Outland Trophy Player of the Week (Central Michigan)
Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll
Pro Football Focus Team of the Week honoree (vs. Pitt)
MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICAN BY:
Associated Press First Team
The Sporting News
CBS Sports
ESPN
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN BY:
Associated Press – First Team
The Sporting News – First Team
Phil Steele – First Team
ESPN – First Team
CBS Sports – First Team
The Athletic – First Team
Athlon Sports – First Team
Sports Illustrated – Second Team
PRESEASON WATCH LIST:
Walter Camp Award
Outland Trophy
Lombardi Award
IN 2023:
Notre Dame’s 39.1 points per game this season is the best average for Notre Dame since 1912, and would rank second all-time in Notre Dame records. Notre Dame has been in goal-line situations (five yards or less) 18 times this season. The Irish have converted each time, including 12 rushing touchdowns, four passing touchdowns, and two field goals (one of which was forced by the end of a half).
Notre Dame has held seven of 12 opponents to their lowest sack totals of the year, including No. 6 Ohio State and No. 10 USC. Notre Dame’s offense this season ranks eighth in the nation in tackles for loss allowed (3.75/game) and 13th in sacks allowed (1.17).
Notre Dame has outperformed other offenses that have faced each of Notre Dame’s opponents. Notre Dame’s points scored in each game this season outpaced (or matched, in the case of one opponent) the opponent’s current 2023 season average points allowed.
In each game but two, the Irish have achieved more yards of offense than the opponents’ 2023 average yards allowed, and in each but four games, Notre Dame has rushed for more yards than the opposing defense’s average rushing yards allowed this season.
The Irish O-Line has paved the way for running back Audric Estimé to rush for at least 95 yards in eight games this season and 100+ in six, including three-consecutive weeks of 100+-rushing yard games (116 vs. Tennessee State, 134 vs. NC State, 176 vs. Central Michigan).
Estimé’s 18 rushing touchdowns this season rank T-third among all FBS players and T-fifth in total touchdowns, while Estimé upped his season total to 1,341 rushing yards, eighth among all FBS running backs this season and fifth on the Notre Dame single-season list. Estimé boasts 6.39 yards per carry, ranking 12th in FBS this season, as well as 111.8 yards per game this season, ranking 10th in FBS.
GAME RECAPS
NAVY (8/26): Set the tone for the season, paving the way for Notre Dame to rack up 191 rushing yards and 253 passing yards in the 42-3 victory in Dublin … Kept Irish quarterbacks clean with zero sacks, while Sam Hartman threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns … running back Audric Estimé led the Irish with 95 yards and a touchdown
TENNESSEE STATE (9/2): Alt started and led an offensive line for the Irish in the 56-3 victory over Tennessee State that paved the way for a whopping 557 total yards, with 336 passing yards and 221 rushing yards … The offensive line cleared the path for running back Audric Estimé’s 116-yard performance.
at NORTH CAROLINA STATE (9/9): Joe Alt led an offensive line that helped the Irish to a 45-24 win at NC State. The Irish offense totaled 456 yards, with 286 yards passing and 170 yards rushing … Alt and the line protected quarterback Sam Hartman, who completed 15 passes for 286 yards, and paved the way for a second-consecutive 100-yard rushing performance for running back Audric Estimé, who led the Irish with 134 rushing yards. Alt made a key block on Estimé’s 80-yard touchdown run, the longest rush of any FBS player that week.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (9/16): See Spotlight
OHIO STATE (9/23): Paved the way for 351 yards of total offense, 176 rushing and 175 passing, allowing zero sacks and just two TFL.
at DUKE (9/30): Alt and the Notre Dame offensive line made way for the Irish to rack up 222 yards in the air and 159 yards on the ground in the 21-14 win over No. 17 Duke … Paved the way for Audric Estimé to rack up 81 yards on the ground and 25 yards in the air. Estimé totaled 106 all-purpose yards and scored both of Notre Dame’s touchdowns on the ground, including the game-winning score in the come-from-behind win … The line also protected Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, who passed for 222 yards with zero interceptions, also rushing for 23 yards.
at LOUISVILLE (10/7): Helped Sam Hartman rack up 254 passing yards and two touchdowns, with completions to 11 different receivers.
USC (10/14): Alt and the Notre Dame offense notched a dominant 48-20 win over No. 10 USC Saturday, marking Notre Dame’s most lopsided victory over a Top-10 team since a 1995 38-10 victory over USC (then No. 5). The offensive line allowed zero sacks in the victory against a USC team that entered the game averaging 3.67 sacks per game, a figure which ranked fifth nationally … The line also paved the way for Audric Estimé’s two rushing touchdowns … Notre Dame’s 48 points vs. No. 10 USC were its fourth-most against an AP Top-10 opponent since at least 1936.
PITT (10/28): Alt and the offensive line paved the way for a whopping 535 yards of total offense in the dominant 58-7 win over Pitt. The line protected Irish quarterbacks, who threw for 380 yards, while also laying the groundwork for running back Audric Estimé’s fourth 100-yard game of the season, as the standout RB totaled 114 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
at CLEMSON (11/4): Paved the way for 183 rushing yards and 329 yards of total offense against a Tiger defense that entered the game allowing just 266.9 yards of offense per game.
WAKE FOREST (11/18): See Spotlight
at STANFORD (11/25): See Spotlight
GAME SPOTLIGHT: 11/25 AT STANFORD
Joe Alt and Notre Dame’s offensive line imposed their will for one of the most impressive performances of the season, as the Irish rushed for 381 yards and five touchdowns, and plowed for 521 yards of total offense (adding two passing touchdowns) in the 56-23 win over Stanford. The line paved the way for running back Audric Estimé to rush for a whopping 238 yards and four touchdowns, and the Irish rushers posted 7.9 yards per carry. Irish quarterbacks remained clean with zero sacks.
Estimé’s 238 yards were the 10th-most in a single game this season by an FBS player, and his four rushing touchdowns tied for third-most by an FBS player in a single game this season, helping him set a new Notre Dame single season record with 18 rushing TDs.
Just one FBS player rushed for more yards on the weekend than Estimé’s 238, and of the four rushers who totaled 200+ yards this weekend, Estimé owned the most rushing touchdowns with four. Estimé was also the only rusher in the 200+ group this weekend without a rush for negative yardage. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in six g
GAME SPOTLIGHT: 11/18 VS. WAKE FOREST
Joe Alt and the Irish offensive line paved the way for a 450-yard offensive performance in the dominant 45-7 win over Wake Forest, including a 115-yard performance by running back Audric Estimé. Notre Dame quarterbacks threw for 313 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, and were not sacked. Alt led an offensive line that included two newcomers making their first career starts on Saturday due to injuries.
Quarterback Sam Hartman threw for four touchdowns, which moved him into fourth all-time on the NCAA Career Touchdowns list with 132, passing Baker Mayfield, Rakeem Cato and Colt Brennan (all with 131). Just two other FBS quarterbacks threw more touchdown passes than Hartman this weekend (Jayden Daniels and Box Nix, both with 6), and Hartman ranked third on the weekend in TD percentage (13.8) among all FBS quarterbacks.
Hartman continues to lead all active FBS players in career touchdown passes (132) and career passing yards (15,516), ranking fifth on the NCAA all-time career passing yardage list.
GAME SPOTLIGHT: 9/16 VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Joe Alt and the Irish offense earned a dominant win, besting Central Michigan 41-17. Notre Dame totaled 578 yards of offense on the day, protecting quarterback Sam Hartman as he threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, and paving the way for Irish rushers to rack up 236 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Alt and the offensive line made it possible for Audric Estimé to again set a career-high (also for the second-straight week) with 176 rushing yards. It marked his third-consecutive 100-yard performance (134 at NC State, 116 vs. Tennessee State).
In addition, Alt and the line kept Irish quarterbacks clean, giving up zero sacks on the day and allowing ample time in the pocket for major deep plays, including two touchdown passes of 75 yards or more from Sam Hartman.
Notre Dame’s 184 points scored in the first four games were the most in the first four games of the season since the program scored 191 points in 1914. The 184-point total is the fourth-most in Notre Dame football history through a season’s first four games.
The 41-point performance vs. CMU marked the first time in program history that the Irish scored 40 or more points in five-consecutive games (this dates back to the 2022 Gator Bowl victory over South Carolina).
ENTERING 2023
Anchors the left side of the Irish offensive line and helped lead the way to seven 200-yard rushing performances in 2022, including 234 yards against No. 16/16 BYU and 263 against No. 5/5 Clemson.
The second-highest rated offensive tackle in FBS in 2022 per Pro Football Focus with a 91.0 run-block rating (one of only two OTs in the country with a rating over 90) along with a 91.4 overall rating.
In 406 pass black snaps in 2022, did not allow a sack and limited opponents to just eight pressures.
The Irish offensive line has helped Notre Dame to a 16-2 record when rushing for more than 100 yards since the 2021 season, which is the third-best among Power 5 schools.
Named a first-team All-American in 2022 by the Associated Press, Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports/247Sports, Action Network and ESPN.com. Was a second-team selection by The Sporting News, FWAA, Walter Camp, AFCA, USA Today and The Athletic.
