Notre Dame Football Grades: Offense vs. North Carolina State

The Notre Dame football team marched to their 7th victory of the season with a win over North Carolina State, 35-14. Here are the individual grades for the Irish offense.

Offensive Coordinator Chip Long did not ask Brandon Wimbush to do too much on Saturday. However, what he did ask Wimbush to do the Junior Quarterback did well. He completed 10 of 19 passes for 104 yards with 2 touchdowns. Wimbush did miss a few passes that would have given him a better statistical performance. But, overall, the threat of Wimbush running and throwing deep is clearly affecting how defenses play Notre Dame. Again, on Josh Adam’s long touchdown run, several players are focusing on Wimbush. This is giving the Irish offense an opportunity to get equal numbers in the box. After that, Adams will do the rest.

Josh Adams continued his Heisman campaign on Saturday with another 200-yard performance. Adams showed grit and patience early on against the Wolfpack. Eventually, he and the Offensive Line wore down the NC State front. His performance was highlighted by a 77-yard touchdown run.

Deon McIntosh is an unsung hero of the Notre Dame football team. McIntosh is effective in garbage time and whenever the Irish need him to spell his fellow Running Backs. Again, he assisted in Josh Adam’s health by taking the lion’s share of the carries in the 4th Quarter. McIntosh finished with 63 yards on 11 carries.

Notre Dame does not attempt to highlight the passing game. So, the lack of production from the Wide Receivers can partly be blamed on play calling and the inconsistency of Brandon Wimbush. However, if Notre Dame wants to continue to ascend to the top of College Football, the Wide Receiver will need to make more plays.

Kevin Stepherson made the best of the play of the day. He caught a beautifully thrown fade ball by Brandon Wimbush. Stepherson finished with 24 yards on 2 catches. Equanimeous St. Brown finished with 2 receptions for 13 yards.

Durham Smythe contributed big-time in the passing game against North Carolina State. Smythe caught 3 passes for 52 yards with a touchdown. He made two game-changing receptions against the Wolfpack. First, Smythe snatched a 25-yard touchdown pass to level the score 7-7. Later, he tip-toed along the sideline to move the chains for the Irish. These were two game-changing plays that made a difference for Notre Dame.

As expected, Smythe along with Mack, Weishar, Wright and Kmet continued to block well in the running game. Freshman Tight Ends Brock Wright and Cole Kmet contributed in multiple Tight End sets against NC State. They figure to make more of an impact down the stretch.

The Notre Dame Offensive Line continues to drive for the 33Trucking Co. Coming in, Notre Dame faced the sixth best rushing defense. At the end of the day, the Irish Offensive Line had blocked their way to 318 rushing yards. Notre Dame now stands at No. 6 in the country in rushing yards. The Fighting Irish are averaging 317.88 yards per game on the ground. This group is dominating their opponents. Dominance deserves a great grade.

The Notre Dame offense continues to impress. This group has turned in back-to-back great performances. As the calendar turns to November, the Irish face teams that are weak against the run. Fans should expect more guady numbers from this group. However, the Irish still need to improve their passing attack to truly become an elite offense.