NC State football quick hits and notes from loss to Notre Dame

Here are quick hits and notes from NC State football’s 45-24 loss to No. 10/11 Notre Dame. The game was played in front of a record crowd of 56,919 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Column: NC State football needs to use coming weeks to get right

Missed Opportunity No. 1, And Pattern Behind It

On the first two drives of the game, Notre Dame went a collective 11 yards backwards in a pair of three-and-outs. Thanks to some good punt returns from redshirt sophomore receiver Jalen Coit, the Pack had starting field position at the Notre Dame 49 and the NC State 40. Rather than getting points to take an early lead, the Pack went three-and-out both times and accumulated a collective four yards of offense.

That was the start of anemic first half for NC State. The Pack had 67 total yards until 2:19 left in the first half, averaging 2.8 yards per play. With a lack of explosiveness in the offense, NC State has to be efficient on first downs, as new offensive coordinator Robert Anae hinted at during his meeting with the press Tuesday.

In the first half against Notre Dame, the Pack averaged 0.45 yards per play on 11 first down plays, and on a 12th had an interception from super senior quarterback Brennan Armstrong.

Missed Opportunity No. 2, And Pattern Behind It

The goal of deferring to the second half if winning the coin toss is to create a scenario where you can get two consecutive, unanswered scores. NC State was in position to pull that off. Armstrong found super senior receiver Bradley Rozner in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown with 1:16 left in the first half to cut Notre Dame’s lead to 10-7.

The Irish used two timeouts to preserve time, and took over at its own 22-yard line with 1:10 on the clock after a short kick return. After an incomplete pass on first down, Hartman initially found no one open on second and 10 and was finally feeling pressure from a three-man front.

At that point, Notre Dame running back/slot receiver Chris Tyree snuck free and uncovered, and a short pass turned into a 65-yard sprint to the NC State 13. A play later, the Irish were in the end zone and took a 17-7 lead that would carry to halftime.

Tyree’s 65-yard catch-and-run was one of five pass plays at least 28 yards for the Irish, three of which were 40 or more. Running back Audric Estime also had an 80-yard touchdown run a week after giving up a 71-yard TD scoring run at UConn. The Pack allowed 293 yards on six plays vs. the Irish. The other 61 snaps averaged 2.7 yards a play for 163 yards.

For some perspective, NC State football allowed four plays 40 yards or longer all last season. Notre Dame had four in this game alone.

Missed Opportunity No. 3, And Pattern Behind It

A strip sack by NC State sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Cleveland led to a fumble recovery at the Notre Dame 17-yard line by redshirt junior defensive end Noah Potter. The Pack had just scored a touchdown on its prior possession to cut the Irish lead to 24-17, and with 2:06 left in the third quarter was poised to tie the score.

Instead, super senior kicker Brayden Narveson, who made a 49-yarder in the first half, missed from 34 yards wide left. After a three-and-out by Notre Dame, Armstrong would be picked off on back-to-back possessions, one of which went through the hands of freshman wideout Kevin Concepcion. Both interceptions would lead to touchdowns.

NC State lost the turnover margin 3-1, and was outscored 14-0 on that. There was good fortunes that the Pack did not do worse. Three times the Pack put the football on the ground only to recover its own fumble.

NC State Football Freshman Watch

We will keep track of this list throughout the season to see who burns their redshirt from the 2023 recruiting class. Freshmen can play up to four games before losing their redshirts.

Receiver Kevin Concepcion – 2 games
Running back Kendrick Raphael – 2 games
Tight end/receiver Juice Vereen – 2 games
Cornerback Brandon Cisse – 1 game

What The Loss Means For NC State Football

NC State football is 1-1 after seeing its 24-game winning streak at home against non-conference opponents snapped. This is also the first time the Pack has lost in September at home since 2014.

Notre Dame wins its 29th straight regular season game against an ACC team, and the Irish evens the series with the Pack at 2-2. That leaves Clemson and Florida State as the only conference teams which ND has a losing record.