When then-No. 10 Notre Dame came to town, NC State needed an A-plus performance from its defense to pull off the upset, but the Fighting Irish ended up as  too much to handle for the red-and-white.

This was the first time the Wolfpack defense allowed over 30 points in a game since the 2021 season, which was against a Wake Forest team led by current Notre Dame quarterback, Sam Hartman. 

While the defense gave up too many big plays in crucial spots, it  was  also put in short-field situations by the offense. In order for the defense to play up to its potential, it will need more complementary play from the offense, but that’s no excuse for some of the defensive breakdowns on Saturday.

Defensive line

It would be easy to sit here and blame the defensive line for Notre Dame’s 170 rushing yards, but it can’t all be placed on them. The defensive line was dominant to start the game, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs and putting pressure on Hartman. Junior defensive tackle Davin Vann was a  force to start the game, recording a sack on the first drive and finishing with two sacks on the day. 

After the first two drives, the defensive line began to wear down due to the Fighting Irish’s relentless running attack, and it reared its ugly head on an 80-yard touchdown run by Notre Dame’s running back Audric Estime. In addition to the touchdown run, Notre Dame earned many short third downs because of successful runs given up by the line.

There are still some positive signs in what was a mostly disappointing day for the defensive line. Vann looks like an All-ACC defender, and sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Cleveland showed his potential with five total tackles and a strip sack.

Grade:  D+

Linebackers

To no one’s surprise, graduate linebacker Payton Wilson was the best player on the field for the Wolfpack defense, finishing the game with 14 total tackles. Wilson was everywhere, running down players who got behind the defense and stopping running backs in their tracks. However, this performance wasn’t enough as his fellow linebackers didn’t step up.

Junior linebacker Devon Betty and senior linebacker Jaylon Scott combined  for only four tackles on the day and were a part of the reason Notre Dame was able to run the ball so well. Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson’s defense relies heavily on linebackers, and their lackluster performances were a big part of the defensive breakdown.

There is still some optimism for this group, as redshirt sophomore Caden Fordham stepped up when his name was called. Fordham had five total tackles and always seemed to be around the ball.

Grade: C

Secondary

Hartman has had troubles with the NC State secondary in the past, throwing three interceptions against the unit last season. He had  a much easier go-around this time as he relied on his running game but also connected on big plays down the field.

For the most part, the secondary was able to lock down the Fighting Irish receivers in the first half, but it gave up a 65-yard pass right before the half that eventually led to a touchdown. Junior cornerback Aydan White was the culprit of the play as he pushed Notre Dame receiver Chris Tyree out of bounds, but Tyree established himself back inbounds and White left him wide open for the big play. Aside from one mental lapse, White  locked down in coverage for the rest of the game and recorded his second career sack. 

While the secondary is mostly responsible for the passing game, it must also be the back line when stopping the run. There were many times throughout the game that saw defensive backs take bad angles against the run while also missing tackles. The  secondary couldn’t force Hartman turnovers even though there were some golden opportunities for interceptions.

Despite no interceptions, the secondary was the best part of the Pack’s defense against Notre Dame. NC State allowed the defensive line to get sacks because of its coverage and forced Hartman to find his second and third reads. As the game plan shifted to slowing down the run, the secondary was put into bad spots on play actions which led to bigger completions. 

Grade: C+