Game balls: Hartman ties season-high, Bertrand makes savvy veteran play
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 19 Notre Dame football sent its senior class off on a winning note by defeating Wake Forest 45-7 on Saturday.
The Irish (8-3) ended their 2023 regular season home slate with a 5-1 record and remained unbeaten in the all-time series of six games against the Demon Deacons (4-7).
Head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad held a 10-point lead at halftime and set the tone in the first 52 seconds of the second half by forcing a turnover, scoring a touchdown and recovering an onside kick.
Inside ND Sports hands out two game balls to Irish players after their performances.
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman
When junior tight end Mitchell Evans was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL against Pittsburgh, Hartman lost his leading receiver and seemingly favorite weapon — Evans led the Irish in passing targets against Ohio State, Duke, Louisville and USC.
Two weeks ago at Clemson, Hartman regressed in his first game without Evans since Central Michigan. The Tigers intercepted the Irish signal caller twice and held him to a season-worst 43.3% completion percentage.
The script flipped for Hartman against his former Demon Deacon teammates. He connected with eight different receivers — including wide receiver Tobias Merriweather, wide receiver Jaden Greathouse, tight end Eli Raridon and running back Devyn Ford for touchdowns. His four touchdowns matched the season high he reached against Navy and NC State.
Hartman had command of the offense and protected the ball despite a few errant throws and two quarterback hurries produced by Wake Forest's defense. He finished with 277 passing yards on 21-of-29 passing in his final game inside Notre Dame Stadium.
Notre Dame linebacker JD Bertrand
Irish defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste was considered for this spot but Notre Dame completely took the game over after Bertrand's sack and forced fumble of Wake Forest quarterback Michael Kern in the first defensive possession of the third quarter.
Bertrand was relieved of his duties in the fourth quarter for freshman Drayk Bowen but still led Notre Dame's linebacker group with six tackles including five solo and one for loss.
Entering Notre Dame's regular-season finale, Bertrand sits at 69 tackles — 13 shy of the 82 tackles he accumulated last season, including the bowl game.
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