseline human worth all others deserve. These are expressed in behaviors such as service, equity, occasionally love and, above all else, empathy. To commit oneself to the moral imperatives regarding dignity requires discomfort: They always come at a cost and it is paid for consciously. These acts are done by people who will go out of their way to do the right thing. At the time of their deaths, they will rest easy knowing someone, somewhere, has breathed easier because they were here. On the other hand, moral
imperatives regarding respect are extrinsic components that are not necessary to your goodness. They are arbitrary — handpicked based on your culture and external characteristics. They have more diverse goals, generally focusing on your social standing in relation to others. These are formal and forced, expressed in behaviors such as honor, reverence and paying tribute. It is how you succumb to authority, how you submit to institutions, how you incorporate into unnatural systems. Moral imperatives regarding respect, above all else, solidify your role in society. They give and take relative organizational power. They may very well result in a positive outcome, but notice how that is not the intention behind them.
Moral imperatives regarding dignity are inclusive, universal and natural: they exacerbate one’s awareness with their humanity, and that of others. Moral imperatives regarding respect are exclusive, limited and artificial: They inhibit one’s consciousness and rely on social inertia. Both are assigned to us prior to our existence in the sheer fact of being interlinked with the rest of humankind, but only one is selfish and, at times, degrading in its demands. If dignity concerns how we affirm humanity, respect concerns how we preserve hierarchy. Let us be candid. You are not born where you are by decree nor do you have a duty to said sporadic extension of land. Neither do your parents own you, as you will not own your children. There is
no such thing as a fair commitment preceding birth. Not to your country’s traditions, not to your ancestors’ religions, not to your ethnicity’s or gender’s expectations or to anything else that is undoubtedly not you. You are not, and never have been, owed fealty to a chunk of cloth they make you call a flag or a slit of paper they make you call a dollar. Did you make the choice to come to be? No? Then why should others demand consequences for it? Such a deal was not carved into your skin — an irreversible pact of blood with the society that happened to adopt you.
Who in the world do we think we are, charging the unborn with reparations for the crime of coming to be?
see “Dignity” on page 6
DIONE QUIAMBAO PAHILAN | The Observer
Dignity
Continued from page 5
Though a baseline dignity for your fellow human being is indispensable, true respect is never owed — it should always be earned. Those who are older are not necessarily wiser. Those who are richer, not smarter. Those who are your superiors, not more deserving. The meritocratic myth is a veil employed to mellow your selfhood and is disrespectful to those who have genuinely tried with their whole souls in this unfair world.
To nod along with these respect structures insultingly leads us to abandon who we could be. We let the narratives define the boundaries of our identity with hijacked authority, which in truth belongs to us. You see, the human heart is a pain to let free when we seek order, so we muzzle it. But is that how it should be?
They thrust these ideas on you. They hope you absorb them and then are ignorant enough to pass them along without
thought. And worst of all, they expect you to do so with blinding pride and glee.
While you may indeed be linked in the chain of causation, a part of this moving world, you remain a free agent. You must forever remember to make your own choices by your own selected beliefs and desires. The world is structured to make you forget this absolute fact. Why, you are easiest to control that way. You are more like a cog — less like a human — that way.
Naturally, even though moral imperatives regarding dignity cannot be twisted for selfish gain, it is worth noting that those regarding respect can have their place when we approach them in the right way. I have the greatest respect imaginable for a handful of my teachers, family members and friends who have impacted my life in positive ways. But, this is a respect that has been born out of a true material influence and thoughtfully appointed by my own hands. Respect did not emerge from their title or position, but by the content of their
character and the acts they carried out. They earned the respect, they did not expect or demand it. This is a high honor that should be given by your own volition — never assigned. As you traverse the moral qualms of your life, what matters is that your decisions are
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
yours alone. Think for yourself, question all authority and be a good person, not because someone told you to, but because you came to that conclusion. Not at your birth or before, but actively in the everyday, in this very moment. In truth, only you choose how
to accrue your debt.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Write to Carlos Basurto at cbasurto@nd.edu
Remember our physical existence
This is the third installment of Meghan Sullivan’s series about DELTA, Notre Dame’s faith-based framework for a world of powerful AI.
Let’s talk about the second letter in DELTA: E, for embodiment.
For Christians, it is extraordinarily important that God chose to take on a mortal human body, and that its vulnerability, physical limitations and susceptibility to pain are all things that God deems worthy of himself. The incarnation validates the essential goodness of our physical existence.
At the science fiction fringe of work in artificial intelligence right now, there’s a misguided hope that we can make ourselves immortal by somehow capturing a digital copy of memories, our personalities and our manners of speech through data-based models that we upload to the cloud.
Christians should resist this. When we die in this life, our earthly bodies — as we know them — are gone. We can’t achieve immortality through a product that is sold to us by programmers in Silicon Valley. That’s not the road to eternal life. What makes our human lives meaningful is the fact that they’re short and finite, and that we live out those lives in imperfect bodies that are easily hurt.
How does this concept of embodiment affect our practical deliberations about AI? First, this new technology promises
to revolutionize medicine and healthcare. We see this in the work of John M. Jumper and Demis Hassabis at Google’s DeepMind, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2024 by harnessing these large models to discover new ways of creating proteins and compounds to develop new drugs.
AI has the power to help cure diseases that have stymied human scientists in the past. But this era of precision medicine is going to require a new focus on bioethics to accompany this technology. There are profound questions about where healing and enhancement differ, and which aspects of our embodied life we should attempt to preserve and which aspects scientists and medicine should leave alone.
On a more day-to-day level, the rise of social media and the internet has meant that significant portions of our lives happen in digital environments rather than in physical environments. Part of our commitment to embodiment is the idea that the physical presence of others is deeply valuable in our lives.
We saw this during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we lost our ability to be physically present with others. We experienced the profound loneliness of isolation as we worked, studied and lived in digital spaces. We prayed in digital spaces, too. But something critical is missing when we attend a virtual Mass: the embodied relationality of worship. We lose touch with
the physical community of the Church, and in that digital space, we hunger — deeply and intensely — for the Eucharist.
And then there are the “Godbots.” These chatbots, which are trained on religious texts and the work of ministers, present another type of challenge to our embodiment. Rather than seek advice from a trusted priest or minister, you can propose your moral dilemma to an on-call chatbot who will give you an
immediate reply from “God.”
There are many aspects of this technology that we should push back on — the training data, authority and potential biases. Even more critical is the missed opportunity for meaningful encounter: If we turn to a chatbot for advice instead of another human, we miss the opportunity to connect with a fellow companion on the road to Emmaus.
We are all embodied, and this draws us both into communion with others and into
the mystery of the Incarnation. The “E” in DELTA reminds us that as our digital lives become superpowered, we must deliberately and thoughtfully preserve space for physical presence and connection.
Meghan Sullivan Wilsey Family College
Professor of Philosophy and director of University-wide Ethics Initiative and the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good Nov. 7.
CARLOS BASURTO | The Observer
Courtesy of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, University of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame Glee Club’s fall concert was a hit
By Marguerite Marley Scene Writer
Among the many fall traditions at Notre Dame such as tailgating and watching “Rudy,” the Glee Club concert is the one I eagerly anticipate the most. The excitement leading up to the event is always palpable.
A shuttle from Holy Cross Village was outside when I arrived at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on Friday night. Along with older ladies dressed in their church dresses, the auditorium was crowded with Glee Club alumni, the families of current Glee Club members and all their adoring fans.
They started off with a bang. As the lights dimmed over the audience, the club’s members ran out, and they started with an upbeat jazz number, which set the tone for
By Joe Rudolph Scene Writer
Over the past three-and-a-half years, I have been amassing quotes from the Notre Dame community and beyond. As I prepare to leave this university, I would like to present a second iteration of what college has given me. I present to you: the quotebook.
1. “Tobacco increases the risk of blah, blah, blah, blah.”
2. “I believe that the dining hall ice cream (vanilla specifically) induced cystic fibrosis within me.”
3. “You ever call me that again, I’ll break your arm.” — [redacted], on antidisestablishmentarianism.
4. “I vote to vaporize the board of directors!”
5. “I learned the methods of the IRS, so I can counteract them, making me a more effective tax evader.”
6. “I bowled a perfect game without the assistance of steroids and crack.”
7. “I was not convicted of even one felony this year (technically).”
8. “Gentlemen, let’s give this young man here a five-boom salute!”
9. “Do you think people took extra big gulps of the wine at communion during the Prohibition?”
10. “I participate in Ponzi schemes.”
11. “The telos of beer is to be poured into pants.”
12. “Is there a difference between stealing a person and kidnapping them?”
13. “If it’s a competition where I can win alcohol, I win.”
14. “The infidel water drinkers shall have their reckoning — inshallah, they shall fall by the sword of ale, the dagger of wine, the AK-47 of whiskey and the Kalashnikov of vodka!”
15. “When someone from Darien, Conn. says their fun fact is that they’re forklift-certified, I am thoroughly unimpressed.”
16. “I love him so much. He’s gonna get all of my organs when I die.”
17. “Probably should’ve studied
an exciting evening.
The Glee Club director, Daniel Stowe, gave a short introduction before moving into two numbers in Portuguese — I wouldn’t have known the club wasn’t fluent in the language.
After this, they moved on to the mandatory religious portion of the concert, performing several Catholic hymns. Soloists Caleb DeLorenzo, Ben Rohr, Ethan Dimaano, Ray Warth, Owen Roesch and Allen Lopez performed incredibly, and their facial expressions made it clear that the reverence of the pieces was not lost on them. Even though I am a lapsed Catholic, I admit that the “Salve Regina” will always have a special place in my heart.
After this song, Stowe brought Connor Morrissey, a Notre Dame
graduate student, to the front to conduct the next several numbers, which he did incredibly well.
Glee Club continued its international tour by performing several songs in German. The gentlemen were able to soften the harsh German into something I would want to listen to, leaving me impressed.
Still, I would like to remind the club’s members not to sway on stage as much as they do. I got a little seasick watching them. Remember to plant your feet, gentlemen!
They ended the first half of the performance with one of their staples, “Ave Maria,” which is something I look forward to every year.
After an intermission, they moved into a series of barbershop quartets. Now I must admit that I am not immune to a good barbershop quartet,
and the gentlemen of the Glee Club did an incredible job with these selections.
After this, the group paid tribute to Brian Wilson (the late, great singer-songwriter and co-founder of the Beach Boys), who passed away early this year. I am not usually a fan of choral arrangements of pop songs — I suffered through many of them in middle school and high school choir — but this was really well done and a testament to Stowe’s ability to find excellent arrangements and Wilson’s composing ability.
They continued with some less severe numbers, including Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements.” Soloist Jack Christensen had a fantastic stage presence during the song, and it brought a bit of levity that made me smile.
They finished the concert off with
Another quotebook
instead of hitting arms last night, LOL.”
18. “Beer beat me last night. (I threw up.)”
19. “The more fear I can spread on the internet, the better the world will be.”
20. “There is nothing noble about the city we all know as Great Britain”.
21. “Look at you: dressed in sweatpants, benching 135 … loser!”
22. “The hogs have invaded the Best Western motel in Montrose, Colo.”
23. “The stock market (my stomach) underwent a correction (I threw up) after tariffs were raised (I chugged too much milk).”
24. “The Statue of Liberty? Where are we?”
25. “I am going to eat the Mona Lisa.”
26. “Is it illegal to walk outside in England without an umbrella in the sun?”
27. “You gotta have money if you live like I live. I eat four-cheese lasagna!”
28. “Communists don’t get parole!”
29. “I’m an undercover Canadian diplomat doing reconnaissance work in order to assess the possibility of annexing the United States.”
30. “Charmin has always been there for me at my darkest hour.”
31. “Facts, I’m gonna shoot my appendix.”
32. “The Department of Motor Vehicles is a tool the bourgeoisie uses to make the workers turn against one another, not unlike the ATF and the DEA.”
33. “Can I sell one of my livers to pay back my debt?”
34. “Beer, beer, beer! Beer, beer, beer! Beer, beer, beer, beer, beer!” (to the tune of “Jingle Bells”).
35. “My name is Joe ‘Fortnite Gaming’ Rudolph!”
36. “Be on the lookout! One of my homunculi escaped and is terrorizing the community in South Bend! He looks exactly like me
except he is completely bald and extremely aggressive! Beware!”
37. “And for that, I have German economist Klaus Schwab — inventor of the ‘24 and one patio set’ (24 beers and one chair) — to thank!”
38. “I have recently begun smoking cigarettes and crushing beers, and I must say, I’ve never felt better. It’s true! Big tobacco and alcoholism are the path to a healthier life!”
39. “The eight most beautiful letters in the English language: L-O-B-O-T-O-M-Y.”
40. “You can buy 100 crickets for under five dollars at Petco, and public libraries do not check your pockets and/or backpack before entering! Do with that what you will!”
41. “Sink the Bismarck!”
42. “We must stop dumping our drums of nuclear waste in the playground … all these bald children are arousing suspicion!”
43. “Someone has to stand up to the homeless masses and crush them.”
44. “I don’t talk to girls, not when there’s shareholder value to be raised!”
45. “He be bald like Obama.” — a random Italian.
46. “Dude, I’ve been in the room for 20 minutes, and in your sleep, you have yelled, swore at someone and legitimately sang what I think was Bob Dylan.”
47. “Hark! The herald Guinness sings, ‘Glory to the newborn beer; peace on earth, Modelo mild, man and beer have reconciled!’”
48. “I figured out the hard way that it is illegal to take photos of the Sistine Chapel.”
49. “The flight attendant gave me two rum shooters with 15 minutes left to drink them and said ‘I have faith.’”
50. “The fact that creating the character of Cosmo Kramer will be one of Jerry Seinfeld’s greatest life achievements is so special to
several classic Notre Dame songs performed by both former and current club members, getting the audience ready for the game the next day.
But the fun did not stop after the concert, for, while exiting the concert hall, the club surprised us with a teaser for their Christmas concert with songs including “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” The club’s energy was unmistakable — as it always is — and I always recommend that people go to see them.
Their next concert will be Saturday, Dec. 6, alongside the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra. If you have the time, I highly recommend it.
Contact
Marguerite Marley
at mmarley2@nd.edu
me.”
51. “OK, movie idea: There’s this guy named Private Ryan, and we need to save him.”
52. “Tell me a bedtime story about the black plague!”
53. “A collaboration between you and beer is one I fully support!”
54. “Fine, I’ll stop eating your lipstick.”
55. “Don’t make me run! I’m full of chocolate!”
56. “Fun fact: I had this pint at 7:55 a.m. yesterday.”
57. “The DMV will burn for its heresy!”
58. “New idea! They should cover all stairs in vegetable oil, so people slip and fall down. More to come …”
59. “Texting to let you know the senate and my friend Brutus have invited me over for a surprise party! I’m so excited — deciding to leave my sword and shield at home for this one!”
60. “When it comes to soy food, there’s a wealth of positive research …”
61. “Boutta cash out all my Blockbuster stock.”
62. “I heard German economist Klaus Schwab once beat Karl Marx in classical music breakdancing, a true founding father of the sport!”
63. “Attention! The gales of November have just turned gloomy! This is not a joke! Stay off Lake Superior!”
64. “I just took too much pre-workout, and now I want to scratch my face off.”
65. “Breaking news: Several sources have confirmed that Playboi Carti is, in fact, milly-rocking in New York City — millions dead! Current damage far exceeds prior estimates! Take shelter immediately!”
66. “Was your mom a Tylenol mom?”
67. “The only ‘corporate responsibility’ we have is to employ the mercenary pigs when we must.”
68. “I smoke, therefore I think, and I
think, therefore I am.”
69. “I’m going to found a national student organization called Catholic guys against Catholic women.”
70. “I’m actually all for burning the city down.”
71. “Galileo was indeed a heretic who deserved excommunication.”
72. “I’m currently pounding a half gallon of milk in the library right now, because I vehemently hate the establishment.”
73. “As CEO of Doofenschmirtz Evil Inc., I like to wreak carnage on the tri-state area.”
74. “Cigarettes: like a pacifier to a baby.”
75. “I love how all these frosh collectively hit the gym at 6 a.m. for the first week of school until they meet Mr. Beer.”
76. “Your honor, permission to treat the bailiff as hostile?”
77. “A message from Yoda: ‘Gamble all of my money at the MGM, I must. Pay my outstanding tolls to the government of Massachusetts, I will not.’”
78. “When she sees that you’ll do anything she asks, she’s bound to respect you!”
79. “I love living paycheck to paycheck!”
80. “I could not acquire any alcohol tonight, as the cash registrant was able to discern that I was not able-bodied 27-year-old Evelyn Chang.”
81. “Shoplifting is a victimless crime, just like punching someone in the dark!”
82. “Beer at 9 a.m. — God, I love airports.”
83. “New worship hymnals also have ‘Canticle of the Turning’ as hymn 666. Who is running this school?”
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Joe Rudolph at jrudolp3@nd.edu
Football
Continued from page 1
the extra point. When a tripleoption offense meets a runfirst one, the clock moves fast. Another unsuccessful Navy drive and an Irish three-andout rounded out the first 15 minutes. The second quarter, however, was more eventful.
Senior punter James Rendell mishit a 27-yard punt that started the Midshipmen near midfield. They proceeded to matriculate down the field in an eight-play, 53-yard touchdown drive that tied the game at seven. That was the closest they would get.
Fields picked up where he left off, catching passes on the first three plays of Notre Dame’s next series. His play showcased a blossoming partnership with Carr, one built on mutual trust and hard work behind the scenes.
“I think it’s the pride he takes in getting it right,” Fields said about Carr. “If we miss it in practice, we are staying after and repping it … We see it all week, so we know what it’s going to be like on Saturday.”
As good as Fields has been, Jordan Faison continued to serve as Carr’s most reliable target. After Fields got his team into scoring position, the junior pass-catcher converted a fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive. Junior running back Jadarian Price found the end zone on the next play,
regaining a touchdown advantage for the Irish.
Notre Dame forced a Navy three-and-out and got the ball back with ample time to put more points on the board. The Irish made a point of dominating teams in the middle eight a year ago, a trend that has continued in 2025. They came into the game outscoring opponents 148-17 between the final four minutes of the second quarter and first four minutes of the third. Sensing an opportunity to pull away from the Midshipmen, they further improved that impressive number.
A seven-play, 68-yard drive in a little under three minutes ended in a Faison touchdown reception and a 21-7 Irish lead. They left enough time for Navy to answer, though. A 41-yard scramble by Woodson helped the Midshipmen enter field goal range, where they eventually knocked in a 33-yarder right before halftime.
Halfway through the middle eight, the Irish were ahead 2110. By the end of it, they had a commanding 35-10 lead in the game. Navy’s kickoff flew out of bounds to begin the half, giving Notre Dame a 10-yard head start. They only needed four plays from there. After an incompletion and a 1-yard run, Carr turned to old reliable on third-and-nine, a curl route by Faison. The next play was a miraculous touchdown run by Love. The whole stadium, including the Navy defenders,
thought he was down after a short gain. Seconds later, he was back on his feet, sprinting into the end zone. Replay showed Love rolling on the body of a defender to avoid the ground, before reclaiming his balance and unleashing his breakaway speed.
“I had the best view in the house,” Carr said about the highlight-reel run. “It’s always nice when you can have a guy do something like that. It takes a lot of pressure off you.”
With the quick score, Navy was desperate after just 1:33 minutes of second-half play. Quickly faced with a fourthand-two on the ensuing drive, they chose to go for it on their own 33-yard line and fell short. The Irish wasted no time with the ball back in their hands. Carr loaded up a shot to sophomore receiver KK Smith for the one-play touchdown. It felt like the killshot.
Notre Dame would continue to pour it on in what remained of the one-sided contest. After another Navy three-and-out, the Irish took over at midfield. Junior tight end Ty Washington got in on the action, capping off a six-play, 49-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown grab.
With under seven minutes left in the third quarter, both sides made quarterback changes. Sophomore sign caller Jackson Gutierrez took over for the Midshipmen. After forcing another punt, the Irish offense took to the field with junior quarterback Kenny Minchey at
FOOTBALL
the helm. His first drive became the Aneyas Williams show. The sophomore running back got his first touches since the Arkansas game and made good use of them. He took five attempts for 72 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown dash. Navy was stifled yet again on its last attempt at some consolation. Notre Dame only needed a few first downs to kill the rest of the clock and leave their home stadium with a 49-10 victory.
It can be tough to find takeaways in a single game, especially against an uncommon opponent like Navy. But beyond what the scoreboard read, Notre Dame played a near-perfect game of football, correcting the glaring mistakes of weeks past. They finished without a single penalty, capitalized on all of their red zone trips and, biggest of all, kicked every single extra point through the uprights. A win against Navy will not be the defining resume point that changes the nation’s perception of Notre Dame. However, it was another showing from a team finding its best football.
In the fourth quarter, Dean Martin’s “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” rang out from the loudspeakers as snowflakes trickled down from the sky. November football had officially arrived.
“The best teams win in November,” senior cornerback DeVonta Smith said in the
post-game press conference. “We believe that we are one of the best teams in the country, and we are going to continue to prove that.”
The Alabama transfer is no stranger to winning when it matters most. He learned how important that is under Nick Saban, the greatest college football coach of all time. Like Saban, Freeman has had great success in the winter months. His team’s win against Navy brought his record in November to 9-2 during his Notre Dame tenure. This is no accident. In all four of his seasons, the Irish got better as the year went on, a product of the mindset Freeman instills in his players.
“Why do you have to struggle?” Freeman asked before promptly answering. “Because you can’t grow if you don’t struggle.”
Freeman has been no stranger to struggle in his young coaching career. Every time, though, he has gotten his team to respond. A 0-2 start made Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff hopes seem bleak. But they also looked that way after a loss to Northern Illinois at home. Look where they ended up then. The Irish have the talent and leadership to get back to that stage. They took one step closer on Saturday. Only time will tell if they make it all the way.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu
Cahill: Irish are built for November
By Noah Cahill Sports Editor
It was a snowy Saturday night in South Bend. Weather fit for football. The Notre Dame players stood arm-inarm, swaying with the chords of the University’s Alma Mater. As the band played, players and students joined in harmony, their booming voices cutting through the frigid air. The temperatures didn’t stop Irish faithful from observing the fourth-quarter tradition of tarp removal. They had to have been freezing. But, somehow, winning in the way that Notre Dame did helps you forget.
The Irish came about as close as you can to playing a perfect game against Navy. In the 39-point victory, Notre Dame outgained the Midshipmen 502 to 228 and scored on all but one of its offensive drives that didn’t end with kneeling out the clock. The Irish didn’t commit a single penalty for the first time since 1997. Maybe most importantly, they made all of their extra points.
The play of head coach Marcus Freeman’s team was a testament to what he’s been
building since his promotion in 2021 – a team built for November.
That starts with the leader of the offense. Freshman quarterback CJ Carr grew up playing in this type of game.
The Saline, Michigan, native delivered a spotless passing performance to the tune of 218 yards and three touchdowns against the Midshipmen, further cementing his rookie season in the record books. Dishing out dimes left and right, the Midwest man was unfazed by the snowfall.
“I love it,” Carr said about seeing the snow. “When you see a Southern quarterback on the other side, it’s almost like, ‘I could take him, I’m better than him.’”
Should they win out and get a little bit of help, the Irish could bring a Southern opponent to them in round one. That team will need to be ready for the weather. Carr and company sure will be.
Football played in the elements relies on trench play. Both lines were at their best on Saturday. Setting an aggressive tone against the triple-option, the Irish defense generated two sacks and five tackles for loss while allowing
only 22 passing yards. On the other side of the ball, Carr could feel a lot more confident standing behind an offensive line that barely let anyone touch him all game. Despite still being ravaged by injuries, the group was dominant on Saturday.
As impressive as Carr has played, Jeremiyah Love remains the catalyst for an Irish offense built on the rushing attack. The junior running back found yet another way to leave viewers in disbelief, showing why he should be in New York among the inner circle of Heisman Trophy candidates. Love appeared to go down after a short gain, but used the defender to roll back to his feet. In the blink of an eye, he was on a beeline to the end zone. He finished the game with 94 yards and a pair of scores to go along with the signature moment. It joins a growing catalogue of them.
Freeman now holds a 9-2 record in November across his four seasons at the helm.
CLASSIFIEDS
In every season, his teams have also played markedly better football than they did in the months prior. After an 0-2 start in 2022 that included losses to Ohio State and Marshall, the Irish knocked off then-top-five Clemson to start the month. In 2024, they overcame the Northern Illinois collapse and cemented their place in the College Football Playoff with wins against Florida State, Virginia, Army and USC. In 2025, they are poised to follow the same comeback arc.
This improvement doesn’t happen by chance, though. It’s a direct result of a relentless process.
“How do you get that outcome? You get focused and locked in on play one,” Freeman said. “You try to win that play, and then you do it again, play two.”
That process doesn’t skip steps, no matter the opponent, the score or the time of the game. In Freeman’s eyes, it has to look the same and be
treated the same by everyone.
“You thought it was over in the third quarter. I hope not anybody in our football program thought it was over,” Freeman said. “That play in the third quarter … is the most important play.”
That mindset gave Notre Dame a shot at a national championship a year ago. This September, the Irish were faced with an 0-2 start that made a return trip feel like a fantasy. They now sit at No. 9 in the most recent AP poll and have a legitimate chance at hosting a postseason game in Notre Dame Stadium for the second year running. The game against Navy wasn’t just about increased Playoff chances. It was just as much about telling the nation that Notre Dame has greater aspirations than sneaking into the 12-team field. This team wants it all. They might finally be ready to take it.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
How many days will it snow this winter?
Taihiro Thompson-Cook junior St. Edward’s Hall
“30-40.”
Rawan Shehayib sophomore Flaherty Hall
Laura Chillemi sophomore Breen-Phillips Hall
Kerry Jiang sophomore Knott Hall
Matthew Freel sophomore Duncan Hall
SOCIAL MEDIA POLL
Have an idea for a poll? Email dstangel@nd.edu
How connected do you think Notre Dame and South Bend are?
THE NEXT FIVE DAYS
Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com
Monday
‘Recovery is Spoken Here’ Recovery-informed training and certification program LaFortune Student Center, Dooley Room 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.
Tuesday
Notre Dame men’s basketball vs. Eastern Illinois The Fighting Irish take on the Panthers Purcell Pavilion 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
‘Hope and Healing’: 2025 Annual Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C. Dr. Tom Catena shares his Catholic faith and work in medicine Eck Center Auditorium 5 - 6 p.m.
Thursday
‘Titus Andronicus’ Performance by the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company Washington Hall Lab Theatre 7 - 9:30 p.m.
Friday
‘Little Shop of Horrors’ PEMCo presents horror comedy musical Washington Hall Mainstage Theatre 7 - 9 p.m.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
On the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps, the All-Veteran Group parachute team drops into Notre Dame Stadium to celebrate the kickoff of the football game against Navy on Saturday evening.
Irish storm past Detroit Mercy, improve to 2-0
By Sam Harshman Sports Writer
Before Notre Dame men’s basketball’s 102-70 defeat of Detroit Mercy on Friday night, head coach Micah Shrewsberry told his team, “There’s people that might not normally come that will be here tonight. Let’s make them come back.” Shrewsberry was well aware of all the ramifications that come with playing a basketball game at Notre Dame on a football weekend. And he used this unique opportunity to fuel his team, motivating his players to put on a show in front of not only the local South Bend crowd, but all the Irish fans on campus for the weekend.
Despite the high-scoring final result, both offenses struggled in the opening minutes of the first half. The game quickly turned into a high-paced, upand-down game with both teams favoring pushing the tempo. The Titans struggled to score in the interior, and the Irish defense was able to limit them to scoring only 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the half. The Irish offense was most definitely limited after junior guard Markus Burton picked up two early fouls, and junior Logan Imes and sophomore Sir Mohammed took over the reins of point guard.
But the threes eventually began to fall for the Irish as backto-back triples from junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry and sophomore guard Cole Certa sparked an offensive explosion. Midway through the half, freshman forward Brady Koehler found himself on a personal 5-0 run after knocking down a three and scoring a layup, stretching the Irish lead to double digits. The long ball certainly helped the Irish pull away from the Titans in the first half, led by Shrewsberry,
who finished the half with 16 points on 4-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Notre Dame was able to establish a 44-31 lead at the half.
The impressive scoring continued into the second half with Burton now joining in on the fun. After finishing the first half with only a single point, Burton got his offensive game going with an and-one followed by a made 3-pointer in back-toback possessions. After knocking down the triple, Burton turned immediately to the Detroit Mercy bench with his hand over his veins, raising the tension between the two teams. From there on, the Irish ran away with the lead due to their offensive successes, concluding the game with a final score of 102-70.
Perhaps the most impressive part of this game was the depth the Irish displayed. The scoring was headlined by Shrewsberry’s 19 points, but five other players finished the game in double figures.
A pair of freshmen in Ryder Frost and Brady Koehler put up 10 points off the bench, and Mohammed scored 10. And following up on his impressive 19-rebound game against LIU, graduate forward Carson Towt recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Burton even got his share of scoring, finishing with 13 points despite the early foul trouble.
Speaking on this depth and balanced scoring, Micah Shrewsberry said, “There’s no separation. It’s 11 guys that are capable, and you just plug and play, right? You start the game and there is no [freshman guard] Jalen Haralson, and Markus picks up two fouls in the first couple minutes and it’s like, ‘OK, go to him, go to him, go to him.’” This scoring is even more impressive considering that star freshman Haralson
was out due to a concussion he suffered in the previous game against LIU.
Shrewsberry’s team also seems to be playing with great energy. After every basket, the whole bench, including the entire coaching staff, was out of their seats and hyping up the guys on the court. Considering the team went 15-18 last season, it is promising to see so much joy and excitement radiating from the entire team and coaching staff.
Speaking to the energetic environment that the team has fostered, Micah Shrewsberry said, “They just have joy on a daily basis. They love competing together, and they get after each other in practice, but they love being around each other.”
Shrewsberry also described this joy and this energy as being a collective effort, saying, “It started with those seven guys coming back, and then the
guys that come in, like Jalen Haralson has joy every day, Carson Towt has joy every day.”
The team seems to have found a great sense of love for one another, certainly something that will help them sustain success throughout the year.
The next opponent for the Irish is Eastern Illinois. The Panthers are currently 1-1 on the season after falling in their season opener to Valparaiso and defeating Nicholls on Friday night.
Last season, the Panthers finished the season with a struggling record of 12-19 on the season and finished seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Head coach Marty Simmons is hoping to bring the Panthers back to success in the OVC, as they have a combined record of 49-103 in the past five seasons.
Eastern Illinois has not finished the season above .500 since the 2019-20 season, highlighting
the struggling years they have endured as of late.
In the first two games of the season, Eastern Illinois’s senior guard Zion Fruster has been its leading scorer. In the season opener, Fruster recorded 12 points and scored 25 points in the victory against Nicholls. Fruster possesses a threat for the Irish defense at multiple levels with his scoring ability at the rim as well as his 3-point shooting, where he went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc against Nicholls. Fruster is now in his second season with the Panthers after transferring from Virginia Wise after two seasons.
The Irish will look to improve to 3-0 on the season and keep up their positive energy at Purcell Pavilion this Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Contact Sam Harshman at sharshma@nd.edu
Irish score 116 points to blow out Chicago State
By Harrison Brown Sports Writer
After starting the season with a win, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team won its matchup with the Chicago State Cougars by a 116-58 score on Sunday. The Cougars began the season 1-1 but were facing their toughest test of the season against No. 15-ranked Notre Dame.
Notre Dame won the tip, and a layup from senior guard Cassandre Prosper gave the Irish a 2-0 lead. This early lead would hold as Notre Dame did not trail for a single second of game time. Prosper remained hot through the first quarter,
shooting 100% from both the field and the line en route to 12 points in the period. By the end of the quarter, the Irish already held a 35-14 lead. Heading into the second, they did not let up, furthering the lead. At the half, Chicago State faced a monumental 62-29 deficit.
The third quarter was defined by the Irish defense as they gave up only nine points over the duration. Junior guard Hannah Hidalgo led the scoring with 12 points of her own. Entering the final quarter, Notre Dame was up 60, leading 98-38. In the fourth, Notre Dame was outscored 20-18, but it was far too little, far too late for Chicago State, and the Irish would
ultimately take a 116-58 victory.
Hidalgo led all scorers in the match with 32 points. Last season, she was among the top five players in the country for points per game, a trend that appears to be continuing as she is averaging 29.5 through the first two games. Additionally, she recorded eight rebounds and eight assists against Chicago State in her 27 minutes of playing time.
The next highest scorer was Prosper, who finished with 28. She shot an efficient 10-for-12 on field goals as well as 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. So far this season, she has a 64% field goal percentage and has yet to miss a free throw.
Senior guard KK Bransford
recorded her first double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
After returning from a lowerleg injury that kept her out last season, Bransford has started the season strong, averaging 17 points and nine rebounds.
All five of Notre Dame’s starters would finish with doubledigit point totals. Graduate guard Vanessa de Jesus recorded 15 points and also took three steals. She has had three steals in both games of this season. Forward Gisela Sanchez, a fellow graduate player, had 11 points along with two blocks.
Notre Dame dominated the boards, winning the rebounding battle 47-24. The 20
offensive boards resulted in 22 second-chance points. The Irish also won the turnover battle, forcing 30, including 19 steals. The team scored 44 points off turnovers. Another key to Notre Dame’s blowout victory was the shooting percentages. They were over 50% from the field and over 86% from the charity stripe.
The Irish will conclude a three-game homestand to start the season as the host of Akron on Nov. 12. The Zips are currently 0-2 and will tip off with Notre Dame at 7 p.m. inside Purcell Pavilion.
Contact Harrison Brown at hbrown23@nd.edu
FINN SCALLON | The Observer
Junior guard Markus Burton handles the basketball during Notre Dame’s 102-70 defeat of Detroit Mercy at Purcell Pavilion on Nov. 7, 2025. The Mishawaka native helped the Irish debut their “The Bend” jerseys Friday.
Minnesota sweeps Notre Dame in Minneapolis
By Ryan Murphy Sports Writer
Notre Dame hockey dropped both ends of its two-game series at Minnesota this weekend. The Irish and Gophers both entered the weekend winless in early-season Big Ten play. The Irish (3-6-0, 0-4-0 Big Ten) exited the same way and have now lost four straight.
Friday night’s contest remained scoreless into the second period until sophomore forward Beckett Hendrickson opened the scoring for the Gophers. Hendrickson took a backhand wraparound feed from sophomore Erik Påhlsson and deposited it up over Irish sophomore netminder Nicholas Kempf to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead at 7:04 of the middle frame. At the time, Minnesota was outshooting Notre Dame 22-9.
The Irish made a bid to tie the game late in the period, but Minnesota junior netminder Luca Di Pasquo shut down Irish freshman forward Cole Brown with the glove. It would be his best save of the night.
Notre Dame nearly tied the score again early in the third, when its aggressive penalty-killing generated a 3-on-2, but junior forward Danny Nelson shot the rebound off the post. The goal light went on inside 3M Arena at Mariucci, but the puck stayed out.
Minnesota found the insurance goal it needed when senior forward Brody Lamb scored into an empty net with 2:48 to play. The Gophers added another into the vacant cage 36 seconds later. Sophomore defenseman John Whipple found the twine with his back to the end wall in the Minnesota defensive zone, scoring his first collegiate goal from
nearly 200 feet away.
Di Pasquo made 19 saves for his first shutout of the season. Kempf turned away 31 of 32 shots in a hardluck loss.
Both goaltenders were back between the pipes in Saturday night’s contest, which saw Minnesota jump out to an early lead. A turnover below the Irish goal line ended up in the back of Notre Dame’s net 3:37 into the contest, with Lamb one-timing a pass from junior forward Jimmy Clark past Kempf for his team-leading sixth goal of the season.
Notre Dame finally scored its first and only goal of the weekend early in the second period, when senior defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico walked in from the circle and beat Di Pasquo. Just a minute earlier, Kempf had shut down sophomore forward Brodie Ziemer to keep the game 1-0, making a terrific side-to-side stop on
a 2-on-1.
The game did not escape the second period tied. Minnesota took the lead for good with 3:43 remaining in the second. On the power play, senior defenseman Luke Mittelstadt sifted a point shot through traffic that beat Kempf, with Clark providing the screen. The Gophers added to their tally just 1:16 later, with Clark himself scoring on a snapshot from the faceoff circle.
Notre Dame had a handful of chances, including a Di Pasquo windmill glove save on junior forward Cole Knuble, but again found itself trailing as the buzzer sounded on period two.
Gopher star freshman forward LJ Mooney clinched the game, and the series, for Minnesota with a breakaway goal late in the third. Di Pasquo earned every bit of his third win of the season, stopping 33 Irish shots.
Kempf saved 31 of 35.
Seeing the series at Minnesota slip away will hurt for Notre Dame. The Gophers had lost five of their last six entering the weekend, but the Irish were not able to wield that skid against them. The pair of Gopher victories marks the first time Minnesota has strung together consecutive wins this season.
The road gets no easier for Notre Dame, which welcomes No. 1 Michigan State to Compton Family Ice Arena on Friday and Saturday. Notre Dame and Ohio State now stand as the only two teams without a win in Big Ten play. The Irish will also face Merrimack, No. 18 Boston College and No. 10 Wisconsin before the hockey team’s holiday break begins on Dec. 7.
Contact Ryan Murphy at rmurph22@nd.edu
Leaving home, Fields finds new meaning with ND
By Ben Hicks Associate Sports Editor
After starring as a dual-threat quarterback at Charlottesville’s Monticello High School, Notre Dame senior wide receiver Malachi Fields laid his roots down at home and committed to compete for the Virginia Cavaliers. Switching from throwing passes to catching them once he arrived at Charlottesville’s university, Fields made an immediate impact for the high-powered Hoos’ attack.
He reeled in 11 receptions for 172 yards as a freshman, before lingering injuries caused him to miss the final game of that campaign and nearly the entirety of his sophomore season. Fields would thrive following those setbacks, staying loyal to his hometown amidst a coaching change to become Virginia’s primary pass-catching threat in his junior season. Across his final two years for a rebuilding and retooling Cavaliers program, the 6-foot-4 hometown hero made 113 catches for over 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Following his graduation, Fields retained one year of eligibility due to his medical redshirt back in 2022. Staying home to finish what he had started in Charlottesville was a viable option, but Fields had yet to compete in a bowl game or any truly meaningful contest, across his four years at Virginia. He eventually opted to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 17, 2024.
Despite its dominant 13-game winning streak and impressive run to the College Football Playoff National Championship a year ago, Notre Dame’s receiving corps was a glaring weakness. With star junior running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price both slated to return, as well as an open quarterback competition looming, Marcus Freeman knew his team needed weapons to truly open up
the attack. Notre Dame wide receivers coach Mike Brown, a fellow Monticello High alum, knew exactly who his first call would be to.
Less than a week later, with Notre Dame fresh off a dominant win over Indiana in the CFP First Round, Fields was committed to the Irish and on his way to South Bend. After Notre Dame fell to Ohio State in that championship game, Fields got to work building rapport with his potential new signal callers, throwing his prior achievements out the window as he aimed to emerge as a consistent, reliable option.
“You keep that confidence with what you accomplished, but you go to work to get the timing down, the chemistry down, and just trust that he’s going to trust me, and then you go out there and make the plays on Saturdays,” he said of his relationship with freshman quarterback CJ Carr.
Carr has impressed the masses with his play thus far throughout his rookie campaign, but Freeman and company have provided all the necessary components for a young quarterback to succeed. Notre Dame’s defense is rolling, the twoheaded monster in the backfield seems unstoppable and most importantly, Fields has wielded his experience to become the dependable go-to guy. The connection between Carr and Fields is easily recognizable, yet has become increasingly difficult for defenses to stop.
Freeman bluntly assessed the pair’s partnership, saying, “The execution is what matters. The execution was great, and I’m glad they were connecting.”
In Saturday’s offensive explosion against a usually sound Navy defense, Fields hauled in four passes for 97 yards. His vertical speed and sure hands have made him Carr’s favorite deep-ball target, and this week was no different as Fields hauled in a 52-yard bomb early to
break the top off the Midshipmen’s cover-zero defense.
“After the second drive of the game, we saw their man on the tight end kind of lift above [senior wide receiver] Will Pauling to take him away a lot, so that opened up the boundary, and you know [Fields] is hard to stop,” Carr said. He continued, “I gave him a chance on a lot of balls, and he came down with them, and we’re going to keep doing that.”
Fields, whose big frame and impressive catch radius make him a matchup nightmare when singled up, relished the opportunity to battle Navy’s secondary.
He said that taking shots was a focal point throughout the week of preparation, saying, “We definitely came in expecting that we’d be able to get open and have some deep shots. That was in the game plan.”
While Fields is certainly the primary target for Notre Dame’s developing quarterback, the entirety of the wide receiver room has
made an impact across the Irish’s seven-game winning streak. The Irish hauled in 16 passes against the Mids, spread across eight different receivers. Eight different weapons have all reached the end zone through the air this year, with no receiver scoring more than five times. After Notre Dame’s passing attack was fairly one-dimensional a year ago, Carr now has a plethora of choices at his disposal.
Fields, the leader of the unit, has loved to see the growth of the passcatchers, ranging from freshmen to graduate students, and true receivers to tight ends and running backs.
“It’s cool to see everybody eat. We see it all week throughout practice, all year, really. Just all these different guys who come in at any moment and make plays,” he said.
He was also complimentary of Carr, signaling how the desire to play for an elite quarterback allowed him to leave home for Notre Dame.
“He’s seeing everything so well.
He’s taking the challenges, never flinching, never hesitating. He’s out there having fun, just playing ball,” Fields said. “The pride he takes in getting it right. If we miss it in practice, we’re staying after and repping it until we get it right,” he continued.
For Malachi Fields, leaving the University of Virginia and his hometown of Charlottesville wasn’t an easy decision. His roots are at Monticello, but another Monticello receiver sold him on a dream, and now the Irish are fighting for a national championship. After its narrow air attack cost Notre Dame a year ago, the Blue and Gold have opened up the offense and are cruising straight ahead for another appearance in the College Football Playoff. Without Malachi Fields taking a risk and leaving home, none of that would have been possible.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
Senior wide receiver Malachi Fields looks to the sideline during Notre Dame’s 49-10 defeat of Navy at Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 8, 2025. Fields hauled in four passes for 97 yards on Saturday, including a 52-yarder.
Key moments from Notre Dame’s defeat of Navy
By Ben Hicks Associate Sports Editor
Despite Navy’s conservative triple option attack, the swirling snow flurries of early November and South Bend’s limiting possessions, Marcus Freeman’s No. 10 Irish were able to out-duel the Midshipmen and continue their push to the College Football Playoff (CFP). After a methodical opening 25 minutes from both sides, the Irish scored three touchdowns across the “middle eight” to cruise to a 49-10 rivalry victory.
After struggling a week ago in Chestnut Hill, Notre Dame’s special teams traversed the adverse conditions nicely, converting every kick and avoiding major mistakes in the punting game. The defense continued its recent resurgence, holding the Midshipmen to 206 rushing yards, below their NCAAbest 317 per game, as well as less than five yards per carry. Offensively, freshman quarterback CJ Carr was efficient, completing 13 of 16 passes through the air for 218 yards and three scores in just three quarters of work. Junior running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price paired for 141 yards on the ground and
three more scores, while senior receiver Malachi Fields was the bell-cow in the passing game, hauling in four receptions for 97 yards.
Irish go 94 yards for opening drive touchdown
After a line drive 52-yard punt from Navy sophomore Jacob Carlson pinned the Irish at their own six-yard line, Notre Dame’s first two plays from scrimmage were inside handoffs for exactly no yardage. The Midshipmen then brought heavy pressure on third and long, but Carr had just enough time to hit Love on an intermediate Texas route to extend the drive.
After gaining 27 on the improvisational dump off to Love, Carr displayed his innate arm talent on the very next play, hitting Fields in stride for a 52-yard pickup. Love would take care of the rest, capping off the opening series with a score from one yard out. After all the midweek discussions swirling around Notre Dame’s kicking game, freshman Erik Schmidt booted the PAT through with ease, and the Irish led 7-0.
Notre Dame converts on key fourth and one
After Navy capitalized on
favorable field position thanks to a poor punt from Notre Dame senior James Rendell to knot the score at seven, the Irish quickly worked their way back inside Midshipmen territory. Fields made three acrobatic catches along the sideline during the drive, but after Price was stuffed in short yardage at the Navy 11, Freeman had a fourth down decision to ponder. As he has seemingly all year, the boss left his offense on the field to extend the possession. Carr found junior receiver Jordan Faison inside the five, before Price found pay-dirt on the next play to put the Irish back on top.
Irish win the middle eight Sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa continued his recent tear on the next Navy series, breaking through the Midshipmen interior to collect a tackle for loss. After Chris Ash’s defense forced a three and out, Carr led the Irish offense 68 yards in just under three minutes to double the lead. The signal caller hit senior receiver Will Pauling for 27 on 3rd & 8 at the cusp of field goal range, before connecting with Faison for his first passing touchdown of the evening.
ND WOMEN’S SOCCER
Stepping in at quarterback for talented senior Blake Horvath, who was scratched late with an injury, junior Braxton Woodson put together a nice drive for the Midshipmen to salvage points prior to the intermission. Woodson, who has now started one game in each of his three collegiate seasons, picked up 41 yards with his own feet, before converting a critical third down toss to senior flanker Eli Heidenreich. Senior kicker Nathan Kirkwood calmly slotted through a 34-yard field goal, making the halftime score 21-10.
Navy elected to take the ball after winning the coin toss, meaning Notre Dame would open the second half on offense. The Irish quickly found themselves in yet another third and long, but Carr once again dissected soft coverage and hit Faison to pick up the yardage. Love then ripped off another highlight reel touchdown run, breaking three would-be tacklers en route to a 48 yard score. He was seemingly brought down after gaining only four, but Love surfed along the defender’s back, somehow avoiding the ground, before popping up and sprinting to the endzone.
On the ensuing Navy
possession, the Midshipmen tried to push the envelope on fourth and two from their own 33, but the Irish front stuffed the dive attempt. Notre Dame’s offense swiftly took advantage of the turnover, as Carr’s playaction fake allowed sophomore wideout KK Smith to sneak behind the defense for a perfectly executed score. In the matter of eight minutes, the Irish lead bloated from seven to 25.
Second unit adds on Sophomore quarterback
Kenny Minchey, who narrowly lost the heavily publicized position battle this offseason, replaced Carr late in the third quarter. He guided the Irish down the field for their fourth consecutive touchdown drive, punctuated by a 54-yard scurry by sophomore rusher Aneyas Williams. Rotating in ancillary pieces defensively as well, the Irish held the Midshipmen scoreless in the second half, only allowing 50 total yards. All told, it was an impressive showing from all three of Freeman’s units, with the Irish prevailing 49-10 to defeat Navy for a seventh consecutive time.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
Irish drop ACC title to Stanford in heartbreaker
By Chris Dailey Sports Writer
The No. 2 Notre Dame women’s soccer team fell in heartbreaking fashion to No. 1 Stanford in Sunday’s ACC Championship, falling short on penalties after a hard-fought 110 minutes of action.
Notre Dame and Stanford shared possession early. An early header for Stanford soared over the bar, and the Cardinal lifted several more aerial threats into the box to no avail. Meanwhile, for the Irish, their early chances in and around the 18 were snuffed out largely in part to overhit balls or stellar defending from the Cardinal.
After a captivating, openended initial 30 minutes of play, Stanford finally struck the back of the net through a wonderfully taken shot from senior forward Allie Montoya.
Montoya, who has a trademark for being one of Stanford’s most consistent players over the past four years, was fed a delicious ball from classmate Jasmine Aikey towards the right edge of the box. From there,
Montoya made no mistake about it and fired a shot in the bottom corner. The ball rattled off the inside of the far post before crossing the line.
Despite the let-up, the Irish remained strong defensively. Senior defender Ally Pinto produced several nice blocks, and the defensive unit made sophomore goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica’s job relatively easy for the rest of the first half.
However, on the flip side of the break, a left-footed wonder goal courtesy of Aikey skipped by the head of Kasica and into the net. Aikey was defended by 2024 First Team All-ACC senior defender Leah Klenke. Although she did a nice job of containing Aikey, the ace left Klenke with nothing to do but hope the shot was missed.
Despite the early secondhalf goal, the feeling of being 2-0 down was not an unfamiliar one for the Irish. In its regular-season 4-2 win over No. 6 Florida State in early October, Notre Dame found itself down by two goals early. The question within the team was whether it could find that same magic again.
After an onslaught of chances from the likes of sophomore forward Anabelle Chukwu, freshman forward Tessa Knapp and a woodwork shot from sophomore forward Izzy Engle, the Irish finally broke through with 22 minutes remaining thanks to a quintessential goal from Engle.
The Irish won the ball back in their defensive third before quickly transitioning to the middle of the park by finding the feet of sophomore forward Ellie Hodsden. With the ball bouncing en route to her, Hodsden wisely chipped the ball over the top of Stanford’s high-line defense and into the path of Engle. Two touches and one stumble later, Engle somehow managed to dink the ball over the head of Stanford’s freshman goalkeeper Caroline Birkel.
Two minutes later, Irish fans held their breath after a Cardinal cross nearly found its way into the back of the net. Apart from that scare, the Irish dominated play. Engle showed off her clever footwork in the attacking third, nearly scoring a second. Junior midfielder Charlie Codd eventually knotted the
score upon receiving the ball off a corner and firing in a beautiful half-volley.
Notre Dame nearly took a 3-2 lead just moments after through a long-range attempt from Codd that did enough to challenge Birkel. In the dying embers of the game, Stanford produced its final legitimate attempt on net on a long strike from Aikey. The ball was on track to zip right into the upper corner of the net, but unfortunately for the Cardinal, Kasica had other plans. The acrobatic goalie made a diving punch save to keep the Irish alive.
In total, the Irish outshot the Cardinal 15-3 in the second half. However, soccer can be a cruel game, and two 10-minute extra-time periods ensued instead.
While Notre Dame did find some good opportunities in overtime by feeding in Engle over the top and a strong near-post shot from junior midfielder Morgan Roy, none were as definitive as Chukwu’s chance in the final three minutes of the second extra-time period. The Canadian dazzled between two Cardinal defenders at the top of the box, but
her final touch was too heavy and rolled in the direction of Birkel.
As a result, the game was sent to penalties. Following a successful first three penalties for both sides, Roy’s right-sided strike was saved. The Irish were kept alive thanks to Kasica’s diving save on Stanford’s fifth attempt.
In sudden-death penalties, Codd’s attempt rattled the left post. Sophomore Charlotte Kohler sealed the deal by slotting in the game-winning penalty for the Cardinal. Notre Dame ultimately outshot Stanford 25-13, but it was the Cardinal who ended up raising the ACC Championship trophy. The match certainly lived up to the expectations that the college soccer world had placed upon it. With both teams now awaiting their seed in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament Championship bracket, there is a good chance they will meet again later in the season. The Irish are seeking their first College Cup appearance and national championship since 2010.
Contact Chris Dailey at cdailey2@nd.edu