Instant observations: NC State’s offense sputters in loss at Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. —  NC State needed to be aggressive early in the fourth quarter. Down by 17, the Wolfpack left the offense on the field for a 4th-and-11 just shy of midfield. But as sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey looked over the middle for senior tight end Justin Joly, he underthrew the ball as it went right to Irish defensive back Adon Shuler. The redshirt sophomore safety's 44-yard return set Notre Dame up just inside the red zone, which eventually led to a 34-yard field goal to extend its lead. And on the ensuing drive, well, Bailey threw another poor pass for an interception early with just over 11 minutes remaining that all but put the game away in a 36-7 win for the 16th-ranked Irish win over the Wolfpack on Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium.  Bailey, the Wolfpack’s budding signal-caller, finished the afternoon 17-of-30 passing for 186 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. He was sacked four times to post negative 14 rushing yards in the defeat.  Star running back Hollywood Smothers, meanwhile, logged 12 attempts for 46 yards as he added four receptions for 21 yards. Sophomore wideout Terrell Anderson posted a team-best 57 receiving yards on three receptions, while linebacker Caden Fordham and safety Ronnie Royal led the Wolfpack with 10 total tackles each in the loss to the Irish. Here are three observations from the Wolfpack’s third straight FBS defeat of the campaign.