Tony Thomas
- Sep 10, 2023
- 3 min read

Notre Dame Remains Undefeated in 45-24 Defeat of NC State

Mother Nature was in attendance in Raleigh, NC yesterday for the game between #10 Notre Dame vs. NC State. She decided that she would provide some relief from the excessive heat that has spread across the country the last few months by bringing some much-needed rain to tobacco road. With a 3-0 Notre Dame lead in the 1st quarter, the skies turned dark and with it came a long delay.

Game Notes - First Half

Once play resumed, it resumed with a fury. Notre Dame RB Audric Estime reeled off an 80-yard run to increase the Irish lead to 10-0.

On the ensuing NC State possession, the Wolfpack drove down the field and answered with a score, a 9 yard TD pass from Brennan Armstrong (Virginia transfer) to Bradley Rozmer, to cut the lead to 10-7.

Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman got into the scoring action by tossing a 13 yard touchdown pass to freshman WR Jaden Greathouse with less than a minute left in the 2nd quarter to increase their lead to 17-7 going into the half.

Game Notes - Second Half

NC State outscored the Fighting Irish 10-7 in the third quarter with a field goal and a 1 yard touchdown by Armstrong to cut the lead to 24-17.

The Wolfpack forced, and recovered a Sam Hartman fumble, but could not capitalize as they missed a field goal attempt. After forcing a Notre Dame punt, Armstrong threw an interception. That turnover led to a Notre Dame touchdown pass from Hartman to Davis Sherwood and a 31-17 lead.

On the ensuing Wolfpack possession, Armstrong completed a pass to the wrong team again, deep in his own territory, at the NC State 16 yard line. Notre Dame took advantage and Estime scored his second touchdown of the game to increase their lead to 38-17.

NC State, on their next possession, ran seven plays to try and get a first down and could not, turning the ball over on downs. On the Irish possession, Hartman found Hayden States on a 35 yard strike for a touchdown and a 45-17 lead late in the 4th quarter.

The Wolfpack scored one last time with about two minutes left in the game on a 23 yard scoring toss from Armstrong to Dacari Collins to make the score 45-24.

Final Score: Notre Dame 45 – N.C. State 24.

Notre Dame Stats

Sam Hartman: 15 of 24, 289 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs.

Audric Estime: 14 carries, 134 yards, 2 TDs.

Holden States: 4 catches, 115 yards, 2 TDs.

456 total yards

16 First Downs

10 penalties, 82 yards

Forced 3 INTs

NC State Stats

Brennan Armstrong: 22 of 47, 260 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, 1 rushing TD

84 yards rushing (team)

3 turnovers

20 First Downs

Play of the Game

The 80 yard run by Estime after a momentum-stealing rain delay set the tone for the rest of the game for the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame MVP

You are probably thinking Hartman, right? Well, I’m calling Estime the MVP of this game for his 80-yard run after play was suspended.

MVP for North Carolina State

Two players on defense - Payton Wilson and Devin Boykin combined for 25 tackles.

What the Loss Means for NC State

The Wolfpack failed to score 30 points for the second straight week.

What the Win Means for Notre Dame

In the regular season, Notre Dame has now won 29 consecutive games against ACC opponents. In their three wins this season, the Fighting Irish are averaging 47 points per game and Hartman has thrown 10 TD passes.