SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It wasn't as pretty as its previous three victories, but No. 9 Notre Dame football remained undefeated on Saturday, defeating Central Michigan 41-17.
At halftime, the Irish (4-0) held a seven-point lead. After quarterback Sam Hartman took a quarterback sneak, Central Michigan (1-2) answered with a 12-play, 50-yard drive that ended with a field goal.
Leading 28-17, the Irish used 50- and 31-yard field goals from Spencer Shrader — and a four-yard Holden Staes touchdown catch — to put the game away.
Inside ND Sports awarded two game balls for the Irish — one on offense and one on defense.
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman
While there weren't as many sustained drives as Navy and Tennessee State, the deep ball clicked for Hartman and the Irish passing offense against Central Michigan.
Hartman threw a 76-yard touchdown to wide receiver Chris Tyree, a 75-yard touchdown to Tobias Merriweather and a 42-yard strike down the sideline to wide receiver Rico Flores Jr.
Running back Audric Estimé's 176 rushing yards were pivotal, and his hurdles over Central Michigan defenders riled up the crowd in the fourth quarter, but without Hartman's three passing touchdowns, Notre Dame would only have scored 27 points and given the Chippewas offense better field position on their drives.
After losing a fumble against NC State, head coach Marcus Freeman spoke about the importance of Hartman protecting the football. Hartman didn't commit any turnovers and kept his season total of interceptions at zero, which made it difficult for Central Michigan to cut the deficit to single digits.
Hartman finished 16-of-26 passing (61.5%) for 330 yards with three touchdown passes and a one-yard touchdown run.
Notre Dame defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste
In linebacker JD Bertrand's absence, linebacker Jack Kiser led the Irish with 10 total tackles including six solo. However, the Chippewas ran the ball effectively through the middle of Notre Dame's defense and Kiser allowed a few receptions in coverage.
On Central Michigan's third possession of the game, defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste was credited with two tackles and one quarterback hurry in three consecutive plays. He was all over the field and made an impact again in the second half with Central Michigan's offense threatening.
With 2:03 left in the third quarter, Central Michigan faced a third-and-goal and could have made it a one-possession game with a touchdown.
Jean-Baptiste beat his offensive lineman and pressured quarterback Jase Bauer, resulting in an incompletion broken up by cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end finished with three tackles, including one for loss and three quarterback hurries.
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