Malik Zaire passed for three touchdowns and freshman Josh Adams ran for two scores as Notre Dame trounced the Texas Longhorns by 38-3 on Saturday night. Zaire was a crisp 19 of 22 for 313 yards, and the Irish outgained the hapless visitors by 527-163. Will Fuller accounted for 142 receiving yards including a 66 yard scoring grab, and C.J. Prosise ran for 98 yards after starter Tarean Folston went down in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury.

Texas was shockingly inept all evening, managing only eight first downs to 30 by Notre Dame, and the quarterbacks tandem of Tyrone Swoopes and Jarrod Heard were off target, hitting on eight of 23 throws for a mere 103 yards. The pass rush by the Irish was effective and even relentless at times, as the young Longhorn starters along the offensive front were taken to school by Sheldon Day and his friends.

Longhorn Coach Charlie Strong was somber in defeat. ”We have to get better. We have to improve. We’re just a better football team than what we showed,” he said. ”We have to believe it and our players have to believe it. Because we can’t go out and not execute.”

Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly tried to downplay the significance of the romp. ”A good victory. It’s only one. ”It’s a long journey for our football team. We’re excited about the win, but we have a long way to go.”

Let’s review the pregame questions for a look at the keys to victory.

Which quarterback will have the time, poise and accuracy to be effective in the passing game? Zaire had enough time in the pocket to read the Beijing phone book, and he threw darts to open receivers all night.

Can the Irish generate a respectable pass rush with only four linemen? Yes, they blitzed on occasion but managed to create pressure throughout the game.

Which elite linebacker, Malik Jefferson of Texas or Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith, will stand out? Both were outstanding. Jefferson was the lone star for Texas, while Smith was dominant for the Irish.

Whose special teams will create a game-changing play or have a significant positive impact? Not much to report here, although Kelly did manage to frustrate the Texas kicker at the end of the first half, resulting in a missed field goal.

Will Notre Dame be able to stop the run without Jarron Jones in the middle?
Jones will be missed before the season is over, but I think Elmer Fudd could have stopped Texas tonight.

Which team will commit fewer mental mistakes, penalties and turnovers on opening night? The Irish made a few mental mistakes and hurt themselves in the first half, but the frustrated Longhorns had a couple of silly penalties later on when things got out of hand.

Will the Irish safeties demonstrate the level of improvement that is sorely needed? Redfield was beaten once on a 48-yard pass play, but otherwise the group was solid.

Have I had too many margaritas or are the Cubs still in the pennant race?
I did have several margaritas, but not too many to miss a few smoking hot Texas women in orange mini-dresses and cowboy boots.

It’s off to Virginia next week for Notre Dame, who will get a taste of life on the road before coming back for the first big test of the season against Georgia Tech on the 19th.