C.J. Carr's quick progression has put No. 12 Notre Dame back in the playoff conversation

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — C.J. Carr's learning curve has been more like a drive down the expressway — bumpy, full of obstacles and, of course, fast.

After losing his first two games as Notre Dame's starting quarterback, at then-No. 10 Miami and at home against then-No. 16 Texas A&M by four combined points, Carr has settled in. He's won five straight to help the Fighting Irish (5-2) climb back to No. 12 in the rankings, putting them back in the College Football Playoff conversation heading into Saturday's game at Boston College (1-7).

“First-time quarterback, in terms of leading this offense, in terms of what he has on his plate, he’s done a tremendous job,” coach Marcus Freeman said in assessing Carr's quick progression. “And there’s more, that’s the exciting part. There’s more to his game. I’m looking forward to seeing how he continues to elevate in these next couple games.”

Even in the losses, Carr's play wasn't the issue.

He was 19 of 30 with 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception at Miami, rallying the Irish from a two-touchdown deficit to tie the score at 24 with his own 7-yard TD run at the 3:21 mark. The Hurricanes answered by making the decisive field goal with 1:04 left in the game.

Against Texas A&M, Carr was 20 of 32 with 293 yards, one TD and another interception, taking the Irish on a 75-yard drive for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:53 remaining. The Aggies won the game with a fourth-down TD pass with 13 seconds to go.

Over the last five games, Carr has been even more impressive. He's completing 67.2% of his throws, compared with 62.9% in the first two games, while throwing 11 TD passes and two interceptions.

Among FBS freshmen, Carr ranks second in touchdown passes (14), fourth in yards passing (1,758), fifth in yards per completion (14.53) and 19th in quarterback efficiency (77.3). Not bad for a guy who had never officially thrown a college pass until Week 1.

It was the 56-13 rout at Arkansas that really turned heads, though. Carr threw for 354 yards, rushed for two scores and tied Notre Dame's freshmen record by throwing four TD passes.

He has taken advantage of a supporting cast that includes one of the nation's top rushing duos, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, and a group of talented, experienced receivers.

Perhaps some of the success should be expected from someone with such strong bloodlines — the son of former Michigan quarterback Jason Carr and the grandson of College Football Hall of Famer Lloyd Carr, who led the Wolverines to the 1997 national championship.

And yet as the most visible player at one of America's most prestigious college football powers, Carr still enjoys spending time in his hometown of Saline, Michigan.

“I went to my brother’s high school football games,” Carr said. “That was a cool experience, to be able to watch and not have the pressure of being out there playing. But I’m excited to be back. The guys are all excited to be back. We’re ready, ready to go.”

What coaches are seeing, though, is Carr increasingly assert himself.

Freeman acknowledged before the Texas A&M game, he would give Carr more freedom on the field even though offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock later joked Carr wouldn't get “all the keys to the Ferrari, but we'll let him take it out for a spin every once in a while."

The results have been impressive. He's topped the 300-yard mark twice and even with a less-than-stellar performance against rival USC before the bye, he still led the Irish to a 34-24 victory.

While Carr knows the coaching staff has given him more leeway to operate, he, naturally, wants to do even more as the Irish begin the second half of the season. The key will be finding more consistency.

“I guess one huge thing I’ve learned and I’m continuing to try and just ingrain in my mind is that we’re going to go out and we’re going to be on the attack,” Carr said. “We’re going to try and put as many points on the board as we can. But if we’re attacking and moving forward and firing on all cylinders, we’re hard to stop."

Carr added: “I think when we’re firing on all cylinders, we’re the best offense in the country."

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