SOUTH BEND (WNCN/AP) – North Carolina State’s offense struggled in South Bend Saturday, as the Fighting Irish handed the Wolfpack a 36-7 loss.
CJ Bailey threw three interceptions and fumbled once against Notre Dame (4-2), who won its fourth consecutive contest.
Notre Dame held NC State to just 51 yards on the ground, while the homestanding Fighting Irish racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense.
Bailey found Terrell Anderson for a 45-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to tie the game at 7, but Notre Dame scored 29 unanswered points after that point.
Asaad Brown Jr. picked off a CJ Carr pass late in the second quarter with the game tied at 7.
Carr connected on 19 of 31 passes, with TD tosses of 18 yards to K.K. Smith and 12 yards to Will Pauling in the third quarter. Jeremiyah Love rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (4-2).
Notre Dame led 10-7 at halftime. The Fighting Irish outscored the Wolfpack 26-0 in the second half.
Eli Raridon had seven catches for 109 yards, and Pauling had four catches for 105 yards as Notre Dame relied on the passing game more than its heralded 1-2 running game punch of Love and Jadarian Price.
“We just want to win,” Carr said. “That’s the result we want, whether it’s (Love and Price) carrying the ball, and there are times they’re going to have six touchdowns each, or we’re going to spread the field out and throw it all over the yard.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said that his team did not play its best game.
“My message was stop beating Notre Dame,” Freeman said of what he told his team after they only held a three-point lead at halftime. “That was the message. …. It’s easy for me to say don’t beat Notre Dame, but we have to continue to train our minds to focus in the right way and go out and execute.”
C.J. Bailey connected with Terrell Anderson on a 45-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter for the Wolfpack (4-3). Anderson did not play in the second half due to injury.
Notre Dame came up with three interceptions and hit the Wolfpack for four sacks, five tackles for loss and a safety. N.C. State entered the game averaging 447.7 yards of total offense a game, but only managed 233 yards on Saturday.
N.C. State star running back Hollywood Smothers only gained 46 yards on 12 carries. He entered the game averaging 115.5 yards.
N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said turnovers haunted the Wolfpack.
“C.J. (Bailey) was off,” Doeren said. “We had some chances for some good throws down the field and overthrew the ball. It happens at times. If you’re in a game where they’re going to overload the box and play man-to-man, you have to be able to throw to hose down-the-field routes.”
Defense rising
Notre Dame’s defense has only allowed three touchdowns in the last three quarters. The Fighting Irish have seven interceptions in the last two games compared to five picks in the first four.
“The defense played lights out the second half — really played lights out for the majority of the game,” Freeman said.
Jump start
Some trickery helped jump start the Notre Dame offense in the second half.
Leading 10-7 early in the third quarter, Notre Dame lined up for a punt on a fourth-and-two at its 38. The Fighting Irish quickly shifted into a formation that had back-up quarterback Tyler Buchner taking the snap and gaining three yards for a first down. Notre Dame took advantage to drive down and get first first score of the second half, the TD pass from Carr to Smith.
The takeaway
Notre Dame’s fourth consecutive victory should help the No. 16 Fighting Irish continue to inch their way up the rankings.
N.C. State has lost three of its last four, including setbacks against Duke and Virginia Tech before Saturday’s game at Notre Dame. A 56-10 victory over Campbell is the only bright spot for the Wolfpack in the past month.
Up next
N.C. State: At Pittsburgh on Oct. 25.
Notre Dame: Hosts Southern California next Saturday.
NC State (4-3) gets next week off before traveling to Pittsburgh. The Panthers upset Florida State Saturday afternoon.