RALEIGH — NC State had one game to ease into its season. Week 2 is a much tougher assignment.
The Wolfpack (1-0) will kick off their home schedule Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium when they host No. 13 Notre Dame (2-0).
“It’s exciting to play against them,” said NC State coach Dave Doeren. “A team we don’t get to play a lot. A team that rotates through our league and plays five games a year, so it’s our turn to get an opportunity to compete with them. I’m super excited about the test.”
Last week, the Wolfpack had a tougher-than-expected opener against UConn but managed to pull off a 24-14 win.
Quarterback Brennan Armstrong, in his first game with NC State after transferring from ACC rival Virginia, led the offense, rushing for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts while throwing for 155 yards.
“He enjoys the physicality of football and he can make things happen,” Doeren said of his new quarterback. “A lot of his rushing yards were self-manufactured scrambles, so it wasn’t just calling a QB-run game. There were a couple of designed runs for him, but most of it was just dropping back and running if things weren’t there.
“He adds an element to the game that allows you to call plays and sometimes he just makes it a better play. He just has to continue to be smart with the football and protect the football and manage that part of the game.”
Freshman Kevin Concepcion led the Wolfpack with 36 yards on four catches, but if NC State hopes to compete with the Irish, it will need to get its receivers more involved on Saturday.
“There were a couple of times where we did throw the ball down the field and didn’t connect,” Doeren said. “We had one call that was wide open and Brennan took off running on that play. It just didn’t work that way. … We do need to be able to push the ball down the field a little bit more.”
NC State’s defensive front will also need to be better against Notre Dame than it was versus the Huskies. UConn did a good job handling the Pack’s defensive line last Thursday, with the Huskies rushing for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, including a 71-yard touchdown run. UConn’s line also only allowed two sacks and four tackles for loss.
“We’re going to need them,” Doeren said of his defensive line. “[Notre Dame’s] o-line is talented, big and well coached, so it’s one of those games in the box where it’s going to be a game of imposing will and leverage, strength, fundamentals, inside hands, pad level. It’s going to be awesome in the box. Definitely going to be a game where we have to strain, strain, strain.”
The Fighting Irish have one of the best offensive fronts in college football led by 2022 All-American offensive tackle junior Joe Alt.
Notre Dame already has three running backs who have rushed for more than 50 yards, and their lead back, junior Audric Estime, has totaled 211 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.
The Wolfpack will also be facing a familiar face in former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman, who is playing out his final season eligibility in South Bend.
“We’re playing a 2-0 football team in Notre Dame that has an exceptional quarterback that we know a lot about with Sam Hartman,” Doeren said. “He’s playing really good, not a surprise.”
In his career against NC State, Hartman has a 1-2 record with 923 passing yards and six touchdowns, but he has just a 54.9% completion percentage with six interceptions.
When the Wolfpack faced Wake Forest last season, Hartman threw for nearly 400 yards, but his three interceptions ultimately cost his team the game.
“How you defended him in Wake’s offense is different than how you will defend him in this one because of the run game, play-action game and the things that are unique about Notre Dame’s system,” Doeren said. “Wake’s system was completely different, but we do know from experience what kind of player he is. We know what we have done well and what we haven’t done well over the years against him, so there is some good knowledge in that.”
The Wolfpack will need to limit the yardage that Hartman has been able to pile up against NC State, especially with the Fighting Irish having such a strong run game.
“As a team, we’re going to stress the details and the fundamentals,” Doeren said. “This is going to be a physical game playing against a really good team. But to just get better from Week 1 to Week 2, it’s just the little things that matter most. The details, the fundamentals, you can’t get away from that. That’s how you improve.”
