Sam Hartman passed for 194 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to help No. 13 Notre Dame cruise to a 56-3 win against visiting Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon.
Hartman completed his first seven passes before finishing 14-for-17. He did not play in the second half after the Fighting Irish built a 35-3 lead.
Notre Dame (2-0) amassed 557 total yards, including 221 on the ground. Audric Estime had 116 rushing yards on 13 carries and a touchdown.
Notre Dame’s defense limited the Tigers to 156 total yards.
Tennessee State quarterback Deveon Bryant completed 5 of 12 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions.
Notre Dame reached the end zone on all five of its first-half drives.
Jeremiyah Love capped the first with a 36-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 with 9:17 left in the first quarter.
Tennessee State (0-1) answered with a 37-yard field goal by James Lowery, trimming the lead to 7-3 with 2:44 left in the opening quarter.
Notre Dame fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Tigers recovered at the Notre Dame 12-yard line, but they couldn’t capitalize when Lowery’s 29-yard try was blocked.
Hartman faked a handoff and somersaulted into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown run that made it 14-3 with 12:22 left in the half.
Notre Dame needed just four plays to go 57 yards on its third drive, taking a 21-3 lead on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Hartman to Chris Tyree with 9:41 remaining in the half.
Estime pounded through the middle for a 5-yard touchdown that made it 28-3 with 5:17 left in the half.
Lowery missed a 35-yard field goal with 53 seconds remaining in the half, leaving enough time for Hartman to complete all six passes on the ensuing drive. The last went to Holden Staes for a 4-yard touchdown with 15 seconds remaining, stretching the lead to 35-3.
Notre Dame scored two touchdowns 47 seconds apart late in the third quarter on a 40-yard touchdown catch by Jadarian Price and a 33-yard interception return by Clarence Lewis, stretching the lead to 49-3.
Steve Angeli threw his second touchdown pass after taking over for Hartman, a 42-yarder to Gi’Bran Payne to stretch the lead to 56-3 with 7:43 left.
–Field Level Media
