Fans were disappointed when defensive coordinator Mike Elko switching to Texas A&M by first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher three days following the Citrus Bowl victory over LSU.

In a surprise decision and after a national search, head coach Brian Kelly chose to promote senior offensive analyst Jeff Quinn to replace Hiestad.

The back of The Shirt features a portrayal of Notre Dame's defensive line with "No Breaking Point" printed below it, which is a reference to one of late coach Ara Parseghian's famous mottos.

Wimbush appeared to have completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Boykin later in the drive, but it was called back due to a Notre Dame penalty, meaning that the Irish would need to settle for a 48-yard field goal by senior kicker Justin Yoon.

After the thrilling win over the Michigan Wolverines, the Fighting Irish moved up to #8 in the AP poll and took on an in-state foe, the Ball State Cardinals out of the MAC, in the first-ever matchup between the teams.

In a decision tough to wrap one's head around, Notre Dame decided to go for it but Wimbush's pass to Claypool was just a bit off target, so yet another Irish drive stalled near the red zone.

Midway through the second quarter, though, Jones Jr. rushed for 30 more yards on 2 carries and Notre Dame reaped the benefit of a 15-yard penalty against Vanderbilt, but the drive again stalled and Justin Yoon tacked on a 33-yard field goal to put the Irish up 13–0.

This drive would stall, however, as junior safety Jalen Elliott made an incredible play by taking the ball away from Lipscomb on 4th and 4 on the Notre Dame 31, forcing a turnover on downs that went right back to the Irish.

Both teams punted on their first possessions of the game, and after having a short field to work with on its second drive, Notre Dame stalled and eventually turned the ball over on downs, as it was unable to convert a 4th and 8 on the Wake Forest 33, just one of many questionable calls by Kelly this season to go for it in such a position.

It seemed to get worse for Notre Dame as sophomore receiver Michael Young Jr. was hit and lost the football after catching a screen pass, giving Wake Forest another prime scoring opportunity in the red zone.

Wake Forest simply would not have an answer for the Notre Dame defense on its next drive, as true freshman quarterback Sam Hartman would be sacked by fifth-year senior and captain Drue Tranquill, giving the Irish the ball back.

The Demon Deacons would get the ball to start the second half but would punt shortly thereafter, overwhelmed by junior defensive end Julian Okwara's 8-yard sack of Hartman on 3rd and 11 from Wake's 33.

As if things couldn't get any worse for the Demon Deacons, Hartman would be picked off on the very next play from scrimmage by Notre Dame junior cornerback Troy Pride, his second interception in as many weeks, giving the Irish a short field with the ball on the Wake 47.

Wake Forest would respond with a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in 3:34 of game clock, although it struggled all day to get its star receiver Greg Dortch going, thanks to Notre Dame's defensive scheme under first-year coordinator Clark Lea.

The Irish would not let up at all to begin the fourth quarter, as Book threw strikes to Kevin Austin Jr. on consecutive gains of 6 and 29 yards, respectively, setting up Notre Dame on the doorstep of the red zone yet again.

The Irish would use the blowout to their advantage in the form of allotting playing time to some of their freshmen, including running back Jahmir Smith and quarterback Phil Jurkovec, and Notre Dame would be marching onward to victory again and to a 4–0 start, leaving Winston-Salem with smiles on their faces after their 56–27 trouncing of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Junior quarterback Ian Book made his second consecutive start for the Irish and played another sensational game, Dexter Williams rushed for 161 yards including a 45-yard touchdown run in his season debut, and Notre Dame's defense limited the Stanford offense to just 10 total first downs, as the #8 Fighting Irish took down the #7 Cardinal 38–17, in a cool, fall, primetime atmosphere and the first top 10 matchup at Notre Dame Stadium since 2005.

Not only did Book hit Boykin on three consecutive completions of 10, 9, and 33 yards, respectively, but he more impressively got outside of the pocket, escaped a sack, and fired a 10-yard touchdown pass right on the money to junior receiver Chase Claypool as he rolled out to his left.

In the midst of this defensive stranglehold that the Irish strengthened on the Cardinal in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame's offense also soared and built up a lead that would put the game out of reach.

To put the icing on the cake in Notre Dame's first win over a Top 10 opponent since 2012, senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery recorded his third and fourth sacks of the game on consecutive plays on Stanford's final offensive drive of the night, resulting in losses of 10 and 8 yards, respectively, and the Irish were able to get true freshman running back Jahmir Smith into the game against the #7 team in the country, as the Irish team was able to face the student section while swaying and signing the alma mater in a feeling of jubilant victory, demolishing the Cardinal 38–17.

Virginia Tech had something good going and then appeared to have completed a 49-yard touchdown pass play, but it was called back due to an ineligible man downfield on a Hokie offensive lineman.

This took much of the life out of Lane Stadium, meaning that Virginia Tech would rely on kicker Brian Johnson to bury one through the uprights from 39 yards out, making it a one-possession game again at 10–3 Irish, which would continue into the second quarter.

This is when all hell broke loose for a second–junior long snapper John Shannon bounced the ball to fifth-year captain and punter Tyler Newsome, who appeared baffled by the disarray, being taken down by some Hokie coverage men near midfield, setting up Virginia Tech with prime field position.

Notre Dame's offense then slowly chipped away at this Hokie defense on its next drive by employing many short passes, with the exception being Book's completion to Finke for 10 yards and a first down.

Later in the drive, Book found Boykin all alone for an easy pass down the left sideline, which he easily ran to the house, totaling 40-yard touchdown play and a 31–16 Notre Dame lead.

When the Irish took over on their next drive, Book scrambled for a remarkable 22-yard first down on 3rd and 5, but he threw an interception to Jason Pinnock on a bad decision on the very next play, ending the first quarter with Pitt holding a 7–0 lead.

Book completed nice passes to Finke and Mack again, but the Irish drive eventually stalled, resulting in senior kicker Justin Yoon making a 22-yard field goal to close the deficit to 7–3.

Notre Dame was hoping to start off the second half strong, but what happened was the exact opposite–Maurice Ffrench took the opening kickoff 99 yards to the house, extending Pitt's lead to 14–6.

Once Book got the ball back, though, he seemed to be in true form again in all respects, as he started off the drive with an impressive 15-yard run and then followed it up with more passes right on the money to his usual targets, most notably to junior receiver Chase Claypool on an 8-yard completion, that would have been taken all the way to the end zone if not for a shoestring tackle by a Pitt defender.

Book later kept the drive alive on 3rd and 6 by finding Finke over the middle for 15 yards, and on the very next play, he completed a 16-yard strike to Claypool for the first Irish touchdown of the day, cutting Pitt's lead to 14–12.