Notre Dame Debriefing: Week 5 Duke

Late into the 4th quarter, Notre Dame had their backs against the wall. It was fourth and sixteen at Duke’s 47-yard line, with the Irish down by one. Things seemed bleak, and it didn’t get any better once Sam Hartman took the snap. Hartman was under pressure and rolled out to his right. What happened next will go down as one of the pivotal moments of this season.

Marcus freeman owes Sam Hartman half his salary for the year pic.twitter.com/mHlg1payLT

— John (@iam_johnw) October 1, 2023

These are the exact types of moments Hartman was brought in for. When the game is on the line and they need a big play in order to keep things going, Hartman was supposed to do it. Instead of trying to force a path, Hartman saw an opening and took it. That is an extremely smart football play. It’s also one that has the potential to be a season-saver. It would only take two more plays for Notre Dame to find the endzone.

HOUSE CALL BIG DRIC#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/a1JCY1dQUH

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 1, 2023

Notre Dame would get a big turnover on the ensuing Duke drive, causing them to win the game 21-14. Now was this a perfect game for the Irish? No. The team definitely got outplayed by Duke. They were still feeling the effects of the game against Ohio State. However, what makes you feel confident about this game was how they responded when it mattered most. They didn’t get discouraged even though they weren’t playing well. They kept playing hard and fought for a victory. It might not have been perfect, but it’s another notch in the victory column.

It was also their 30th straight win against ACC opponents. So for people saying Notre Dame couldn’t survive in a conference, this is the most prominent example to show they would be just fine. This win also felt like the win they had against Virginia Tech in 2021. That win helped Notre Dame cement its identity for that season. They got really hot and were able to make a Fiesta Bowl appearance. Hopefully, this win will do something similar to this season and help them get the season back on track. Here are the major takeaways from the win.

Mitchell Evans Establishes Himself

Ever since Michael Mayer left Notre Dame for the NFL, the Irish have been looking for their next big receiving threat. There were questions surrounding the wide receiver room, and nobody knew if Mitchell Evans was good enough to fill the hole left by Mayer. However, Saturday night saw Evans prove he was the next great Notre Dame tight end. His stat line was six receptions for 134 yards, giving him an average of 22.3 yards per reception. It felt like every time a big play was needed, Evans was there. He even had this highlight reel catch.

Notre Dame ? Great Tight End Play

Mitchell Evans one handed grab ?@NDFootball #CFB #CollegeFootball

pic.twitter.com/S8Z0zEGUxS

— Jens Van Hulle (@vanhullejens) October 1, 2023

What this game did was establish himself as the number one receiving threat in this Notre Dame offense. He’s the guy that Hartman can through the ball to, and be confident he’ll make an impact. It’s not just his catching ability, but it’s his YAC ability. Every time he had the ball, he just didn’t go down. He would fight for every single yard he could, and it would take multiple guys to take him down. This is going to be extremely important going forward, especially as this hard stretch of the schedule continues. Evans is going to be the safety net that Hartman has been missing all year and will only make Notre Dame’s passing game even more explosive.

Notre Dame Defense Step Up When Needed

A big theme during this game was Notre Dame being unable to finish on drives. It felt like they had positive momentum, then would get stopped and be forced to punt. Now this puts a lot of pressure on the defense. This is because the only way Notre Dame could stay competitive would be if the defense put on a performance. And boy did they. Every single time Duke would stop the offense, the defense would come up with a stop as well. This kept Notre Dame in the game annd allowed their more talented roster to get the win.

This game also helps cement Notre Dame’s defense as one of the best defensive in the country. Going into last week’s game, there were some question marks surrounding how good the defense really is. However, they answered some of those concerns by locking down Marvin Harrison Jr. all night. He is arguably the best player in all of college football. Pair that with being the reason Duke didn’t pull off their second major upset of the season, and it’s time to put some respect on this Notre Dame defense.

Notre Dame will go up against another tough opponent on October 7th when they take on number 25 Louisville. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm and the game will be in Louisville.

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