Bob Morton: What to expect from CJ Carr in Notre Dame vs. Miami

For the first three seasons of Bob Morton’s career at Notre Dame, he was under the tutelage of interior offensive line coach John McDonell. The offensive tackles and tight ends coach at that time? A guy by the name of Mike Denbrock.

While Denbrock wasn’t Morton’s direct position coach from 2002-04, they spent time in the same meeting room for three seasons. It’s safe to say that Morton is plenty familiar with the Irish’s current offensive coordinator, who is at Notre Dame for a third stint.

Notre Dame opens its 2025 season on the road against Miami on Sunday night, breaking in a new starting quarterback who hasn’t thrown a collegiate pass.

How does Morton anticipate Denbrock using CJ Carr tomorrow evening?

“I think that Coach Denbrock will come out protecting the pace early — protecting the ball early,” Morton said on Wednesday night during a Blue & Gold YouTube live stream. “He’ll want to control the pressure that’s on CJ Carr. I expect to see really creative ways of getting the ball into the hands of people you want to get it to. You’ll see the short passing game.”

Scripted plays in the first quarter will be important to get the redshirt freshman comfortable.

“You’ll see some safe calls in the first 15 plays — some chosen aggression,” Morton continued. “The first 15 plays are unique because they know which plays they’ll be calling, unless a given down and distance comes up. So you don’t have to worry about the communication as much. You have those 15 plays that are like jabs — setting up haymakers later in the game.

“I really expect Mike to do a great job of throwing those jabs — keeping CJ calm and finding ways to get Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price established.”

Morton feels confident that Notre Dame will win the contest if the Irish win the turnover battle.

“If CJ gets out of there without a turnover, I don’t think this game is close,” he stated. “I don’t think the studs we have all over the offense will be kept in check by any defense for an extended period of time. If we can keep from giving the ball away to Miami — that’s the key to a more comfortable win in South Florida.”

Morton predicts the Fighting Irish to come out on top 27-17, which would cover the 2.5-point spread, according to Bet MGM.

“I see a lot more ways where this falls in Notre Dame’s favor,” he said. “Going into a game with the defensive backfield and linebackers we have, it really mitigates what Miami will want to do offensively. If we can get a good pass rush, it could be a hard night for Carson Beck, who is a gunslinger himself.”