How Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman has been the best QB in the country so far
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.
- Sam Hartman, Notre Dame: 98.0 (43-3 W vs. Navy)
- Conner Weigman, Texas A&M: 97.2(52-10 W vs. New Mexico)
- Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma: 97.1 (73-0 W vs. Arkansas State)
- Emory Jones, Cincinnati: 96.6 (66-13 W vs. Eastern Kentucky)
- Michael Pratt, Tulane: 96.5 (37-17 W vs. South Alabama)
- TJ Finley, Texas State: 96.2 (42-31 W vs. Baylor)
- Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss: 95.9 (73-7 W vs. Mercer)
- Sam Hartman, Notre Dame: 95.9 (56-3 W vs. Tennessee State)
- JJ McCarthy, Michigan: 95.4 (30-3 W vs. East Carolina)
- 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.
