It was a complete effort last weekend, as Notre Dame cruised to a 28–7 victory over Boise State. But the Fighting Irish did leave a lot of points on the board and look to improve further as NC State visits South Bend. On Sunday, Notre Dame climbed to No. 16 in both polls; Coach Freeman must continue to keep the boys focused, while the NC State Wolfpack will be eager to get their first win in program history at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Essential Game Info:
- Game Time: Saturday, October 11, at 3:30 PM ET on Peacock
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
- Matchup History: Notre Dame is 2–2 all-time against NC State (last meeting 2023: Irish won 45–24)
- Odds: Notre Dame –21.0
NC State Details
- Conference: ACC
- Head Coach: Dave Doeren
- 2025 Record: 4–2 (1–2)
- 2024 Record: 6–7 (3–5)
NC State Storylines:
How has Dave Doeren’s team fared this season? NC State started the season with three straight victories over East Carolina, Virginia, and Wake Forest, then fell to Duke and Virginia Tech, but bounced back last week with a 56–10 victory over Campbell.
NC State has yet to get a bye week in 2025, which could play a factor late in this contest.
The Wolfpack offense is led by quarterback CJ Bailey. In 2025, Bailey is 138-for-185 (75%) with 13 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and 9 sacks taken. On the year, the NC State quarterback has 40 rushing attempts for 78 yards (2 yards per carry) with three rushing scores.
Hollywood Smothers is the leading rusher for the Wolfpack. He has 100 carries this fall for 693 yards (6.9 yards per carry) with 5 rushing touchdowns.
Notre Dame Storylines:
The Fighting Irish defense has arrived! Over the past two weeks, Chris Ash seems to have something figured out. Notre Dame held a great Arkansas offense to 13 points and a solid Boise State unit to 7 points.
Last weekend, the Irish limited the Broncos to 6-for-15 on third downs and 1-for-3 on fourth downs.
What about defensive havoc plays? Early in 2025, Chris Ash’s group struggled to get pressure on the quarterback and create turnovers. Facing Boise State, the Irish had 4 sacks and 4 interceptions. Undoubtedly, it helped having the past cornerback in the country back, with Leonard Moore providing two of those turnovers.
The Notre Dame offense must execute better this weekend. If Marcus Freeman and company are looking for a playoff berth, running up the score could not hurt their case.
Certainly easier said than done, but the Irish were stopped on a 4th-and-goal (on the 1), while CJ Carr missed an open receiver on another red-zone fourth-down attempt. With just those two plays, it would have been another 14 points. There are always a lot of “what-ifs” in sports, but I think this group will be motivated to put up more than 28 points against NC State.
Head-to-Head Matchups:
Notre Dame Offense vs. NC State Defense: The Fighting Irish offense is averaging 461 yards per game, while the Wolfpack defense is allowing 375 yards per matchup.
Even with a 21-point victory last week against a solid Boise State program, the Irish will be hungry for more. As I previously mentioned, Notre Dame left a lot of points on the board last week and will not be complacent heading into this matchup.
Meanwhile, the Wolfpack surrendered 45 points to Duke and 23 points to Virginia Tech over the past month, not nearly as lethal of offenses as Mike Denbrock’s in South Bend.
I give the Irish the advantage in this matchup.
Advantage: Notre Dame
NC State Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense: The NC State offense is averaging 448 yards per contest, while the Notre Dame defense is allowing 375 yards per game.
With Miami moving to No. 2 and Texas A&M to No. 5, Notre Dame’s defense does not feel so bad after all. Not to mention, the Irish have improved drastically on all levels and passed the eye test the past two weeks. There is still a lot of football left to be played, but I give some respect to Chris Ash. He might not be Al Golden, but he did not give up on this group.
In South Bend, this Irish defense has the advantage.
Advantage: Notre Dame
Special Teams: NC State’s Kanoah Vinesett is 2-for-3 this year, with his longest conversion at 38 yards. Conversely, Noah Burnette is 3-for-3 with his longest conversion at 39 yards, but he has been absent for the past several weeks.
There is no distinct advantage on special teams.
Advantage: Tie
My Prediction:
There must be a “one game at a time” mentality the rest of 2025. Two weeks ago, Irish fans (myself included) thought the season was over; now the entire national media is already penciling Notre Dame into a playoff spot (which can affect the team’s focus).
Normally, in this type of matchup, I would give the “motivational scale” to the NC State Wolfpack. But with every game essentially being a “playoff game” for the Fighting Irish and their lack of offensive execution, I believe Coach Freeman’s group will be just as hungry.
Notre Dame clearly is the better team in this showdown, but if they underestimate their opponent (like Penn State against UCLA), a loss would knock the Irish from playoff contention.
I have the Fighting Irish winning by 25 points.
Prediction: Notre Dame 42, NC State 17
