SOUTH BEND, Ind. — To describe arguably the best pass delivered Saturday in the 500th game ever in 93-year-old Notre Dame Stadium, Irish quarterback Sam Hartman had to make a potentially humbling admission.
That the CFP 19th-ranked Irish football team had cocoa available on the sidelines — hot chocolate was Hartman’s more manly description — and that he was partaking of it in the fourth quarter of the 24-year-old grad transfer’s final game in the facility.
“I was done playing,” Hartman prefaced of the phase of the Notre Dame 45-7 subduing of his former team, Wake Forest, in which sophomore backup Steve Angeli was in the field and deftly making his case as a viable option to be a consideration to be Hartman’s successor in 2024, despite head coach Marcus Freeman’s designs to go December shopping in the transfer portal.
And Hartman’s own passing numbers were more reminiscent of his early-season flourish and lightyears better than the 70.9 pass-efficiency rating he concocted in a 31-23 pre-bye week loss at Clemson on Nov. 4. That was the second-worst of his career and the lowest since a 63-3 loss to an eventual national champion Clemson team in 2018.
His Senior Day numbers, on ND’s seventh successive win observing that tradition, were as follows: 21-of-29 for 277 yards and four TDs with no interceptions, no fumbles on his part, no sacks taken — with two new offensive linemen, sophomore center Ashton Craig and sophomore right guard Billy Schrauth — making their first career starts.
But none of them had a better moment, Hartman maintained, than a young woman from the student section.
“I'm walking,” Hartman related, “and some girl —- and if I saw her right now I would know who she is, but I don't know her name — threw a marshmallow from the student section. It was like a 30-yard shot, landing in my hot chocolate. And I'm like, one of my teammates just did it.
‘Really funny, guys.’
“And I look up, and this girl is going nuts. She just dunked it in there, and obviously ceremoniously I chugged it.”
There was nothing ceremonious or ceremonial about the roles Notre Dame’s receiving youth movement played in Hartman’s Saturday resurgence.
The Irish coaching staff had been investing the most wideout reps in freshman wide receivers Rico Flores Jr., Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison for the past few games. And against Wake Forest (4-7) that investment came with significant production.
The trio combined for 15 receptions for 212 yards and two TDs, with Flores leading the way with eight for 102. That marked the first time any Irish wide receiver eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark since freshman Lorenzo Styles and senior Kevin Austin both did so in the Jan. 1, 2022 Fiesta Bowl in second-year head coach Freeman’s first game since being elevated from defensive coordinator in early December of 2021.
Sophomore tight end Eli Raridon, who might as well be considered a freshman after missing the final eight games of last season and the first six of the 2023 season with a second ACL tear in a 10-month span, got into the act as well.
The 6-7, 250-pound sophomore made his first career start and collected the first three receptions of his career for 39 yards, including a 19-yard TD reception 51 seconds into the second half and right after a Wake turnover to make it 24-7 in favor of the Irish (8-3).
“[It’s the] accumulation of weeks of practices,” Freeman said of Raridon, who debuted this season in game 7 against Louisville on Oct. 7. “When he finally was cleared to play from where he was to now, it's just a process of him gaining that confidence.
“He's not at his full potential yet. He'll continue to gain that confidence. I think today was a great reflection of how far he's come since he was cleared medically. For him to have some of those catches and get hit low, it gives him confidence that, ‘Hey, I'm going to be just fine.’”
Whether the offense, that’s sputtered for much of the season’s midsection, is fine or better than fine probably didn’t have the context to make that declaration Saturday against the nation’s No. 63 team in total defense. Even less so next weekend against Stanford (3-8).
The Cardinal entered their game with arch-rival Cal, an eventual 27-15 Stanford home loss on Saturday night, No. 128 out of 130 FBS teams in total D.
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Freeman praised the offensive game plan, the offensive staff and in particular semi-embattled first-year offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, whose unit started with a three-yard drive that consumed 46 seconds off the clock and ended with a shanked Bryce McFerson 27-yard punt.
Despite some discombobulated clock management Notre Dame was able to take a 17-7 lead at halftime on a Spencer Shrader 37-yard field goal. Raridon’s early TD in the third quarter started the conversion from relative struggle to blowout.
Junior running back Audric Estimé broke the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season in what might be his last collegiate home game. His 115 yards (on 22 carries and a TD), puts him at 1,103 yards for the season — 14th-most in a season in Irish history. Vagas Ferguson has remained the record-holder since 1979 with 1,437.
“It definitely was needed,” Freeman said of an offensive performance that included 450 total yards, a 5-for-10 conversion rate and third down and a 1-for-1 showing on fourth down.
“I think you when you don't have the performance that you aspire to have, it messes with your confidence. You can be as courageous as you want, but still have a lack of confidence inside because of the performance. And so it was much needed.
“It's a testament to how they prepared, the adjustments they made, the execution of the game plan. So, I'm really happy for coach Parker and that whole offensive staff and that offensive side of the ball. Really pleased with the performance tonight.”
The defense, which came in No. 7 nationally in yards allowed per game, had the kind of performance — again — that begged the question whether it’s been a missed opportunity of possibly being in the playoff picture still had the offense had fewer hiccups.
Coordinator Al Golden’s unit stifled redshirt junior quarterback Michael Kern, making his first career start in place of Wake’s demoted Hartman successor, Mitch Griffis and the Deacs’ renowned slow-mesh offense to the tune of 232 total yards. That’s the best showing by the Irish against a Power 5 team since smothering Boston College last Senior Day with a 176-yard total in the Snow Globe game.
Wake amassed just 98 yards passing, and that included 17 on a wide receiver-to-wide receiver gadget play that fooled the Irish. Special teams got in on the statistical fun too, with a blocked field goal by Javontae Jean-Baptiste and a successfully executed onside kick.
But only Hartman was serenaded on and by the video board with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” And it felt like a moment he deserved to savor to pretty much everyone involved — but him.
“I mean, it's a part of the position,” Hartman said of the adulation. “I try to give it to Steve [Angeli], because he's as deserving as anybody. He's got a big career ahead of him. Some of the throws he was making, he was 3-for-3. His career percentages right now are looking really good. Probably an all-time stat leader. I think he should walk away from it all. Totally kidding.”
And Hartman did walk away from his press conference, after entertaining a handful of questions — including one about the mini man-bun he was sporting postgame. He ended it politely after the hot chocolate story and thanking everyone.
In the process he reminded all those within earshot he has two games left, which would suggest he wouldn’t skip a potential bowl that still most likely to be a Jan. 1 date in the ReliaQuest Bowl against an SEC team, perhaps even former ND coach Brian Kelly's LSU Tigers.
For those who thought ND should change its focus, and perhaps some key personnel, the win had a little bit for them too — something that could be built upon for 2024, given the young receivers’ performance, and something to help finish out the 2023 season with a chance still for 10 wins.
And a fitting Notre Dame Stadium goodbye for Hartman the Irish seniors.
“I thanked him,” Flores said of Hartman of his postgame conversation with the player who now is No. 4 all-time in career TD passes in FBS history, with 132. “I thanked him and our other seniors, too — all of our leaders on the team, to just give us that opportunity. We were pretty deep in the senior room, and for him to come out and lead us the way they did all season, can't ask for nothing better than that.”
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