Notre Dame started off slow, but got it going in the second half as the Irish defeated North Carolina State at home to a score of 36-7.
The Irish defense was very good, as they allowed just a touchdown all game, and pretty much dictated what they wanted to do. Notre Dame's offense was a bit of a different story, but they did put up more than enough points to come away with a victory.
I won't discuss the referee's here, as we all had some issues with them today, but here are five instant reactions to Notre Dame's slow-starting win over NC State.
Two times Notre Dame went for it on fourth-and-short, and both times it resulted in the Irish turning the ball over, once on downs and the other on a CJ Carr interception. When you have two running backs that can churn out the yards, not sure why they didn't get the ball in those situations. Sure, you can't be predictable in these situations, but play to your strengths. The offensive line hasn't gotten the push either, as it's been an issue all season long.
With Jaden Greathouse missing his second-consecutive game with an injury, the Irish needed to see receivers step up. Well, it was two of them against NC State, as both Pauling and Smith caught touchdown passes. They combined to catch 7 passes 165-yards with the scores. You also can't understate the impact tight end Eli Raridon had, as he had game-highs with 7 catches for 109-yards.
This is now back-to-back high-level performances from Notre Dame defense against some pretty good offenses. Last week against Boise State, they picked off four passes, this week it was just three. The Irish also sacked Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey four times, with Boubacar Traore getting two of them. It very much looks like Notre Dame's defense is back to being a strength again.
It shouldn't be a surprise that a redshirt freshman isn't going to have top-level performances every game, but he still had a great game today even though he may have missed a few opportunities. Carr made some young mistakes, but it didn't end up hurting the Irish. He threw his first interception since the Texas A&M game, but did still put up a pretty impressive stat line with 342-yards and 2 touchdowns. Carr is still has a very bright future, and he'll gain consistency as time goes by.
There were more than a few upsets across college football this weekend, and the day isn't even over. Indiana defeated Oregon in a top-10 matchup, while Texas upset No. 6 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. Alabama took out Missouri in a top-15 matchup, while Colorado beat Iowa State and Florida State tripped up against Pittsburgh. The more teams that have multiple losses, the better it is for Notre Dame chances to make the College Football Playoff. It does seem like it is all trending that way at the moment.