Irish Roll Wolfpack
Ladies and Gentlemen, Josh Adams has arrived.
The Notre Dame junior running back proved this season hasn’t been a fluke with a dominant performance against the vaunted defensive unit of the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Adams gained 202 yards on 27 carries with another long touchdown as the 9th-ranked Irish took over in the second half on their way to a 35-14 victory against the 14th-ranked Wolfpack on Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium.
The Irish improved to 7-1 with the win, going into a home matchup next week against Wake Forest while the Wolfpack dropped to 6-2 going into a home game against Clemson.
Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush finished the game 10 of 19 through the air for 104 yards and two scores. Wimbush also added a rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Tight end Durham Smythe was the leading receiver for the Irish with three receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown.
For the Wolfpack, quarterback Ryan Finley was 17 of 37 for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Julian Love. Reggie Gallaspy was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 47 yards as NC State lost standout running back Nyheim Hines to injury early in the game. Kelvin Harmon was the leading receiver with seven catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Late in the third quarter, Adams took a handoff straight up the middle for a 77-yard touchdown to put the Irish up 35-14 on the first play of the drive.
The Wolfpack began their next drive at the 35 after the kickoff went out of bounds. The Irish defense came up big yet again as it seemed to be a big theme in the game, forcing the Wolfpack to punt yet again. The Irish took over at their own 10-yard line with just 2:56 to go in the quarter.
A first-down carry by Adams got the drive moving as the Irish continued to control the trenches. Deon McIntosh came in to spell Adams and picked up a few first downs, getting the Irish to midfield. A short carry by Adams got him over 200 yards for the game as the quarter ended.
A third-down completion from Wimbush to Kevin Stepherson gave the Irish the first down as the passing game finally got involved. After Wimbush was taken down hard on third down, the drive stalled and the punting team came out.
The Wolfpack took over at their own eight-yard line with 12:29 left in the game. They were unable to get their drive going and were forced to punt once again. A strong return by Chris Finke got the Irish to the Wolfpack 48-yard line.
Another Irish three-and-out gave the Wolfpack the football back at their own 20. Again, the Irish defense came up huge with another stop and another forced three-and-out and took over after the punt at their own 23-yard line with 8:40 to play. A nice completion to Chase Claypool got the chains moving for the Irish. A couple solids runs by Dexter Williams got him involved for the first time in a few weeks.
A short gain by McIntosh got the Irish up to midfield. McIntosh was featured on the drive and continued the domination of the rushing attack as Notre Dame was able to bleed the rest of the clock to end the game.
Adams became the fastest Irish running back to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season, reaching the milestone in just 110 carries.
The Wolfpack received the second half kickoff and began their drive at their own 20. The drive started with a good run by Jaylen Samuels which gave the drive some early momentum. A big catch by Harmon got the Wolfpack past midfield as he continued his strong game. On third down, Finley was picked off by Love who took it the distance to give the Irish a 28-14 lead with 12:05 to go in the third quarter.
A terrific return by Samuels got the Wolfpack all the way down to the Irish 42. A big third down completion to Harmon kept the drive alive as Finley took a huge hit. On the next play, Gallaspy took a 15-yard carry into the red zone but the Wolfpack failed to score as they went for it on fourth down inside the five-yard line. The Irish took over with 7:31 to play in the third.
The Irish were forced into a three-and-out on their first drive of the second half and punted the ball back to the Wolfpack as they took over at their own 42-yard line. The good field position was all the Wolfpack managed as they went three and out. The Irish took over at their own 21 after the punt with 4:27 left in the quarter before Adams broke the game open with his long scoring run.
The Wolfpack committed 12 penalties in the game for 89 yards which allowed the Irish to remain in control for most of the game.
The Irish received the opening kickoff and began their first drive of the ballgame at their own 21-yard line. Adams opened the game on the right foot with a 21-yard gain right into the teeth of the Wolfpack defense. Despite the big run, the Irish were unable to gain momentum as Wimbush was sacked on back to back plays. The Wolfpack took over at their own 27 after the punt.
The Wolfpack went three and out on their first drive and punted the football back to the Irish who took over at their own 21. A couple of negative yardage plays backed up the Irish as they failed to pick up a first down. The Wolfpack blocked the punt and fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead with 10:05 to play in the quarter.
C.J. Sanders gave the Irish good field position at their own 40-yard line on the ensuing drive. Adams started off the drive hot again with a 35-yard burst. Wimbush then finished off the drive with a beautiful touchdown toss to Smythe to tie the game just 29 seconds after the Wolfpack score.
The Wolfpack began their next drive at their own 19. Finley rushed for a first down on third down to get the chains moving for NC State. A gain of 13 yards by Gallaspy got the Wolfpack near midfield as the drive continued. The drive stalled as the Irish defense stepped up. The Wolfpack downed the punt at the Irish five-yard line with 4:47 in the quarter.
On the second play of the drive, the Irish got helped with a pass interference penalty on the Wolfpack. The penalty ended up not helping very much as the Irish drive stalled around the 30-yard line. The Wolfpack took over at their own 30 with 2:34 remaining in the quarter.
A diving reception by Samuels on third down moved the chains and a deep ball from Finley to Stephen Louis got the Wolfpack into the red zone for the first time in the game as the quarter ended. On third down, Harmon made a spectacular catch in the end zone to put the Wolfpack back up by a touchdown just 12 seconds into the second quarter.
The Irish took over at their own 27 after a modest return by Sanders. Williams got first touch in the game for a first down and was heavily featured on the drive. A huge play by Wimbush got the Irish over midfield. On third and long, Wimbush took it himself for a first down, avoiding multiple tacklers. Another third down conversion, this time by Adams got the Irish into the red zone for the first time in the game. Finally, Wimbush was able to break through himself, his 11th rushing touchdown of the season, breaking DeShone Kizer’s single season record to tie the game once again with 9:37 to go in the half.
The Wolfpack started their next drive at their own 13-yard line and was immediately met by a hard-charging Te’Von Coney for a big loss. The Wolfpack were forced to punt after a three and out, and the Irish took over at their own 40. After a run by Wimbush, he went deep for Equanimeous St.Brown which drew a pass interference penalty to get the Irish over midfield. A tip toe catch along the sideline by Smythe got the Irish into the red zone and they punched it in on an unbelievable catch by Stepherson in the end zone to give the Irish the lead for the first time in the game with 5:30 left in the half.
The Wolfpack began the ensuing drive at their own 24, trailing for the first time in the game. A big play by Harmon on the first play of the drive got the Wolfpack moving up to midfield. The drive stalled around midfield and the Wolfpack were forced to punt, giving the Irish the ball at their own 12-yard line with 4:28 remaining in the half.
A quick connection from Wimbush to Smythe got the Irish drive moving as the tight end continued his strong half. The drive stalled abruptly as the Irish were unable to pick up another first down, forcing the punt team to come out yet again. The Wolfpack took over at their own 23 with 2:13 to go until halftime. A Finley pass to Jakobi Meyers got the Wolfpack up to midfield and then a penalty on the Irish allowed them to get past midfield. Thanks to a big sack on third down, the Irish defense held strong as the half ended with them leading 21-14.
Wimbush finished the half 8 of 12 for 80 yards and two passing touchdowns, also adding a rushing touchdown as well. Adams gained 102 yards on 18 carries and Smythe was the leading receiver with 3 catches for 52 yards and a score. For the Wolfpack, Finley completed 10 of 23 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. Gallaspy led the team with three carries for 20 yards and Harmon was the receiving leader with four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Player of the Game: Adams. If you didn’t know Adams was in the middle of the Heisman conversation, you know now. Number 33 had an unbelievable game against a talented Wolfpack defense and the Irish stayed with the run even in the first half when they were trailing.
Unsung Hero: Wimbush. The junior wasn’t overly impressive but he took care of the ball and was very accurate through the air as the Irish dominated on the ground and through the air.
Up Next: The Irish play host to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons next Saturday at 3:30 P.M.