The best and worst of Notre Dame’s win over Tennessee State

Notre Dame football took to the field for the second time this season, and once again it was a dominating performance.

The Irish have taken care of business over the first two games to a tune of 56-3. All phases have contributed and it’s been very fun to watch. The offense is playing at and extremely high level, while the defense hasn’t been far behind.

When any team wins by such a large margin, there isn’t going to be much to complain about, so there aren’t going to be any one star performances from the Irish. Find out below who made the list of stars, with five being the best, and one being the worst.

5 ⭐️ – Defensive lineman Jordan Botelho

Why

The senior might be in the midst of one of those magical final seasons we see all around college football. He’s been great the first two games, and this one he really showed well. Botelho’s emergence fills a need for an impact defensive end.

5 ⭐️ – Quarterback Sam Hartman

Why

Do you really need proof why Hartman was awesome if you watched the game? If you didn’t, the transfer was super-efficient again, missing on just three of his 17 passing attempts, not throwing an interception and accounting for 3 scores on the day. Hartman only played a half so padding his stats weren’t in order but he did lead the Irish to 35 points in his time on the field.

5 ⭐️ – Coaching staff

Why

Last year, when teams punched back the Irish didn’t necessarily take it well. They got shook and didn’t always play up to their potential. That did not happen when the Tigers fought back early. This coaching staff has instilled a different mentality and that showed today.

4 ⭐️ – Playing the backups

Why

I loved this, especially the quarterbacks. Seeing both backup quarterbacks get significant time goes a long way in their development. Steve Angeli looked like he could play if needed, and that’s a good thing. Walk-on’s got playing time in this one too, keeping the starters and backups healthy. Good job coaching staff again.

⭐️ – Urgency

Why

This is the only aspect of this game that I can really complain about. The Irish didn’t come out of the gates firing, ending the game early in the first quarter. Yes, they scored on their first drive, but then allowed a field goal and then gave the ball right back on special teams. Good teams can overcome mistakes like this to bad teams, but that’s not the kind of start that the Irish would want to see against any of their big three opponents.

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Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire