Wolfpack Unable to get past Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - After holding No.16 Notre Dame to 10 points and facing only a three-point deficit at the half, the Fighting Irish scored 26 unanswered points in the second half as the Wolfpack fell to Notre Dame 36-7 Saturday afternoon from Notre Dame Stadium.

It is the first time since 2018 at Clemson that the Wolfpack has been held to just seven points in a game.

Quarterback CJ Bailey was 17-30 for 186 yards and a touchdown. The Irish defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions from Bailey and a fumble that led to a safety.

It was a quiet day on the ground for Hollywood Smothers, as the ACC rushing leader was held to just 46 yards on 12 carries on the day. As a team, NC State rushed for just 51 yards, which was the lowest mark this season for both Smothers and the Wolfpack.

The injury bug continued to bite the Wolfpack, as starters Anthony Carter, Jr., and Terrell Anderson left the game and were unable to return.

Notre Dame was 5-8 in red zone opportunities, while NC State was 0-0, with its only score coming from outside the red zone. The 485 offensive yards put up by Notre Dame were the second most given up this season by NC State. The Wolfpack totaled a season-low 233 yards of offense.

The ACC tackle leader, Caden Fordham, added to his tally, leading the Wolfpack defense with 10 total tackles and a sack.

Notre Dame opened up the scoring with a score from Jeremiyah Love on their first drive of the game. They would then attempt to expand their lead after forcing another Wolfpack punt on a 4th & inches on the NC State 7-yard line, but Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr was pushed out of bounds 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage by Caden Fordham.

NC State would take advantage of the stop with a 45-yard touchdown pass from CJ Bailey to Terrell Anderson – his fourth of the season – to even the score at seven.

Notre Dame would try another 4th down later in the half on the NC State eight-yard line, but the Irish were picked off in the back of the end zone by Assad Brown Jr. for the first interception of the redshirt freshman's career.

The Wolfpack offense would not take advantage this time, however, punting it back to the Irish, where they would kick a 48-yard field goal as time expired to make it 10-7 at the half. NC State held Notre Dame to just 59 rushing yards in the first half, tied for their lowest number of the season.

Notre Dame would reverse their fourth-down fortunes in the second half with a fake punt in NC State territory. The drive would end in an 18-yard touchdown pass, increasing their lead to 7-17.

The Irish would then begin to pull away, dicing up the injury-battered Wolfpack secondary on their way to another touchdown pass – this time from 12 yards out.

The Wolfpack entered the fourth quarter in desperation mode as they attempted a 4th-and-11 on their own 48-yard line. The play resulted in an interception that the Irish turned into a 34-yard field goal.

Bailey threw another interception on the following possession when trying to throw the ball away. Still, the defense would respond by forcing and recovering a fumble with Notre Dame just goal-to-go.

The Pack's offensive mishaps continued on the next play with a fumbled snap in the end zone, resulting in a safety. That marked the third Wolfpack turnover over the span of just six plays. The Irish turned their third takeaway of the quarter into seven points with Love's second rushing score of the day.

The game would come to a close with Notre Dame kneeling out the clock with a score of 36-7 after yet another Pack interception for a fourth turnover in as many possessions.

The Wolfpack's loss moves the all-time series to 2-3. Next, the Wolfpack will take on Pitt in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 25th, coming off the bye week.

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Team Stats

CJ Bailey

Hollywood Smothers

Players Mentioned

Terrell Anderson

CJ Bailey

Anthony Carter, Jr.

Caden Fordham

Hollywood Smothers