TALE OF THE TAPE
SOUTH BEND — The 500th game inside Notre Dame Stadium will also be Senior Day for the Fighting Irish football team as 19th-ranked Notre Dame (7-3) hosts Wake Forest (4-6) Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m., NBC). ● A total of 31 seniors will take the field for the home finale, although most have the chance to come back due to either redshirting a season or gaining a year of eligibility granted by the NCAA from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Of the Irish players listed on this week’s depth chart, only four – quarterback Sam Hartman, long snapper Michael Vinson, defensive end Javonte Jean-Baptiste and safety Thomas Harper – are fully out of eligibility after this year. ● Here is a breakdown of the Irish and Demon Deacons matchup.
When Notre Dame has the ball
The “Sam Hartman vs. his former team” hype has simmered down given the Irish's offensive struggles in the last six games. After dominating its first four opponents, Notre Dame's offense has sputtered since, and the Irish's 3-3 record since the 4-0 start is indicative of that.
It'll still be an emotional day for Hartman, who spent five years at Wake Forest. He set just about every passing record in Demon Deacons program history and led Wake to an ACC Championship Game appearance in 2021. Combining his Deacons and Irish stats, Hartman has 15,239 passing yards and 128 touchdowns, both of which rank in the top seven all-time in FBS history.
Wake's defense is middle of the pack across the country, ranking 64th out of 133 FBS teams in both rushing (147.1) and passing (225.1) yards allowed per game. It's 24.4 points allowed per contest is 54th. Sophomore DaShawn Jones leads the team with three interceptions, senior Jacob Roberts with 70 tackles and junior Jasheen Davis with 7.5 sacks. After Audric Estimé was taken out of the game in the second half against Clemson two weeks ago, expect the junior running back to get a lot of carries in what could be his final game inside ND Stadium as well. With a chance to go out with a strong performance in front of the home fans, expect the Irish offense to be ready to go.
Edge: Notre Dame When Wake Forest has the ball
The Demon Deacons have failed to score more than 27 points since Sept. 16, averaging 15 points per game since. Its worst offensive performance came last week, a 26-6 loss to NC State that gave Wake Forest six losses in its last seven games. Wake mustered only 163 yards of total offense – including just seven rushing yards – in the loss to the Wolfpack.
This is music to the Notre Dame defense's ears, as the Irish have been one of the top defensive units in the country this year. They rank 11th in allowing 16.9 points per game and tied for fifth in forced turnovers with 20. Xavier Watts leads the country with seven interceptions, with Cam Hart amongst a host of players tied for eighth with three forced fumbles. Notre Dame should have no issues containing the Demon Deacons offensive attack.
Edge: Notre Dame Special Teams
After a few positive weeks of special teams play, the Irish had a gaffe against Clemson, with Chris Tyree fumbling a punt return. The Tigers fell on the ball and scored on the ensuing drive, which proved critical in a 31-23 defeat for the Irish. The kicking game for Notre Dame has gotten better, with Spencer Shrader making his last eight field goal attempts after starting the year 5-for-10. Bryce McFerson has been a reliable punter all season as well, ranking 11th in the country with a 45.4 yards-per-punt average.
Wake Forest has returned one kickoff for a touchdown this year, with Demond Claiborne running one back 96 yards against Virginia Tech Oct. 14. Other than that, the Demon Deacons have been a non-factor in most of his special teams play.
Edge: Notre Dame Coaching
The edge has gone to Notre Dame most of the times in this category, in part due to the work of Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden. His effort is being noticed nationally, with Golden being named a Broyles Award nominee, which goes to the top assistant coach in the country.
Playing a favorable opponent on Senior Day should make it easy for the Irish coaching staff to get their players ready to go for this game.