A weather delay can do crazy things to football players if it lasts long enough. Notre Dame and NC State had to wait nearly two hours to resume their game because of lightning in the Raleigh area.
As the ABC broadcast pointed out, the Irish were at a disadvantage as the road team because they lacked the amenities of the Wolfpack. They had to replenish their bodies with food and drinks from the stadium concession stands. But none of that mattered to [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag], who ran for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play out of the delay:
ESTIME HOUSE CALL đź“ž
Irish take a 10-0 lead one play after the weather delay!pic.twitter.com/wWj3fgVPcj
— The Field of 12 (@TheFieldOf12) September 9, 2023
This run immediately squashed any concerns that the Irish would be unprepared once the time came to play again. Estime is a true impact player, and he can make these plays almost whenever the situation calls for it. As much attention as [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] gets, Estime deserves an equal amount. There’s no greater evidence than this score.
As you can imagine, social media was rampant afterwards. Here are some of the best tweets reacting to the touchdown: