NC State football is slated to take on the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend during the Wolfpack’s highly anticipated home opener in Carter-Finley Stadium. 

The two squads have faced off three times, with NC State holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. The last time they played was in a 35-14 Irish win in South Bend, Indiana in 2017. 

Last season was one of ups and downs for Notre Dame under then first-year head coach Marcus Freeman. After weathering a slow 1-2 start, the Irish responded by finishing the year 9-4 with a victory over South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. 

So far, Notre Dame has gotten off to the start many expected of it. After blowout wins over Navy and Tennessee State, the Irish clock in at No. 10 in the current AP poll. Going into the season, many questions surrounded the team with none more pressing than quarterback play. 

In January, former Wake Forest standout signal-caller Sam Hartman transferred to the Irish to fulfill his last year of eligibility. As possibly the most coveted player in the entire transfer portal, all eyes will be on Hartman to guide Notre Dame’s talented offense. However, this is Hartman’s fourth time taking the field against NC State, making him a familiar opponent. 

Hartman has lived up to expectations so far with his new team. In games against Navy and Tennessee State, he has thrown for 251 and 194 yards respectively, while combining for six total touchdowns and connecting on nearly 83% of his passes. Wide receiver Jayden Thomas has compiled 60 receiving yards in each of the Irish’s games, making him a reliable weapon for Hartman. Wide receiver Jaden Greathouse gives the Irish another deep threat after he burst onto the scene in Notre Dame’s first game with 68 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

After a solid showing against UConn last week, NC State ranks third in the ACC in terms of fewest passing yards allowed. However, Hartman and his talented array of receivers will undoubtedly provide a challenge for the Wolfpack’s pass defense.

The Irish also boast a very potent rushing game which currently ranks fifth in the nation with 412 rushing yards. This group is headed by running back Audric Estime. In the season opener against Navy, he ran for 95 yards and a score and continued his success against Tennessee State with 116 yards on the ground and another score. Meanwhile, running back Jeremiyah Love has proven to be a very capable change of pace back with 91 yards and a touchdown.

In order to combat the threat of Estime and Love, the Pack will certainly have to find answers following a performance against UConn in which it allowed 160 yards on the ground. Despite this, the red-and-white will look for similar contributions from Wilson and junior defensive tackle Davin Vann who each had at least five tackles last week. 

While Navy only attempted six passes, Notre Dame held Tennessee State to a minimum in passing yards while forcing two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six. 

To counter this, graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong will certainly look to build off of a solid performance last week in which he tallied 155 yards through the air. Despite not having any turnovers, it appeared that the Pack left plenty of points on the table. 

However, NC State excelled in the run game against the Huskies, racking up 209 yards and three scores on the ground. A large part of this came from the dual-threat ability of Armstrong who powered his way to 96 yards and two scores. Senior running back Jordan Houston was also efficient, running for 57 yards. The NC State offense will face a Notre Dame run defense which currently allows 215 yards per contest. Despite allowing a sizable amount of rushing yards per game, it currently boasts three players with double-digit tackles on the season. 

With a familiar foe at quarterback, the Pack will look to stifle an Irish team that has had sustained success so far this season. The confines of Carter-Finley should prove to be as raucous as ever as the Pack looks to take down a nationally ranked top ten team. 

Kickoff against the Fighting Irish is set for noon on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC.