Notre Dame raced out to a 21-7 lead in the initial 16 minutes of play and coasted to a 41-17 victory over the gutsy Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday afternoon. Audric Estime and Sam Hartman led the Fighting Irish with big plays that proved to be too much for the visitors. The final margin masked a long period of mid-game mediocrity by Notre Dame before a strong finish soothed the growing anxiety among the fanbase.

Estime ran for 176 yards and a touchdown while Hartman threw for 330 yards and three scores. The Irish signal-caller also ran for a score. Spenser Schrader added two field goals, including a 50-yarder. Backup quarterback Jase Bauer got the start for the Chippewas as Bert Emanuel was sidelined with an illness. Bauer proved to be a fierce competitor. He led his team on scoring marches to close the gap to 21-14 at halftime and 28-17 late in the third quarter before his team ultimately ran out of gas.

The expected cakewalk seemed to take shape in the opening moments. Notre Dame’s defense held CMU to a three and out before Hartman threw a perfect strike to a streaking Tobias Merriweather for a 75-yard score just four minutes into the contest. Someone apparently forgot to tell Central Michigan to roll over, though. The Chippewas responded with a 65-yard march where their offensive front pushed around the Irish defensive line and the backs broke numerous tackles. Myles Bailey capped the drive with a six yard run to make it 7-7.

Notre Dame quickly righted the ship as Estime ran it in from 17 yards on a fourth and inches play. Moments later, Hartman connected on another scoring bomb. This one went for 76 yards to Chris Tyree as the game entered the second period. Now trailing 21-7, Bauer and CMU kept fighting and the Irish kept hurting themselves with penalties. As the half drew to a close, Bauer scored from close range to narrow the gap to 21-14 at intermission.

The hosts opened the second half with a 21-yard run by Estime and Hartman’s 39-yard pass to Jayden Thomas to get into scoring territory. Hartman squeezed in from one yard out to put Notre Dame back in control by 28-14. The teams then traded punts until late in the period. Schrader and Tristan of the Chippewas each booted a field goal in the last two minutes of play to make the score 31-17 entering the final stanza.

Central Michigan was visibly tired at that point, and the Irish dominated the late going with ten unanswered points. Estime’s breathtaking 41-yard burst set up the game’s final touchdown, a perfectly thrown scoring pass to Holden Staes.

A satisfying ending did not completely diminish the feeling of unease that permeated the crowd for long stretches of time. The Irish defense gave up ground quite easily at times. The CMU offensive front had more success than anticipated, while Notre Dame’s linebackers were clearly ineffective with JD Bertrand on the sideline. Missed tackles and penalties also continued to persist. It’s difficult to determine if these issues were driven by the quality of the opponent or if teams are figuring out how to attack Notre Dame. Either way, my level of confidence heading into Ohio State week has taken a hit.

Let’s look at the answers to our pregame questions.

• Will the Irish get off to a fast start or stumble out of the gate? It was indeed a fast start. The stumbles came later.
• Can Notre Dame gain >150 yards against the stingy CMU run defense? Estime’s 176 yards broke that threshold by himself and the team total was a healthy 236.
• Will Hartman and his receivers make the necessary reads to avoid sacks? Hartman was hit several times but not officially sacked. He held the ball and went through numerous progressions that indicated his receivers were not getting open. The few successful long plays made the passing attack seem better than it was for much of the afternoon. Will those big plays be available next week?
• Can the Irish avoid the costly penalties that plagued them last week? No. Although the referees were decidedly mediocre, the roughing, holding, and pass interference calls against the Irish were both legitimate and costly.
• When will Marty Biagi’s return and coverage teams exhibit some life? Oof. I’m going to give up and just stop asking this question.
• Will Emanuel have more success running the ball than NC State’s Armstrong? Bauer filled in for Emanuel and played hard. He endured several crushing hits that would have caused a lesser player to hide in the injury tent. It was the gutsiest performance by a Bauer since Jack ran CTU in the early 2000’s and took out a boatload of would-be terrorists.
• Can Notre Dame’s secondary intercept a few more passes? Not today. There were no turnovers by either team. The intensity for Notre Dame just wasn’t evident.
• Will the Irish and Peacock give fans their six dollars worth? Good Lord, no. Unfortunately, Jack Swarbrick’s legacy of nepotism and embarrassing football schedules will live on long after he departs.

Finally, the early season warmups are completed and we can watch some big boy football. How good are Notre Dame and Ohio State? Can the Buckeyes stop Estime? Can the Irish cover Marvin Harrison? We’re going to get a chance to find out? Until then, I can’t help but feel nervous.

Tell John what you think in the comments below