Sam Hartman threw four touchdowns in a return to his home state as No. 10 Notre Dame defeated North Carolina State 45-24 behind a big fourth quarter Saturday at Raleigh, N.C.
Audric Estime ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns as the Irish (3-0) found ways to move the ball in the air and on the ground.
Hartman, who’s in his first season with the Irish, completed 15 of 24 passes for 286 yards. Two of the TD passes went to Holden Staes as the Irish scored the first 21 points of the fourth quarter.
Hartman, a graduate transfer formerly with Wake Forest, improved to 2-2 all-time against NC State (1-1).
Wolfpack quarterback Brennan Armstrong was intercepted three times while going 22-for-47 for 260 yards and two touchdowns.
Just 15 seconds into the second quarter, the teams waited through a weather-related delay of 1 hour, 45 minutes.
NC State closed within 17-10 on Brayden Narveson’s 49-yard field goal with 7:27 left in the third quarter. But just like in the second quarter, the Irish wasted no time in putting more points on the board. Hartman connected with Staes for a 40-yard touchdown play as Notre Dame needed just three plays to go 76 yards.
This time, the Wolfpack answered by going 75 yards on seven plays with Armstrong’s 1-yard run making it 24-17 with 2:55 to play in the third quarter.
NC State regained possession, but Xavier Watts intercepted Armstrong and returned the ball to the Wolfpack 30. The Irish converted on Hartman’s 10-yard pass to Davis Sherwood.
Earlier, Notre Dame scored first on Spencer Schrader’s career-long 54-yard field goal to cap a 12-play drive that covered 50 yards. It was also the longest successful field goal in Notre Dame history.
After the delay, Estime bolted on the first snap for an 80-yard touchdown run. Notre Dame nearly extended the lead, but Schrader’s 56-yard field goal attempt bounced off the upright.
NC State followed that by driving 62 yards — aided by three defensive penalties — and scored on Bradley Rozner’s 9-yard reception from Armstrong with 1:16 left in the first half.
But the Irish responded in just three plays, scoring on Jaden Greathouse’s 13-yard catch from Hartman with 40 seconds left before intermission.
–Field Level Media
