Notre Dame spring game: Reactions, highlights and analysis

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Notre Dame spring game: Reactions, highlights and analysis

Michael Chen , Fighting Irish Wire · Fighting Irish Wire

Sat, Apr 25, 2026 ·

12 min read

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Notre Dame football ends its spring practices Saturday with the Blue & Gold game , which will be the last time we see them on the field for about four months.

The game went down to the “wire,” with the Blue team edging the Gold team 41-40 on transfer kicker Blake Horvath 's game-winning field goal. There was plenty of action in Notre Dame Stadium, and not all of it was what we expected.

Check out below some of the highlights and reactions to Notre Dame football’s Blue & Gold game.

Notre Dame gets a 2027 safety commit following the spring game

Notre Dame didn’t just have a good day on the field, it also had one off the field with the commitment of top safety Zayden Gamble. They’ve added two safeties over the last week to their 2027 class, which grows strong with each commitment.

Mike Denbrock happy with Aneyas Williams

Williams looked very good on Saturday. Not only did he impress us, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock was happy with his performance as well. He’ll be the starter this fall, and expect him to put up some impressive numbers.

Leonard Moore held out due to an injury

The Moore injury is unsettling given he battled injuries last fall as well. The good news was Sanders played extremely well, showing his transfer was an important one.

Offensive line injury updates

Great news on Lambert, who we already reported wouldn’t suit up today. The Matty Augustine news is very encouraging; depth along the lines is extremely important.

Marcus Freeman and coaching staff speak following the Blue & Gold Game

It’s always interesting to find out what the coaches think following the conclusion of the spring, and they quickly stepped to the podium after the game. This was a fun game with drama at the end.

Freeman sets up some drama as Spencer Porath wins it for the Blue team 41-40

As noted previously, the score was changed to 38-all, and Freeman gave transfer Spencer Porath a chance to win it for the Blue team. He did so, splitting the uprights from 43 yards away to win the game.

Ethan Long with another big play, picking off a pass

Notre Dame is very deep at safety, and it looks like Ethan Long is making a case for more playing time. He tipped a Carr pass that resulted in a pick earlier in the game, and now took one away from Noah Grubbs. The score has been changed to 38-38.

Hebert not as sharp either

The defense has settled in, with multiple players making impacts on this drive. Once again, Freeman reset the drive after stalling out following three plays. Gold unfortunately hasn’t made up much ground. It still trails 46-29.

Grubbs takes a few sacks, doesn’t look as comfortable

As an early enrolling freshman, you expect some struggles and we saw it this drive by Grubbs. The processing will take some time, as the speed is much different at this level. He has the tools to be very good, and flashed a few times during the drive. The defensive had two sacks and a tackle-for-loss on this drive, as they closed the gap a bit. Blue 45, Gold 26

Noah Grubbs find Devin Fitzgerald for a score

If you would have told me the backups would look better than Carr, I would have laughed in your face, but that is the case. Grubbs found Fitzgerald multiple times this drive, the biggest was a 28-yard strike for a score. Great touch on the ball, giving the freshman a chance to run under the ball and get into the end zone. Fitzgerald celebrates with a tribute to Jeremiyah Love . Blue 41, Gold 20

The defense is starting to impact the game, Jaylen Sneed picks off Carr

While they only were credited for one sack, there looked to be multiple sacks that could have counted on this drive. Freeman is controlling the game a bit with the referees, calling out if there is a sack or not. Jaylen Sneed makes the first big play for the defense, picking off a tipped pass by Ethan Long from Carr. Blue 34, Gold 20

Blake Hebert is looking good again

It looks like Hebert is separating himself from the other backups in this game, and should be able to operate the offense if anything happens to Carr. He made the right read to tuck it and run, and has some great touch on his passes. Hebert is taking what the defense is giving him, and moving the team down the field effectively. He found Elijah Burress for a score to complete the drive, a great ball over three defenders. Blue 34, Gold 11

Joey O’Brien’s day is officially done

This isn’t what anyone wanted to see. O’Brien was banged up on the first series and is on crutches. Jack Soble reports it’s a left foot injury, and he will not return to the field.

Aneyas Williams flashes multiple times

This drive was all about the expected RB1. Williams caught multiple passes and ran the ball well. Carr found Dylan Faison on third down to move the chains. He looks like he’s settling into the game after a somewhat shaky start. He found Mylan Graham for about 25 yards on a free play after an offsides. Williams then found the end zone after a Carr audible, which shows that the quarterback is seeing the field much differently after his first season starting. Blue 24 - Gold 11.

Michigan transfer Jayden Sanders showing out

Notre Dame’s transfer class was small, but full of talent. One of those was former Michigan cornerback Jayden Sanders, who is showing he will make a big impact this fall.

Jeremiyah Love is back in the building

Love was drafted No. 3 by the Arizona Cardinals . He was in Pittsburgh on Friday, but he hopped on a plane back to South Bend. It’s great to see him rooting on his former teammates as he prepare to be RB1 for the Cardinals.

Noah Grubbs enters the game, but goes three-and-out

The true freshman has a high ceiling, but he handed the ball off twice before getting close to a first down on his initial pass attempt. Freeman again reset the drive, giving Grubbs more time on the field, but they didn’t see his push it down the field. Ayden Pouncey made a good play on a short pass, but Walton powers through for a first down run. Blue 12 - Gold 11 as the defense has looked very good compared to the offense early.

Former 5-star freshman Joey O’Brien banged up

You hate the see this, as O’Brien could be a major player right away for the Irish. Hopefully it’s nothing major and he can get back in the game.

Carr looks shaky on his second drive

Carr missed a few easy throws, and was long a a deep shot. It looks like he’s still trying to find a rhythm with his receivers, but there’s plenty of time to find it before the season starts. Blue 11 - Gold 8 after a few drives.

Blake Hebert leads the second-team and hits a huge gain to Cam Williams

Kenny Minchey left and QB2 has been a question, and it looks like Hebert might be Carr’s backup. He made a great throw for 53-yards to Williams who has tons of talent but hasn’t been able to put it together. The ends with a Jonaz Walton rushing score to put the Blue ahead of the Gold 11-2.

CJ Carr looks sharp but his receivers let him down

One of the biggest questions heading into the season is what the Notre Dame wide receiver room can produce. There was an influx of talent brought in through the recruiting class and the transfer portal along with returning players. Carr was on the money with more than a few of this throws, but great defense and a few drops stalled the drive and the defense scored a few points. Gold 2 - Blue 1.

Adon Shuler addresses the team before it begins

Shuler is a true leader, and for him to speak to the team highlights how well respected his is in the locker room. It sure seems like he’s going to have a huge season.

RB1 Aneyas Williams will be full go

On the other hand, Williams will suit up and doesn’t look to be limited like he was earlier during the spring. There not much of a question about his starting status, as he showed as a backup to Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price , two first-round picks, that he belongs.

Guerby Lambert will sit this one out

There is really no need for Lambert to play in this game, as he’s already a starter and doesn’t have to prove anything. Keep some guys out that could be nursing small injuries is the right move by the coaching staff. It is also being reported that he is wearing a brace on his right ankle .

Notre Dame’s game format

Not only will the scoring be different, but we won’t see a four quarter contest either. Since the teams aren’t being split up, we are going to see more 1’s vs. 1’s and 2’s vs. 2’s today. It should be a lot of fun either way.

Notre Dame players have a prayer before the game

There is a routine that Notre Dame follows, and for the new transfer and early enrolling players, this is all new to them. The spring game is a great way to introduce them to how a real Saturday looks like playing for the Irish, and it looks to be a fantastic day for football.

How to watch

Unfortunately, this game won’t be on broadcast television, it will be only on Peacock. Surely this will make some people upset, but Notre Dame has plenty of ties to the network and it happens during the season as well. Hopefully there will be other options in the future, but for now, Peacock it is.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame spring game: Highlights and reactions to the Blue teams win

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