The hype was something else. Seriously. When Sam Hartman transferred in from Wake Forest, people weren't just hopeful; they were basically planning a parade in South Bend. The 2023 Notre Dame football schedule looked like a gauntlet designed to either make a legend out of Marcus Freeman or break the collective heart of the Irish faithful. It did a little of both.
We all remember the Dublin trip. It was August 26, and the Irish dismantled Navy 42-3. Hartman looked like the second coming of Joe Montana, throwing four touchdowns and making it look easy. It felt like this was the year. But college football is never that simple, especially when you’re an independent with no conference safety net.
The Heartbreak Against Ohio State
If you want to talk about the 2023 Notre Dame football schedule, you have to talk about September 23. The Buckeyes came to town. It was a top-10 clash under the lights. The atmosphere was electric, the kind of night that defines why we love this sport.
Notre Dame had them. They really did.
Leading 14-10 late in the fourth, the defense just needed one more stop. But then came that final, gut-wrenching drive. Ohio State's Chip Trayanum punched it in with one second left. To make matters worse, the Irish only had 10 men on the field for the final two plays. Ten. It was a coaching blunder that overshadowed a defensive masterclass. That 17-14 loss wasn't just a tally in the 'L' column; it was a psychological blow that lingered.
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Survival in Durham and the Louisville Letdown
A week later, the Irish had to travel to Duke. People forget how good that Duke team was under Mike Elko. It was a slog. A literal "hold your breath" kind of game. Trailing late, Sam Hartman converted a 4th-and-16 with his legs—something nobody expected—to set up Audric Estime’s game-winning touchdown. Irish win, 21-14. Crisis averted, right?
Wrong.
The hangover hit in Kentucky. October 7 against Louisville was a disaster. Hartman threw three interceptions. The offensive line, usually a brick wall, looked like Swiss cheese. The 33-20 loss officially killed the College Football Playoff dreams. It was one of those games where you just knew, about midway through the third quarter, that it wasn't happening.
Breaking Down the Mid-Season Results
- USC Domination: October 14 was the revenge game. Caleb Williams came to South Bend as the reigning Heisman winner and left with three interceptions. Xavier Watts was a god that night. Two picks and a fumble return for a TD. Final score: 48-20.
- The Pittsburgh Blowout: October 28. A 58-7 shellacking. It wasn't even as close as the score suggests.
- Clemson Reality Check: November 4. A 31-23 loss at Memorial Stadium. Clemson was "down" that year, but they still had enough to frustrate the Irish offense.
Finishing Strong in the Sun Bowl
By the time the regular season wrapped up with a 56-23 win over Stanford, the Irish were sitting at 9-3. Solid? Yeah. What we expected? Not exactly. But the finale in El Paso actually provided some of the most optimism for the future.
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With Hartman opting out to prep for the NFL, Steve Angeli took the reins against Oregon State in the Sun Bowl on December 29. Most people expected a boring, low-scoring affair. Instead, the Irish rolled. 40-8. Angeli looked poised, the young receivers stepped up, and the defense remained elite. It was a statement that the program wasn't just built on one star transfer.
2023 Notre Dame Football Schedule and Final Scores
Honestly, looking back at the full list of games, it's a wild ride of highs and lows.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26 | vs Navy (Dublin) | W | 42-3 |
| Sept 2 | Tennessee State | W | 56-3 |
| Sept 9 | at NC State | W | 45-24 |
| Sept 16 | Central Michigan | W | 41-17 |
| Sept 23 | Ohio State | L | 14-17 |
| Sept 30 | at Duke | W | 21-14 |
| Oct 7 | at Louisville | L | 20-33 |
| Oct 14 | USC | W | 48-20 |
| Oct 28 | Pittsburgh | W | 58-7 |
| Nov 4 | at Clemson | L | 23-31 |
| Nov 18 | Wake Forest | W | 45-7 |
| Nov 25 | at Stanford | W | 56-23 |
| Dec 29 | vs Oregon State | W | 40-8 |
What We Learned from 2023
Audric Estime was the heartbeat of this team. He finished the season with 1,341 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. When the Irish ran the ball well, they won. When they got away from it or the line struggled, things got ugly fast.
The defense, led by Al Golden, was legit. Xavier Watts winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy wasn't a fluke. He was everywhere. The secondary, with Benjamin Morrison and Cam Hart, was arguably the best in the country.
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But the 2023 season also highlighted the razor-thin margin for error when you play a schedule this heavy. Three losses by a combined 24 points. It sounds close, but in the world of Notre Dame football, it's the difference between a New Year's Six bowl and the Sun Bowl.
If you're looking for actionable insights on how this season changed the program, watch the transfer portal. Marcus Freeman realized he needed more explosiveness at receiver. He saw that while a veteran QB is great, the offensive line chemistry is the real engine. The 2023 season was a bridge—a necessary, sometimes painful, but ultimately successful step toward a more modern era of Irish football.
Check the stats. Rewatch the USC game if you need a pick-me-up. But most importantly, realize that 10-3 with a bowl win is a high floor for a program still finding its identity under a young head coach.