Quick Picks with Coach Rick Bowe, CFB Picks, CFB Free Picks, CFB Predictions 9/27/25
- rbowe7447
- Sep 27
- 3 min read
NOTRE DAME @ ARKANSAS (ND -4, 63.5)
Marcus Freeman is sick of being questioned about the defense of his team. When No. 22 Notre Dame (1-2) plays Arkansas (2-2) on Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Freeman stated that he will not take over defensive play-calling. Freeman stated that he will seek out his players to accept accountability for improving their performance.
In their first three games, the Fighting Irish have given up 98 points. The Irish haven’t given up that many since 2007, when Charlie Weis' team gave up 102 in their opening three games en route to a 0-5 start and a 3-9 season.
"During tough times, there's two options: fight or flight," Freeman stated. "And the men who (select) flight place the blame elsewhere."The call is coming. He is to blame. Either this coach or that player is to blame. He should have been covered by that corner, but we lost a big play. Flight mode is that.
After defeating Purdue 56-30 at home last weekend, Notre Dame will aim for back-to-back wins. The Fighting Irish, who lost their season opener 27–24 to then-No. 10 Miami, are now playing their second road game of the year.
After suffering a crushing 32-31 loss to Memphis last Saturday, Arkansas is back at home. Late in the third quarter, the Razorbacks had a 31–20 lead, but the Tigers came back to win. Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was devastated by the setback, which was Arkansas' second consecutive defeat.
Pittman stated, "We simply need to improve, and we need to have guys flying to the football game." The physicality is essential. Regardless of the defense you employ, it will fail if you are unable to run to the football, tackle effectively, and possess the aggressive "Let's go get them" mentality.
Pittman welcomes the uniqueness of Saturday's match. Notre Dame is playing at Arkansas for the first time. His words, "We have an opportunity," "The only way we can win people that don't believe in us, or win some more positive thoughts about our program, is to win games."
Arkansas will need to stop Notre Dame's explosive 1-2 backfield punch in order to accomplish this. Jadarian Price has 187 rushing yards and a team-high five rushing touchdowns, while Jeremiyah Love leads the team with 284 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
CJ Carr, the quarterback for Notre Dame, is also getting better. The redshirt freshman has 737 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions on 66.2 percent of his passes.
Fifth-year quarterback Taylen Green, who has passed for 1,191 yards, an SEC-high 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions, is Arkansas' best playmaker. In addition, he has two touchdowns on the ground and 360 rushing yards, which leads the team. Green's primary target in the passing game is O'Mega Blake. Blake has three touchdowns and 326 yards from 24 receptions.
FREE PICK: 1H OVER 31.5
Expect fireworks from these two, especially early. The game total has ticked all the way up to 63.5 in what is expected to be a high-scoring game. Both of these teams do most of their damage early. Arkansas ranks No. 3 in the nation in first-half scoring, averaging 30.3 points in the opening half. Notre Dame ranks 16th scoring 22 points in the first half. Notre Dame’s pass defense is suspect and Arkansas averages 324 passing yards per game. They also scored 43.5 per game. Notre Dame averages 40 a game and gets it done on the ground with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
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