Notre Dame struggled at times on Saturday but ultimately wore down North Carolina State on the way to a 45-24 victory. The 3-0 Fighting Irish blew open a tight contest with 21 straight points in the fourth quarter to lead by 45-17. A late score by the Wolfpack added a small measure of respectability to the final margin. The marathon afternoon featured a two hour weather delay that commenced at the end of the first quarter. Both teams adjusted to the conditions but play was often sloppy and undisciplined. In the end, however, Notre Dame’s talent and offensive weaponry beat the scrappy hosts into submission.

The defenses dominated in the opening minutes. Sam Hartman ran for Notre Dame’s initial first down on its third possession of the game. A penalty quickly stalled a promising march, and Coach Marcus Freeman called upon kicker Spenser Schrader to attempt a 54-yard field goal. Schrader delivered with a no-doubt blast for a 3-0 lead. NC State stalled on the ensuing possession and punted the ball back to the Irish on the first snap of the second period. At that moment, the officials cleared the field and the stands due to imminent adverse weather.

Notre Dame’s offense took the field after the long break. Audric Estime ran a well-conceived counter play and shot through the stunned Wolfpack for an 80-yard score. The Irish could not sustain the momentum and the contest settled into a punting contest until the final minutes of the half.

A 45-yard reception by Tobias Merriweather put Notre Dame in scoring position but a subsequent third down sack of Hartman forced Freeman’s hand. He again asked Schrader to kick a three pointer from long range. The 56-yard attempt had plenty of distance but clanged off the left upright.

North Carolina State took over with 2:19 left and got untracked with the help of three major penalties against the Irish defense. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong capped the drive with a scoring strike to Bradley Rozner to cut Notre Dame’s lead to 10-7.

Freeman had used a pair of timeouts in that sequence to give his offense a chance to respond before intermission. The strategy worked as Hartman found a wide open Chris Tyree for 65 yards to the State 13. Hartman threw his best pass of the day on the next play with a laser to Jaden Greathouse in the back of the end zone for a 17-7 halftime margin.

Another defensive penalty provided an assist to North Carolina State in the third quarter. The result was a 49-yard field goal by Brayden Narveson to bring the Wolves within 17-10. The crowd woke up but were quickly quieted as Hartman needed only three plays to get the Irish back into the end zone. Tight end Holden Staes caught passes of 29 and 40 yards, with the latter resulting in a touchdown.

The hosts refused to quit, however, as Armstrong led his team right back down the field. A long completion to Keyon Lesane set up a one yard keeper to make it a seven point margin again at 24-17. There were 18 minutes left in the game, and the roller coaster ride was just beginning.

The Wolfpack sacked Hartman on the next series and knocked the ball loose. NC State recovered on the Irish 17-yard line with a chance to tie it up. Despite the fever pitch of the partisan crowd, Notre Dame’s defense rose to the occasion and came up with a much-needed stop. Narveson was forced to try a 34-yard field, which he pulled wide to the left.

The blown scoring chance seemed to energize the Irish defense and depress the hosts as the final period commenced. Safety Xavier Watts knocked down an Armstrong pass on a second down play and intercepted his next one on third down. Hartman took over and found another tight end, Davis Sherwood, from ten yards out for a wide open touchdown.

Now trailing 31-17, Armstrong went back to the air. This time it was veteran safety DJ Brown’s turn to make a play. His diving interception deep in NC State territory was a thing of beauty. Estime quickly cashed in from seven yards for a 38-17 lead. The two interceptions and scores took less than a minute off the clock.

The Wolfpack still had ten minutes to fight back. They were not about to quit but they again came up short. A fourth down pass did not clear the line to gain and Notre Dame took over on what was effectively another turnover. Hartman again linked up with Staes for a 35-yard strike on play-action pass to push the score to 45-17. Armstrong threw a late touchdown pass against the Irish reserves to account for the final margin.

Hartman finished 15 of 24 for 286 yards and four touchdowns. Staes led the receivers with 115 yards while Estime had 134 rush yards on 14 carries with two scores. Armstrong was 22 of 47 for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He suffered three interceptions, including a beautiful grab by Benjamin Morrison in the first half. The Wolfpack did not throw the ball in Morrison’s direction after that play.

The Irish looked befuddled at times in the early going before settling down. The blocking schemes did not handle the blitzing NC State defense very well and Hartman’s receivers were unable to separate against the Wolfpack secondary. Several of Gerad Parker’s play calls were head-scratchers as well. Notre Dame suffered ten penalties for 82 yards. Most of these calls were against the defense but even All-American left tackle Joe Alt was deemed guilty of holding.

Despite this adversity, the Irish proved to be resilient. They dominated the game from the point of greatest concern at the end of the third quarter and won going away. Freeman and his staff have several issues to address but the team will have another dress rehearsal next week before its first major test.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Can the Irish offensive tackles neutralize ends Vann and Jackson? Vann was active in the early going with a pair of sacks but he and his mates wore down and were rarely heard from thereafter.
• Will Hartman recognize and counter NC State’s multiple defensive looks? Not at first as he and OC Parker searched for something that would work. They found it with the throws to the tight ends that burned the blitzers.
• Can the Irish ground game allow Hartman to throw fewer than 25 passes? He threw exactly 24 passes. The Irish backs gained 197 yards on 32 carries. Hartman’s rush total was -27 yards given the multiple sacks by NC State.
• Will Marty Biagi’s return and coverage teams rebound from last week? Schrader’s howitzer-like kicks were the best feature of Biagi’s teams. The only notable moment for the return and cover teams was Jack Kiser’s offside gaffe. These units don’t seem very special this season.
• Can the Irish defense limit Armstrong’s rushing yardage to <50? Armstrong managed only 26 of his team’s 84 yards on the ground. Notre Dame’s plan to keep him bottled up behind the line was mostly well-executed.
• Which team will win the turnover battle? Hartman’s fumble was the only blemish for Notre Dame while Armstrong’s trio of interceptions proved costly.
• Can Notre Dame’s wide receivers get open against the Wolfpack corners? Not at first. Parker’s second half adjustment to the scheme freed up the tight ends and broke open the game.
• Will Freeman insist on throwing the ball from the shotgun if there is a monsoon? Freeman was smart enough to send himself and his team into the locker room during the monsoon.

Notre Dame’s defense allowed three touchdowns, which is three more than their first two opponents managed. In reality, the first score was a gift based on uncharacteristic penalties where the unit momentarily lost its composure. The final touchdown was a garbage time concession. There are plenty of mistakes to clean up but I was impressed with the unrestrained aggression by the Irish secondary. I would still like to see a better pass rush, though. The front four rarely applied pressure and Al Golden’s too-frequent blitzes usually fell flat.

Offensively, Hartman showed he is human. He held the ball too long on several occasions and his accuracy suffered under pressure. The offensive line raised concerns by failing to pick up blitzes and missing blocks entirely. Center Zeke Correll had a rough outing and guard Rocco Spindler also struggled in pass protection.

As expected, this game was a much better test than the two prior exhibitions. My main takeaways are that Notre Dame is talented and fun to watch but also youthful and inconsistent. The coaches will have their hands full in an effort to get them to play their best football when it matters most. The good news is this group appears to be highly motivated and united.