Notre Dame Tight End Cooper Flanagan Catches Goal-Line TD in Home Opener Rout of Rice

Fourth-ranked Notre Dame continued to pile on points in its home opener against Rice, with tight end Cooper Flanagan providing one of the highlights of the afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium.

With the Fighting Irish already comfortably ahead after halftime, quarterback CJ Carr faked a run on a goal-line snap and found Flanagan alone in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown. The Rice defense bit on the run look, leaving the tight end unaccounted for on the play.

The extra point pushed Notre Dame’s lead to 49-0 and capped a 6-play, 75-yard scoring drive that consumed just 3:19 of game clock.

The touchdown was shared by the program’s official account on X, with the game airing on NBC — a long-running broadcast partnership that has made Notre Dame home games a staple of the network’s fall sports lineup.

Media Angle: NBC’s College Football Stake

The broadcast sits under the Comcast umbrella, whose NBC Sports division holds the rights to Notre Dame football. Comcast shares traded at $25.20 in recent action, up 0.6% from a previous close of $25.05, with the company carrying a market capitalization of roughly $92.5 billion. The media segment’s sports rights portfolio, including its exclusive arrangement with the Fighting Irish, remains a notable piece of the company’s broader Communication Services business alongside its connectivity, studios, and theme park operations.

High-profile Notre Dame windows on broadcast television continue to draw national audiences during the early portion of the college football season, offering the network marquee content as conference media deals reshape the landscape.

The Play Itself

Flanagan’s score underscored Notre Dame’s balance in the red zone. With Rice’s front expecting a rushing attempt from close range, Carr’s play-action look left the tight end with an easy catch, and the second-half barrage continued to build against an overmatched Owls defense.

What to watch

• Notre Dame’s remaining non-conference schedule and how the rotation at tight end develops in coming weeks.
• NBC’s upcoming Notre Dame broadcast windows and viewership figures as the season progresses.
• Comcast’s next quarterly earnings report, which will detail performance in its Media segment.

Source: original release