In the end, Notre Dame did what it needed to do: collect a win over the uniquely pesky Midshipmen heading into the game of the year against Miami in South Bend this Saturday night. While the most important box was ultimately checked, the Irish did leave some doubt and questions that will bleed into the Hurricane buildup.

Notre Dame continues to start slowly

Notre Dame has been a very strong second-half team this year, and the Irish deserve credit for finishing strong most weeks. That being said, slow starts have been a consistent theme this season for the Irish.

Games against Wisconsin, Michigan State, North Carolina, BYU and Navy all featured a sluggish-looking Notre Dame team that failed to gain momentum early in games and allowed the opposition to get off to strong starts.

While the Irish overcame all of these sleepy starts with one massive and notable exception in BYU, this is a big red flag overall and for what lies directly ahead in Miami.

Something is amiss when Notre Dame enters each of these games as heavy favorites, has a massive talent advantage, yet allows the opposition to gain early momentum.

The Irish have been able to rebound and win each of these games but BYU, but allowing momentum to number one Miami early next week could be insurmountable. The Irish will need to play four strong quarters to win that football game, something we have rarely seen in 2026.

Notre Dame's defense is searching for consistency

While Notre Dame's defensive ranks over the course of the year remain impressive overall, things feel and look uncomfortable far too often.

After letting BYU dictate the entire first half, which, despite a second-half comeback, led to a loss, Navy was able to control the entire first half of this ballgame as well, despite Notre Dame having a full two weeks to prepare for its unique offense.

Nobody is quite sure where the disconnect is, but there is one. Whether it be the scheme and approach, messaging, the players not executing, or a combination of all of the above, this has not looked like the aggressive, lockdown top five defense that was promised all offseason.

Against the Hurricanes, my hope is that the scheme is simplified and the Irish play an aggressive style of defense that frees the players up to make plays rather than overthink things or be put in positions that don't play to their players' strengths.

The Miami game is the ultimate final exam for Chris Ash and his defense. This is a pass fail moment with everything on the line. The stakes couldn't be any higher.