Notre Dame-NC State football first look: Can the Wolfpack stop Sam Hartman and the Irish?

N.C. State returns to Raleigh this weekend to host its home opener against No. 13 Notre Dame. The Wolfpack pulled off a road victory over a much-improved UConn team last week, and now it wants a second win in front of its fans.

Notre Dame comes into the matchup with Week 0 and Week 1 victories over Navy (42-3) and Tennessee State (56-3), respectively.

It’s unlikely either squad will blow out the other in the upcoming contest, though, and will be more evenly matched. Navy’s recent seasons haven’t been anything special, winning just 11 games in the last three – matching what it did in 2019 alone – while the Tigers compete on the FCS level.

This weekend should give both programs a better idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie.

Key matchup: NC State defense (again) and ND’s offense

N.C. State will see a familiar foe in the backfield this weekend. Notre Dame’s offense is led by Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman, who had a tough day when State beat his the Demon Deacons last year. He threw for 397 yards and two touchdowns. Hartman also threw three interceptions and was sacked four times.

The Irish offense put up 1,001 yards of total offense in the first two contests of 2023, with 589 passing and 412 rushing.

With struggles on defense in East Hartford, the Wolfpack expressed determination to fix the issues this week.

“We gotta get a lot better on defense. We had a lot of busted plays and a lot of rushing yards. That’s not our identity,” graduate linebacker Payton Wilson said last week. “Our identity is to come down and hit rushers in the mouth. We don’t want anyone getting any rushing yards and they had a lot tonight. That’s something we definitely have to go back to the drawing board and fix.”

The Pack’s pass rush defense wasn’t bad in the opener. It recorded two sacks, an interception and six pass breakups. The two sacks and one pick are on par to last year’s defense, averaging 2.2 sacks and 1.5 interceptions per game. Though the team is just one game into the season, N.C. State nearly doubled its breakups from last year’s average of 3.7 per game.

However, State gave up 160 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including the 71-yarder from UConn’s Victor Rosa.

Comparatively, the Irish have made early improvements in red zone defense. They allowed just one field goal from their first two opponents, holding Navy to one score on two in the red zone chances while Tennessee State was 1-for3. Last fall, Notre Dame allowed 32 red zone scores on 34 opponent chances. Of those opportunities, 27 were touchdowns.

Its overall defense recorded 113 tackles in its two appearances. Notre Dame added 10 tackles for a loss of 61 yards, including one for 24 yards, four breakups, two interceptions and 12 quarterback hurries.

Everyone knows N.C. State prides itself on defense, so it will be interesting to see what changes will be made this week. Will it have key starters like Savion Jackson back? How will its adjustments impact the Irish offense, especially since Hartman wants to avenge last year’s loss with Wake Forest? How significant will the adjustments be? Are Notre Dame’s numbers wildly inflated due to the level of competition? A lot of questions remain about both teams, but there should be a better idea on Saturday.

Vegas betting odds

Notre Dame opened as a 7.5-point favorite and that number is the same at most sportsbooks. The over-under is 50.5 points.

NC State vs. Notre Dame key game info

Teams: N.C. State Wolfpack (1-0) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)

Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh

Date: Saturday, Sept. 9

Time: Noon

TV: ABC

Stream: ESPN+, Disney+, DIRECTV, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, SlingTV and YouTube TV