Sam Hartman could be the missing piece to help Notre Dame take down Ohio State.
While the Fighting Irish scored 10 points in last year’s season-opening loss to the Buckeyes, the transfer quarterback has tossed 13 touchdowns amid a 4-0 start. The senior will face his biggest challenge yet on Saturday night.
Ahead of the huge matchup, Hartman told reporters Monday that he’s going into the game with confidence in his coaches and teammates.
“I think we have an unbelievable O-line that I have a lot of confidence in,” Hartman said (h/t On3). “Our running backs have all been playing incredibly well. Tight ends have been doing great, and outside we’ve shown we have some explosive capabilities and the ability to spread the ball around when you need to and be able to run the ball when we can,” Hartman said.
He also praised the defense for playing “complimentary football,” allowing just 47 points through four games. He has faith in his supporting cast when opposing the Big Ten powerhouse.
“A lot of it is just the trust,” Hartman continued. “The trust and belief that everybody around me is doing their job, which they’ve been doing all year, and we’ve been doing since the spring. So it’s exciting. It’s an exciting opportunity to go out as a team and play a complete game.”
Notre Dame hasn’t defeated Ohio State in five meetings since 1936, but the offense is firing on all cylinders behind Hartman. The No. 9 Fighting Irish could move into the College Football Playoff picture by besting the Buckeyes at South Bend.
Saturday’s game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.