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How Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman has been the best QB in the country so far

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka•09/06/23•

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hartman (31)
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman shales hands with head coach Marcus Freeman. (Photo by Matt Cashore/USA Today)

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman had the best quarterback rating (QBR) of any FBS quarterback in the country in Week 0 or Week 1 according to ESPN. His score of 98.0 vs. Navy in the season opener two weeks ago is the best rating any signal-caller has put forth so far this season.

Per ESPN, QBR, or adjusted total quarterback rating, “values the quarterback on all play types on a scale of 0-100 adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced.” So it doesn’t matter Hartman’s 19-for-23 for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns performance came against the Midshipmen. It’s a weighted metric that takes quality of opponent into account.

Hartman also has the eighth-best QBR in a single game this season. He posted a mark of 95.9 for his 14-for-17 for 194 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions outing against Tennessee State this past weekend. So far in his Notre Dame career, Hartman is 33-of-40 for 445 yards with 6 touchdown tosses and 0 interceptions. He also has a rushing score.

Here is a look at the top 10 QBR games of 2023 so far.

  1. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame: 98.0 (43-3 W vs. Navy)
  2. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M: 97.2(52-10 W vs. New Mexico)
  3. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma: 97.1 (73-0 W vs. Arkansas State)
  4. Emory Jones, Cincinnati: 96.6 (66-13 W vs. Eastern Kentucky)
  5. Michael Pratt, Tulane: 96.5 (37-17 W vs. South Alabama)
  6. TJ Finley, Texas State: 96.2 (42-31 W vs. Baylor)
  7. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss: 95.9 (73-7 W vs. Mercer)
  8. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame: 95.9 (56-3 W vs. Tennessee State)
  9. JJ McCarthy, Michigan: 95.4 (30-3 W vs. East Carolina)
  10. Jordan Travis, Florida State: 94.7 (45-24 W vs. LSU)

Now the going gets much tougher for Hartman. He faces an old foe in NC State this week. He’s played the Wolfpack three times in his career with a 1-2 record.

His QBR in last year’s 30-21 loss in a game in which he threw for 397 yards and 2 touchdowns but also had 3 interceptions was 81.2. That was actually higher than his season-long average of 75.3, though. His season average ranked 19th nationally.

In a 45-42 win over the Wolfpack on a day in which Hartman threw for 290 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 2021, Hartman had a QBR of 72.9. He averaged 79.7 that season. In 2020, Hartman and the Demon Deacons lost to NC State by the same score of 45-42. Hartman had a QBR of 67.8 with 236 passing yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions.

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