What they’re saying about Notre Dame’s 45-7 win over Wake Forest
No. 19 Notre Dame (8-3) got back to its winning ways on Saturday, improving to 8-3 after blowing out Wake Forest (4-7, 1-6 ACC) 45-7. Sixth-year quarterback Sam Hartman tossed 4 touchdowns and 277 passing yards in the victory.
In this article, we’ll take a look around at what the media is saying about Notre Dame’s triumph against the Demon Deacons, including Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer and Tim Hyde giving their instant reaction to the game in a YouTube live show. You can watch the replay of the show in the video player above.
Make sure to subscribe to the Blue & Gold YouTube channel here and tune in to The Mike Goolsby Show, which will be live on the page Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
And now for what they’re saying….
Tyler Horka, Blue & Gold: How Notre Dame football nearly had a perfect season in South Bend
If you didn’t know the score and didn’t know any better, you’d have thought debris raining down onto the turf at Notre Dame Stadium was an outward expression of disapproval from Fighting Irish faithful.
It was exactly the opposite.
Score: Notre Dame 45, Wake Forest 7. Better: Head coach Marcus Freeman’s team at home in 2023.
The Irish went 4-2 inside their own friendly confines a year ago with inexplicable, excruciating losses to Marshall and Stanford. In year two of Freeman’s tenure, the Irish improved the mark to 5-1 and culminated a season-ending three-game home winning streak with a decades-old, customary marshmallow shower from the student section. The only loss came by a field goal to unbeaten Ohio State, the No. 2 team in the country going into the final week of the regular season.
Even with a defeat to the Buckeyes in a game that was one second away from going down as a Notre Dame victory, the Irish outscored opponents 262-71 in South Bend in 2023. Freeman’s second season was far from perfect, but he did learn how to avoid no-shows in front of home fans.
That, on its own, independent of shortcomings in other venues, was a step forward. There were teams on this year’s Notre Dame Stadium slate whose rosters resembled those of the Thundering Herd and Cardinal from last year. Programs that, in their respective current states, have no business walking out of such hallowed grounds with wins.
Jack Soble, Blue & Gold: Five thoughts—Another phenomenal game for Notre Dame defense
Some of the numbers are just crazy.
Wake Forest gained -4 total yards in the first quarter. Demon Deacons quarterback Michael Kern played the whole game and threw for only 80 yards. The visitors only crossed the Notre Dame 30-yard line 3 times the entire game. Three times.
Credit to Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson, who knew his offense would be overmatched against the Irish. Clawson pulled out all the stops, calling two successful trick plays in the span of four snaps. But aside from those and a little give in the run game, the Deacs had nothing. There were no holes in the Irish defense.
Notre Dame’s pass rush was particularly overpowering. The Irish sacked Kern 3 times, but even that didn’t tell the full story. They collapsed the pocket and made him constantly uncomfortable. I actually thought Kern handled it well, but no quarterback could have done anything with the way the Irish imposed their will up front.
Here are the rest of this week’s five thoughts.
2. Notre Dame had special pass defense this season
The core of this defense, the two biggest reasons it’s as good as it is, don’t usually jump out on the stat sheet. But graduate cornerback Cam Hart and sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison have just been that good in 2023.
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The odds of Morrison intercepting 6 passes again were small, but make no mistake about it: He’s been exactly as good as he was as a freshman. Hart, who likely played his last game at Notre Dame Stadium, finally (knock on wood) stayed healthy and showed what he can do.
Bill Connelly, ESPN: 2023 College Football Power Rankings after Week 12
No. 18 — Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Wake Forest threw everything it could think of at the wall to revive its offense and scare Notre Dame in South Bend. It didn’t work. The Demon Deacons gained 135 yards on two first-half drives, but just 97 yards the rest of the game. Meanwhile, former Wake quarterback Sam Hartman threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns (to four different receivers), and the Irish cruised 45-7. They moved on from the disappointment of their road loss to Clemson and moved to 8-3. With a (very likely) win at Stanford and a bowl victory, they would finish 10-3 — a slight disappointment compared to their top-10 aspirations, but a one-win improvement over Marcus Freeman’s first season in charge.
Douglas Farmer, NBC Sports: Sam Hartman shines in farewell victory against his former team, leading Notre Dame to 45-7 win
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sam Hartman was not looking for vengeance or vindication, he left Wake Forest on amicable terms. But he got vengeance and vindication anyway, along with a victory and a fond memory to end his one-year career at Notre Dame Stadium, throwing four touchdown passes in a 45-7 win against his former team.
“It can’t be easy, I’ve done it as a coach,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said of facing such a familiar foe. “I remember a couple years ago we played Cincinnati, and there are normal distractions that the human element presents when you play a team, an opponent where you know every person on that side like Sam does.
“It’s different. He was with those guys for five years, with that coaching staff. So for him to be able to put that distraction away and perform the way he did is a testament to who he is and the confidence and consistency that he provides.”
Hartman found running back Devyn Ford entirely uncovered near the end of the first quarter for a 12-yard touchdown, an important moment only in that it eased any stresses that could have surged when the Demon Deacons strung together a quick scoring drive to start the second quarter.
Wake Forest (4-7) totaled a loss of four yards in the first quarter before gaining 71 yards on six plays to start the second quarter and tie the game at seven.
