Notre Dame shook off a sluggish start and proceeded to showcase its talent and depth as the Fighting Irish mauled Tennessee State by 56-3. Audible groans could be heard in the stadium after the hosts surrendered a field goal on the Tigers’ first possession and fumbled away the ensuing kickoff deep in their own territory. The adverse circumstance appeared to galvanize the players, who went on to shut down the visitors and score touchdowns almost at will. Every player on the roster took part in the sunshine-splashed victory while the high quality of play was maintained throughout.

Sam Hartman threw for two scores and ran for another in a 35-3 first half. Audric Estime had 116 yards rushing, including a 50-yard burst, along with a five yard touchdown. Freshman Jeremiah Love continued to impress with a 36-yard scoring burst on the opening drive. Defensive back Clarence Lewis capped a suffocating defensive effort with a 32-yard pick six at the end of the third quarter.

Hartman’s final snaps of the day were a demonstration of his importance to the team. Leading by 28-3, the Irish gained possession with 53 seconds left in the half at their 20 yard line following a blocked field goal attempt by TSU. Six passes and 38 seconds later, Notre Dame led 35-3. The ball never hit the ground as Hartman found tight end Mitchell Evans on three consecutive throws before connecting with another tight end, Holden Staes, from four yards out.

Backup quarterback Steve Angeli took the reins in the third quarter. The offense sputtered at first and the game threatened to become a snoozefest until Angeli settled in. In the final minute of the period, he led an 82-yard scoring march. Dodging the rush and scrambling to his left, Angeli found fellow sophomore Jadarian Price in the flat. Price eluded the first defender and flew past the rest for a 40-yard score. Seconds later, Lewis added his interception return for a 49-3 advantage.

Angeli engineered another long touchdown drive in the final stanza before giving way to freshman Kenny Minchey. Tailback Gi’Bran Payne became the fourth Irish tailback to score on the day when he took a short Angeli toss and ran into the end zone from 42 yards out.

Notre Dame limited the Tigers to 155 total yards, with 55 of them coming on their first possession. The defense turned up the intensity level after kickoff return man Devyn Ford was clobbered and fumbled the ball away. The Irish immediately rose to the challenge and refused to yield a single yard. Once Jason Onye swatted away a short field goal attempt by James Lowery, the game was essentially over.

The hard hit on Ford produced the only obvious injury for Notre Dame. There were few negative moments in this romp, however the Irish continue to find themselves at the wrong end of targeting penalties. The ACC referees ejected safety Antonio Carter on a very questionable call in the second period, while the much more significant hit on Ford was not flagged. The Irish faithful voiced their displeasure for this apparent double standard.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Can Jordan Botelho and the Irish defensive ends record numerous sacks? Botelho had the team’s only sack but Notre Dame pressured TSU’s quarterbacks into numerous throwaways and interceptions by Lewis and Ramon Henderson.
• Will Hartman continue to pass at an 82% completion rate? Yes, exactly. Hartman was 14 of 17 for 194 yards.
• Can the Irish running backs break off any runs of >20 yards? Estime and Love had bursts of 50 and 36 yards, respectively.
• Will Notre Dame’s special teams be heard from this week? Aside from the blocked field goal, these teams were anything but special. Poor blocking allowed Ford to get crushed, although he should have initially called for a fair catch. Later, poor tackling enabled a 58-yard kickoff return by Dayron Johnson of the Tigers.
• Can the Irish defense force any turnovers? The two interceptions were quality plays and gave the defense much to be happy about.
• Will any of Notre Dame’s safeties turn in a solid performance? The overall play was improved from a week ago. Henderson, DJ Brown and Xavier Watts held their own. More difficult tests lie ahead.
• Which young Irish players will become household names this week? Too many names to mention because both backup units were impressive. Obviously, Love is emerging as a star in real time.

Another positive aspect of the win is the ability of the Irish second teamers to extend the lead without giving up and points on defense. Tennessee State is certainly not a Power Five opponent but the young Irish players will benefit from the consequential playing time they earned. Meanwhile, the starters are meshing well together and improvement is obvious in many of them. For example, Jayden Thomas is quietly becoming a clutch receiver and the offensive line looks solid. From a coaching standpoint, the staff appears to be in control. They are making appropriate adjustments on both sides of the ball. The team plays crisply and exudes confidence.

If there are any nagging concerns, one would be the extended wait for wideout Tobias Merriweather to play a larger role. He caught two passes for five yards this week. Another nagging issue is the frequent failure of Notre Dame’s defensive backs to execute tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage. They whiff far too often and allow significant extra yardage for the ball carrier.

That aside, it was a fine performance. The Irish will go on the road next week but that will not frighten this group. As the level of the opposition increases, it will be interesting to see where the ceiliing lies for this team. Right now it appears to be very high.