The Notre Dame Fighting Irish picked up their fourth win of the season yesterday defeating the NC State Wolfpack 36-7 in a game that was never really all that close. The offense struggled for a stretch in the first half, but pulled things together and scored on three of their four final drives of the game. They finished with 485 total yards of offense, averaged 6.8 yards per play and redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr passed for 342 yards. There was some sloppy play at times, but at the end of the day, the offense put 34 points on the board Saturday afternoon and picked it up in the second half. Here are my key takeaways from Notre Dame's offense against NC State.
Complimentary Weapons Showed Out
Through the first five games, receivers Malachi Fields and Jordan Faison were Carr's primary targets in the passing game. Yesterday, we saw three players step up and impact the offense down the field. Tight end Eli Raridon had his first 100-yard game of his career. Receiver and captain Will Pauling caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and redshirt sophomore receiver KK Smith has his breakout game hauling in three receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. The three combined for 273 of Carr's 342 total passing yards while Faison and Fields still combined for five receptions and 69 receiving yards. Once Jaden Greathouse is healthy, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, along with his starting quarterback, will have an arsenal of weapons in the pass game.
Self Inflicted Wounds Strike Again
On four consecutive drives in the first half, Notre Dame put themselves behind the sticks resulting in two punts, a turnover on downs and an interception. In back to back weeks, we've seen this offense stall out in the red zone and leave points out on the field. Then, in the fourth quarter, running back Jadarian Price fumbled near the goal line after linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa intercepted quarterback CJ Bailey. The last two weeks have been very inconsistent for this offense and their lack of consistency and execution, they've stopped themselves, for the most part. Notre Dame is now halfway through the season; with the defense playing at a significantly higher level, this Irish offense will have to raise their level of consistency.
Explosive Plays Remained
Despite some of the offensive struggles, Notre Dame's offense still remained an explosive offense. Six players on offense who touched the ball recorded a play of 20 yards or longer. The longest being a 42 yard reception by Pauling. Fields, Raridon, Pauling, Smith, Love and Price all recorded rushing or receiving plays of 20 yards or longer; one of the many reasons this offense was able to overcome their inconsistencies. Notre Dame averaged 18.0 yards per completion and, despite a lackluster performance on the ground, Love and Price still ripped off a 24-yard run and a 20-yard run respectively. Their offense put points on the board in every quarter, but a 26-point second half really sealed the deal for the Fighting Irish.
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