Notre Dame 3-2-1: Three numbers, two questions and one prediction

With Notre Dame football off to one of its best starts in program history following a 42-3 win on Aug. 26, over Navy and a 56-3 win over Tennessee State last Saturday, it’s again that time of the week to take a fresh look at some of what is and what will be for the Fighting Irish in this latest edition of the 3-2-1 (3 numbers, 2 questions, 1 prediction), a column made popular by the late Lou Somogyi.

So let’s look back to Tennessee State one last time and forward to a very difficult game against NC State on Saturday as the Irish schedule begins to heat up. 

3 Numbers

7 — Irish graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman has thrown just seven incomplete passes over the first two games (33 of 40) and is responsible for 7 touchdowns (6 passing, 1 rushing).

10 — Talk about terrific balance. Three Irish graduate students are tied for the team lead in tackles through two games with 10 each — lineman Howard Cross III, linebacker Jack Kiser and linebacker Marist Liufau. 

31 — Notre Dame has already seen 31 different players make their college football debuts through two games this season, including 13 true freshmen.

2 Questions

Is Hartman up for a rough road environment against a quality opponent?

Notre Dame will put on the line a 28-game regular-season winning streak against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents versus a Wolfpack team that went 6-1 at home last season and has lost only twice in its last 20 games at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., since 2020. 

NC State will be the first of six games for Notre Dame against ACC foes, five of which Hartman competed against during his five seasons playing for league member Wake Forest. 

Hartman went 12-3 in his nonconference games during his time at Wake Forest.

That said, Hartman went only 15-18 against ACC opponents in 33 league games over his five seasons at Wake and he went only 4-11 for his career against the six ACC opponents Notre Dame faces this season. 

Hartman played against five of those six league teams while at Wake Forest, and his record breakdown looks like this: NC State (1-2); Clemson (0-4); Louisville (2-3); Duke (1-1) and Pitt (0-1). Obviously, Hartman never faced Wake Forest, Notre Dame’s sixth ACC opponent this season. 

Hartman played against four of those five ACC foes last season — Clemson, Louisville, NC State and Duke — and lost to all four.

Hartman also played twice at NC State while he was at Wake Forest and lost both times, throwing for only 3 touchdowns with 3 interceptions in those two defeats. 

“Not many quarterbacks have been very successful against this [NC State] defense,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said when asked about Hartman’s previous struggles against the Wolfpack. “So, we’ve got to make sure our plan is really lean. Let’s be confident in what we’re doing.”

When was the last time Notre Dame got off to this impressive of a 2-0 start?

It’s been a long time, a really long time. 

With the 42-3 win over Navy and the 56-3 win over Tennessee State, Notre Dame outscored its first two opponents 98-6 for a 92-point differential. 

It’s the biggest point differential through two games since 1932 when the Fighting Irish defeated Haskell 73-0 and Drake 62-0 (135 points).

This is also the first time since 1975 that Notre Dame didn’t allow a touchdown in its first two games — a 17-3 win over Boston College and a 17-0 shutout of Purdue. 

The Irish offense has been especially potent — and actually perfect — in the first half so far. Notre Dame has scored a touchdown on each of its nine first-half possessions through two games and outscored its two opponents 63-3 in the first half. 

“It isn’t nine for nine [on touchdown drives] in the first half of the first two games, it’s just one play. One play, did I do my job on that play?” Freeman said when asked about the secret to his first-half offensive success. “And then we’ve got to go to the next play. And hopefully, the result of that is another really good first half.”

Great work on first and third downs has sparked the first-half success. Notre Dame is tied with USC for first in the country in first-down offense. It also ranks third nationally on third-down conversions, with a .778 conversion rate (14 of 18). 

1 Prediction

Not a popular prediction, but Notre Dame will not get out of NC State with a win.

The Irish are listed as a seven-point favorite in the game Saturday, but this is the toughest of the six ACC opponents that the Irish will play this season. 

NC State went 8-5 last season, including a 6-1 mark at home and it has lost only once in its last 17 games at Carter-Finley Stadium.