Sam Hartman vs. NC State football

NC State football will face a familiar foe this Saturday but in an unfamiliar uniform. Former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman returns to Carter-Finley Stadium for the third time in his career as a starting quarterback.

Here is a recap of how Hartman fared against NC State while the starter at Wake Forest.

Sam Hartman vs. NC State in 2020

In the pandemic season, Hartman and Wake Forest opened up the NC State football season after the Pack’s original opener, at Virginia Tech, was moved due to COVID-19 issues with the Wolfpack. Meanwhile, WFU had played the week prior in a home loss to No. 1 Clemson before traveling to Raleigh.

Thus, Hartman and Wake Forest was somewhat at a disadvantage, further compounded by the debut of then-NC State offensive coordinator Tim Beck as the Pack’s play caller and a surprise starter at quarterback in Bailey Hockman. Devin Leary had been benched due to quarantine-related absences from practice.

NC State, perhaps predictably in hindsight, jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter. The Deacs rallied to tie the score at halftime, but the Pack scored two touchdowns quickly in the third quarter to lead 35-21. A 45-yard pick six from Hockman, though, changed the game, and Wake Forest would begin a rally that saw the Deacons take a 42-38 lead with 9:12 left.

NC State reached the end zone on its next possession to retake the lead. With the game on the line, Hartman went 1-of-3 passing for 8 yards on the Deacs’ next drive. Wake had one last chance with 1:15 left at its own 11, but Harman was 2-of-4 passing for 19 yards and took a pair of sacks on back-to-back plays, turning a second and six at the Wake Forest 38 into a fourth and 21 from the 23.

NC State would win 45-42.

Hartman statistically played a good game, completing 23 of 36 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown, but he struggled to avoid the pass rush and was sacked six times.

2021

This was a huge showdown between NC State and Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, with the winner assuming, especially in the Deacons’ case, a strong position to claim the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Coincidentally, this was an identical 45-42 score, only the Deacons came out on top.

The scoring would seem to indicate a big day for Hartman, but he actually struggled in this contest, perhaps the most of all three of his games against NC State. Hartman completed just 20 of 47 passes and threw three interceptions, his highest at that point of the year. He did toss three scores and run for a TD while throwing for 290 yards, ending a streak of five straight games with at least 300 yards passing.

WFU still accounted for a season-high in points allowed and total yards surrendered by the NC State defense. Worth noting though is the Pack played that game without several starters, including defensive linemen Savion Jackson and C.J. Clark, linebackers Isaiah Moore and Payton Wilson and safety Cyrus Fagan, plus starting corner Shyheim Battle was ejected during the contest for targeting.

2022

The week prior, he had three interceptions and was sacked seven times in a surprising 48-21 loss at Louisville. The game in Raleigh was not the bounce back performance Hartman hoped for, though. He threw three more picks, including on the Deacs’ first possession, and was sacked four more time in a 30-21 loss to the Pack.

Those would be the two lowest scoring games for Wake Forest last year. NC State led 17-14 at halftime, but the Deacons’ five second half possessions included in two interceptions, a punt and a turnover on downs.

However, Sam Hartman did have some successes. He attempted a season-high 48 passes that evening, completing 29 and throwing for what was a season-high 397 yards.

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