No. 3 Notre Dame Out-Guns Wake Forest, 48-37
Even without junior running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Josh Adams, the Notre Dame offense kept on truckin’ during a 48-37 victory versus Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon.
Despite a first-quarter health setback to Adams (five carries, 22 yards) — he remained on the sidelines but was kept out of the game as a precaution — the now 8-1 and No. 3-ranked Fighting Irish amassed 710 yards total offense (380 rushing, 330 passing) and did not commit a turnover for the fifth time in the last six games, including each of the last three. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush passed for a career high 280 yards while completing 15 of his 30 passes, including a touchdown, and he added a team high 110 yards rushing on 12 carries with two more scores.
Wake Forest (5-4) did some rumbling of its own with 587 yards total offense (348 passing, 239 rushing) and ended Notre Dame's reign as the lone Football Bowl Subdivision school to not allow more than 20 points in a game this season.
A 99-yard touchdown drive right before halftime provided Notre Dame a 31-10 lead. Wake Forest scored four touchdowns in the second half but was unable to come closer than the final 11-point margin following a touchdown with 51 seconds left in the contest.
FIRST QUARTER: Notre Dame 7, Wake Forest 3
Top Moment: After the Irish fell behind 3-0, a 52-yard kickoff return by junior CJ Sanders set the Irish up at the Wake Forest 48. They converted a third-and-10 when Wimbush completed an 11-yard pass to classmate Equanimeous St. Brown, followed by a 23-yard toss to fifth-year senior tight end Durham Smythe. Wimbush scrambled for the six-yard touchdown on third-and-three with 6:26 left.
Top Performer: Wimbush completed 5 of 7 passes for 72 yards, and carried three times for six yards and the touchdown. Defensively, junior linebacker Te’von Coney had five tackles, two for lost yardage, including a sack
Stats: Notre Dame’s 18 plays netted 145 yards (73 rushing, 72 passing). Wake Forest’s 22 plays accounted for 123 yards (65 rushing, 58 passing)
Items: Wake Forest kicker Mike Weaver tallied the game’s first score on a 34-yard field goal with 8:46 to cap an 82-yard drive in 14 plays on its opening series.
Notre Dame drove to Wake Forest’s 20 when the quarter ended, highlighted by a 35-yard jet sweep from sophomore wideout Kevin Stepherson.
SECOND QUARTER: Notre Dame 31, Wake Forest 10
Top Moment: With about a minute left and Notre Dame facing third-and-9 from its 26-yard line, sophomore Deon McIntosh romped for 45 yards on a sweep, and Wimbush followed with a 28-yard jaunt to the one-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Ian Book, in for a temporarily shaken up Wimbush, then tossed a one-yard score to senior tight end Nic Weishar with 22 seconds left for the 31-10 advantage — ending a 99-yard drive.
Top Performer: Sophomore cornerback Julian Love intercepted a John Wolford pass that he returned to the Wake Forest five-yard line. On the ensuing play, sophomore running back Tony Jones Jr. scored his third touchdown this season to up Notre Dame’s advantage to 17-3 with 14:00 remaining.
In addition to his interception, Love broke up three passes to set the single season school record of 14.
Stats: The Irish racked up 423 yards total offense in the first half, 258 rushing 165 passing. Wimbush completed 11 of 19 passes for 164 yards.
Items: Notre Dame extended its lead to 10-3 on a 34-yard field by junior Justin Yoon at the 14:18 mark to end a nine-play, 70 yard drive.
Wolford completed 12- and 37-yard passes and then followed by scoring on a 20-yard draw at 10:13 to narrow Wake Forest's deficit to 17-10.
Notre Dame answered the Demon Deacons’ touchdown drive with a 50-yard quarterback draw by Wimbush to push the advantage back to 24-10 with 8:38 left.
A 50-yard field goal attempt by Yoon with 4:11 left fell short.
THIRD QUARTER: Notre Dame 41, Wake Forest 23
Top Moment: Once again after a Wake Forest touchdown sliced the Notre Dame lead to 34-16, the Irish answered with a four-play, 78-yard drive in which the last two plays were a 44-yard toss by Wimbush to sophomore Chase Claypool on third-and-10, and then the 34-yard scoring toss to Claypool
Top Performer: Claypool had a career high 180 yards receiving on nine catches through three quarters. For Wake Forest, Wolford completed 10 of 13 passes for 134 yards and a score, and also ran twice for eight yards, in these 15 minutes.
Stats: Through three quarters, Notre Dame had 602 yards total offense, 317 rushing and 285 passing. Wake Forest outgained the Irish 185-179 during the quarter.
Items: With 2:54 remaining Wake Forest sliced the deficit to 34-16 on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Wolford to Alex Bachman. The drive began when the Demon Deacons stopped Notre Dame on fourth-and-2 at the Wake Forest 37.
The Demon Deacons scored with 30 seconds remaining on a 24-yard Matt Colburn run for the 41-23 result at the end of the quarter.
At the 9:19 mark, Yoon kicked his second field goal, this one from 22 yards. With 6:13 left, Wake Forest’s Weaver missed from 41 yards on the following series.
FOURTH QUARTER: Notre Dame 48, Wake Forest 37
Top Moment: With Book at the throttle, Notre Dame drove 85 yards for a score, capped by a two-yard scoring run by McIntosh. A 43-yard scamper by Book highlighted the march.
Top Performer: Both reserve quarterbacks took advantage of their opportunities, with Book finishing 8-of-8 passing for 50 yards and adding 54 yards on three carries. Meanwhile, Wake Forest's Kendall Hinton directing a 90-yard touchdown drive to close the scoring, rushing five times for 39 yards and completing two of his three passes for 17 yards.
Stats: There were 64 first downs in the contest and 1,297 yards total offense.
Items: Wake Forest scored at the 8:45 mark on an 11-yard pass from Wolford to tight end Jack Freudenthal, and tallied again on a two-yard run by Isaiah Robinson, capping a 90-yard drive with 51 seconds left.
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