N.C. State vs. Notre Dame: Josh Adams burns N.C. State defense for blowout win in South Bend

Skylar Rolstad

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N.C. State vs. Notre Dame: Josh Adams burns N.C. State defense for blowout win in South Bend image

The No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish claimed an important win Saturday afternoon in its march toward College Football Playoff contention. Running back Josh Adams burned the No. 14 N.C. State’s accomplished defense on the way to a 35-14 win in South Bend.

Adams recorded 202 yards in 27 carries and one touchdown. On the touchdown, Adams tore off on a 77-yard run. The Wolfpack defense had previously only allowed 91.3 yards per game on the ground, ranking sixth in the nation. Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush scored a rushing touchdown and added 104 yards passing and a passing touchdown.

The Wolfpack offense stalled in the second half, and quarterback Ryan Finley finished 17 for 37 with 213 yards and one touchdown. He threw his first interception of the season in the third quarter, and it was returned for a touchdown by Julian Love. Notre Dame dominated on defense and held N.C. State to only 50 yards rushing. The Wolfpack's stagnant offense was without running back Nyheim Hines for most of the game as he left the game iwth an injury in the first half and didn't return.

On the defense, N.C. State defensive end Justin Jones also went down and didn’t return. The Wolfpack defense started well with a blocked punt touchdown to open scoring, but the loss of Jones showed when the defense had trouble stopping Adams and Wimbush when he scrambled. The Irish recorded 318 total yards rushing.

The win for Notre Dame means an opportunity to shoot further up the rankings and continue challenging for a College Football Playoff spot. The nonconference loss for the Wolfpack won't hurt their lead in the ACC Atlantic division, but the struggles they experienced don't bode well for their all-important game next weekend against No. 7 Clemson.

Notre Dame vs. N.C. State live blog

FINAL: Notre Dame 35, N.C. State 14. The No. 9 Irish claim another win over a ranked opponent and Josh Adams turns in a dominant performance with 202 yards and a touchdown.

Fourth Quarter

7:07 p.m.: Notre Dame takes a knee and this one is over. Notre Dame claims a 35-14 win and improves to 7-1 on the season.

6:58 p.m.: Six minutes left in this one and the Irish have the ball near midfield. They still lead, 35-14. 

6:49 p.m.: The Irish go three-and-out and the Wolfpack will start on their own 20.

6:43 p.m.: The Irish force a punt for the Wolfpack and take over on the Wolfpack 48 with 11:33 remaining in the game.

6:34 p.m.: The fourth quarter starts with Notre Dame on the Wolpack 51.

Third Quarter

6:27 p.m.: Here's Josh Adams bursting through the gap for the touchdown.

 

 

6:20 p.m.: Touchdown, Irish. Josh Adams is gone. He runs it 77 yards for the score. It's 35-14.

 

 

 

 

 

6:17 p.m.: The Wolfpack punt and the Irish take over on their own 23.

6:10 p.m.: The Irish choose to punt on fourth-and-inches. The Wolfpack take over on their own 42.

6:04 p.m.: On fourth-and-1 from the Notre Dame 6, N.C. State goes for it and fails to convert. Huge stop by the Notre Dame defense.

 

 

6:01 p.m.: Here's the pick-six from Julian Love. It's the first interception thrown by Ryan Finley all season. 

 

 

5:59 p.m.: A 58-yard kickoff return from Jaylen Samuels brings the Wolfpack to start their next drive on the Irish 42.

5:54 p.m.: Touchdown, Irish. An awful throw by Finley is easily intercepted and returned by Julian Love for a touchdown. The Irish lead, 28-14.

 

 

5:52 p.m.: The Wolfpack appear to be a second half team.

 

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5:50 p.m.: N.C. State starts with the ball on their own 20.

HALFTIME: N.C. State 14, Notre Dame 21. Josh Adams is excelling against a tough Wolfpack defense, and the Irish defense is holding up too. It's a close one, but the Irish are well in control through one half.

 

 

Second quarter

5:28 p.m.: Finley is sacked on third-and-long. A hail Mary is incomplete and the first half is over.

5:25 p.m.: The Wolfpack aren't helping themselves with so many penalties.

 

 

5:20 p.m.: Josh Adams is the first running back to record more than 100 yards against the N.C. State defense this season.

 

 

5:18 p.m.: The Wolfpack take over on their own 23 after the punt. The Irish still lead, 21-14.

5:14 p.m.:The Irish have the ball after the punt. It's third-and-8 on their own 33. 

5:07 p.m.: The Wolfpack are on their own 48 after a couple Ryan Finley completions.

5:06 p.m.: The Wolfpack wills tart from their own 24 after the kickoff return.

5:04 p.m.: Here's the touchdown catch, which was confirmed after review.

 

 

5:01 p.m.: Touchdown, Irish. Another highlight-reel catch in the corner of the end zone by Kevin Stepherson. That's an 11-yard passing touchdown from Wimbush.

 

 

4:59 p.m.: Notre Dame gets a first down thanks to an outstanding grab by Durham Smythe. Great effort to get in bounds.

 

 

4:55 p.m.: The Notre Dame offense is proving successful against this strong N.C. State rushing defense.

 

 

4:50 p.m.: The Wolfpack fail to convert on third down and are forced to punt. The Irish take over on their own 40.

4:44 p.m.: Touchdown, Irish. Wimbush takes it on a designed quarterback run. He weaves through some defenders and gets in the end zone untouched.

4:43 p.m.: Another stop for the Wolfpack. They drop Adams in the backfield and the Irish have third-and-goal.

4:41 p.m.: Holding on the defense puts Notre Dame to the 2. The Wolfpack stop Adams at the goal line and it's second-and-goal.

4:39 p.m.: Adams bursts forward for a 15-yard gain. The Irish are down to the Wolfpack 10-yard line.

4:38 p.m.: Wimbush takes off and scrambles for a first down. Notre Dame is into Wolfpack territory.

4:35 p.m.: Hines is likely to return to the field, according to the NBC broadcast.

4:32 p.m.: Outstanding catch by Kelvin Harmon. Touchdown, Wolfpack. It's a 15-yard touchdown pass from Finley, on third-and-10. The Wolfpack lead, 14-7.

 

 

4:30 p.m.: The Wolfpack knocking on the door to start the second quarter.

 

 

4:27 p.m.: Finley completes a pass to Stephen Louis for 42 yards. The Wolfpack are on the Irish 15.

4:26 p.m.: Finley finds Jaylen Samuels for a first down on third-and-long.

4:24 p.m.: N.C. State takes over on their own 29. 

4:20 p.m.: It's all defense so far. Notre Dame has managed 80 total yards, and N.C. State has recorded 51.

4:17 p.m.: A Wolfpack defender is called for pass interference, leading to a big pickup for the Irish. They have first-and-10 on their own 31.

4:16 p.m.: N.C. State is forced to punt again. The Irish will take over on their own 6.

4:12 p.m.: Looks like Hines is questionable to return.

 

 

4:10 p.m.: Here is Adams breaking that record, and torching the Wolfpack defense.

 

 

4:08 p.m.: Wolfpack running back Nyheim Hines is injured.

 

 

4:04 p.m.: Josh Adams is the fastest to 1,000 rushing yards in school history at Notre Dame.

 

 

3:58 p.m.: The Irish strike back quickly. Touchdown, Notre Dame. Brandon Wimbush connected with Durham Smythe for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The scoring drive was two plays for 60 yards.

 

 

3:53 p.m.: N.C. State blocks a punt in the end zone, and it's a touchdown. Germaine Pratt recovered it for the score. The Wolfpack take the early lead, 7-0.

 

 

3:51 p.m.: Adams is dropped in the backfield twice in a row by the Wolfpack defense.

3:48 p.m.: N.C. State punts and Notre Dame will start their next drive on their own 18-yard line.

3:43 p.m.: On the first play from scrimmage, Josh Adams breaks away and gets near midfield. A pickup of 21 yards.

3:38 p.m.: It's a chilly afternoon in South Bend.

 

 

2:33 p.m.: Just an hour till kickoff.

 

 

Skylar Rolstad