Notre Dame staffers went to the concession stand to feed players during delay vs. NC State

With No. 11 Notre Dame’s game in a weather delay and no indication of when it might resume, the Fighting Irish staff had no choice but to look up — not the sky to see if there was lightning, but to the stadium concession stands.

As the lightning-prompted pause in Notre Dame’s game Saturday against NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina continued to drag, the Fighting Irish didn’t have enough food for the team for such an elongated stoppage.

Because of that, as ESPN’s Molly McGrath reported on the network’s broadcast of the game, Notre Dame staffers had to go to stadium concessions at Carter-Finley Stadium to retrieve some hot dogs and bratwurst for players to eat.

It wasn’t the only area in which the Fighting Irish weren’t prepared for such an extended break.

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McGrath reported that while NC State coach Dave Doeren had his players immediately change into dry clothes upon getting into the locker room, Notre Dame — as the away team — didn’t have that option available to it. Instead, its players stayed in their wet uniforms while coach Marcus Freeman had them stretch and rest.

After about one hour and 45 minutes, and the threat that it would have to take place by midnight, the game resumed.

It only took one play for the Fighting Irish to show that the break in the action hadn’t adversely impacted it.

On the first snap after the matchup resumed, Notre Dame’s Audric Estimé scored an 80-yard touchdown to push his team’s lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter. It was a career-long run for the junior running back, surpassing a 50-yard scamper he had last week in a win against Tennessee State.

“If he had a hot dog, it didn’t slow him down,” ESPN broadcaster Sean McDonough said.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Notre Dame players were fed from the concession stand in delay vs. NC State