Living Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are freed as part of Gaza ceasefire

Living Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are freed as part of Gaza ceasefire

By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — All 20 living hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel walked free Monday as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that decimated the Gaza Strip and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Hamas said Monday it will hand over the bodies of four of 28 deceased captives, though it was not immediately clear when the rest would be released. Israel said it freed more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Speaking to parliament, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he was “committed to this peace,” raising hopes that the ruinous war, which triggered other conflicts in the Middle East, might come to an end. But fundamental questions remain over when and how, whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza.

Cheering crowds greeted buses of released prisoners in the West Bank and Gaza, while families and friends of the hostages gathered in a square in Tel Aviv, Israel and cried out with joy and relief as news arrived that the captives were free.

U.S. President Donald Trump flew to the region and addressed the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. He later went to Egypt for a summit to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.

Speaking ahead of Trump’s address in the Knesset, Netanyahu pledged he was “committed to this peace” and noted that on the Jewish calendar “today … marks the end of two years of war.”

Despite ceasefire, a long road ahead for Gaza

While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war between Israel and the militant group. The ceasefire deal calls for a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage.

In Israel’s retaliatory offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.

The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

Hostages and prisoners released

Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the hostage transfers at public screenings across the country. In Tel Aviv, families and friends of the hostages broke into wild cheers as television channels announced that the first group was in the hands of the Red Cross.

The freed hostages, all men, were later reunited with their families, and footage released by Israeli authorities showed tearful reunions.

When Bar Kupershtein was reunited with his family, his father, Tal, who has spent years in a wheelchair after a catastrophic car accident and stroke, fulfilled a promise he had made to himself and stood up for a few minutes to embrace his freed son.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank rejoiced as buses carrying dozens of released prisoners from Ofer Prison arrived in Beitunia, near Ramallah.

“We’re just thanking God that it’s happened, he’s been released. Thank God,” said Farah Abu Shanab, whose uncle was freed.

Later, giant crowds were gathered to greet buses carrying other prisoners arriving at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis.

The prisoners include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.

More than 150 prisoners were sent to Egypt by Israel and arrived at Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt early Monday afternoon, according to an Egyptian official, who had direct knowledge of the deal’s implementation. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

A painful chapter

The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families, said it was “shocked and dismayed” that so few of the deceased hostages were imminently coming back.

An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.

The hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.

Demonstrators accused Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.

Trump in Israel and Egypt

In his Knesset speech, Trump told Israeli lawmakers their country must work toward peace after the war against Hamas and conflicts with Hezbollah and Iran.

“Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,” Trump said. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

His speech was briefly interrupted when two Knesset members staged a protest and were subsequently removed from the chamber. One held up a small sign reading, “Recognize Palestine.”

Despite the optimism expressed by Trump, many thorny questions remain. Among the most difficult is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.

So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.

The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.

In Egypt, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Trump were heading a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort town to attend the meeting.

The plan envisions an eventual role for Abbas’ Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.

The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.

___

This story has been updated to correct that cheering crowds greeted prisoners in Beitunia, not Ramallah.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel and Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank; Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece contributed to this report.

Simple Spiced Chai

Simple Spiced Chai

This simple spiced chai is the perfect warm drink for a cool fall day.

Ingredients

  • 1 black tea bag (or 1 tsp. loose black tea)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • A pinch of ground ginger
  • A pinch of cloves or nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. honey, sugar or maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

1. Boil the water
Boil the water with cinnamon, ginger, and spices in a small pot.

2. Steep the tea
Add the tea and let it steep for 3-5 minutes.

3. Sweeten it up
Stir in the milk and sweetener, then heat gently until warm (don’t boil).

4. Enjoy
Pour into a mug and enjoy on a cozy morning or as a warm way to wind down.

October 13th 2025

October 13th 2025

Thought of the Day

October 13th 2024
Photo by Getty Image

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket, it will help you grow intellectually.

Dowdle has 239 yards from scrimmage vs. former team as Panthers beat Cowboys on FG as time expires

Dowdle has 239 yards from scrimmage vs. former team as Panthers beat Cowboys on FG as time expires

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rico Dowdle went over 200 yards from scrimmage for the second straight week — this time against his former team — and rookie Ryan Fitzgerald kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired as the Carolina Panthers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 30-27 in a wild back-and-forth game on Sunday.

Bryce Young completed 17 of 25 passes for 199 yards and threw two of his three touchdown passes to rookie Tetairoa McMillan to help the Panthers (3-3) improve to 3-0 at home.

Dowdle ran for 183 yards on 30 carries and caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers, who beat the Cowboys for the first time in three years at home. Dowdle spent five years with the Cowboys before signing with Carolina as an unrestricted free agent. He has 473 yards from scrimmage over the past two weeks, a franchise record.

McMillan hadn’t caught a touchdown pass in the NFL before Sunday after catching 26 over his three seasons at the University of Arizona, but broke through with TD catches of 19 and 2 yards.

Dak Prescott finished 25 of 34 for 261 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys (2-3-1). Dallas wasted a career-best game from George Pickens, who caught nine passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.

After the Cowboys tied the game with a field goal, Young drove the Panthers 71 yards in 15 plays in a drive that took up more than six minutes to finish the game. At one point, the Cowboys were trying to let the Panthers to score to get the ball back, but running back Trevor Etienne wisely went down after a first down before the end zone.

Young took a knee twice to set up Fitzgerald’s game-winning kick.

Young was 3 of 4 for 25 yards on the final drive, including a huge 7-yard completion on fourth-and-4 to Hunter Renfrow to move the chains. Dowdle added 22 yards on four carries.

Trailing 17-13 at halftime, Young found Dowdle alone along the left sideline for a 36-yard touchdown pass to cap a four-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to give Carolina its first lead of the game. He later threw a second TD pass to McMillan.

Young continued to struggle with first half turnovers, although this time it was no fault of his own.

McMillan allowed a pass from Young sail through his hands early in the second quarter and Donovan Wilson picked it off and returned it 31 yards to the Carolina 13. That set up a 3-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Hunter Luepke off a play-action fake on fourth-and-1 giving Dallas a 10-3 lead.

But McMillan, the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL draft, would make up for the mistake on the ensuing possession, breaking off his route and hauling in a 19-yard touchdown reception for his first career TD.

Carolina’s struggles to cover the tight end came back to haunt them in the second quarter as Jake Ferguson got free down the seam for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give Dallas a 17-13 lead heading into halftime.

Up next

Dallas: Hosts Washington on Sunday.

Carolina: Visits the winless New York Jets on Sunday.

Ironweed: The resilient perennial transforming North Carolina landscapes

Ironweed: The resilient perennial transforming North Carolina landscapes

By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener

We all want resilient plants for our landscape. Frankly we want something that is cost effective. A plant which fulfills that description and expectation is “Ironweed” (Vernonia noveboracensis). This seems to be the most common variety grown in North Carolina. Anne Clapp used to say: “A weed is a plant you don’t want in your yard,” but you definitely will want Ironweed! It is a popular and hardy herbaceous perennial that you’ll find in a lot of landscapes in North Carolina. Herbaceous means it does not have a woody stem and dies back to the ground after it flowers. By the way, “Ironweed” was named for the English botanist William Vernon who traveled extensively in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s.

Several native flowers I have written about in past articles are members of the largest plant family, the “Aster” family due to their flower structure which is made up of many small flowers or a cluster that appear to be a single bloom. Ironwood is another plant that belongs in this family. “Ironweed” is known to have tough sturdy stems which comes in handy for a flower that grows to a height of 6 to 8 feet.

“Ironweed” is found all over the “Tar Heel” state growing under various environmental conditions. They can grow in most any type of soil from sandy to clay to loamy. Loamy means it’s a perfect soil mix with all the nutrients and just the right pH which is on the acid side. Wherever you plant “Ironweed,” it will truly grow best in well-drained yet moist to wet soil. It just doesn’t want to sit in water all the time. I mean, who does! It prefers full sun to part shade for ideal growth. Ironweed actually grows along roadsides, near streams in pastures throughout the United States and Canada. However, it will look great in your yard because of the extraordinary flowers, clusters of deep purple. There are some striking specimens on my daily walking route where a neighbor has created a nature habitat that virtually covers most of the property surrounding their house. “Ironweed” blooms seem to last and last, at least through mid- summer into mid-fall. While it has an aggressive growth habit that can easily be controlled by dead-heading the flowers, “Ironweed” is not considered to be an invasive plant.

More and more people are planting pollinator gardens and “Ironweed” fits in there. Its flowers produce abundant nectar for bees of all kinds, butterflies and hummingbirds. Some varieties act as a host plant for some species of butterflies and the stems can support bees for nesting habitats. Cut these plants at the end of the growing season. Migrating birds enjoy a stop for a meal of “Ironweed” seeds produced at the end of the growing season.

In addition to Veronica noveboracensis there are a few other varieties to consider. “Veronica gigabytes” (larger flower heads than the standard for central North Carolina and usually found in the mountains), “Veronica angustifolia” also known as “Sandhills Ironweed,” “Vernonia glaucoma,” “Veronica lettermannii” and “Vernonia fasciculata.”

This is one sturdy plant that does not seem to be afflicted by insect or disease problems.

The Ironweed was selected as the 2004 NC Wildflower of the Year, which is a program managed by my friends at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens. I would say that is quite an endorsement. I’m sold!

Israel lays out plans for hostage release and prisoner swap expected on Monday

Israel lays out plans for hostage release and prisoner swap expected on Monday

By SAMY MAGDY, SARAH EL DEEB and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Israel said Sunday that it expected all of the living hostages held in the Gaza Strip to be released Monday, confirming the next phase of the breakthrough ceasefire deal with Hamas, as Palestinians awaited a long-promised surge of aid deliveries into the enclave.

The details emerged as the region prepared for U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Israel and Egypt — the latest in the swift flurry of developments since the ceasefire was announced last week, offering hope for an end to the two-year war.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have returned to Gaza City and the north of the Strip since Friday when a ceasefire between Israel Hamas came into effect. (AP Video)

“We are expecting all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time to the Red Cross and transported among six to eight vehicles,” Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said, noting that Israel did not expect militants to stage the exchanges in the same manner as previous rounds.

Bedrosian said the hostages will be driven to a military base to reunite with their families or, if needed, immediately to a hospital.

After the hostages are freed, Israel was ready to release about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and receive the 28 hostages believed to be dead. The military planned to hold a ceremony on their behalf in Gaza, Bedrosian added.

The dead are expected to be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.

An international task force will start working to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within the 72-hour period, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing.

Officials have said the search for the bodies of hostages, some of which may be buried under rubble, could take time.

Meanwhile on Gaza’s borders, preparations were underway to ramp up aid entering the war-battered territory. The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza said the amount of aid entering the Palestinian territory was expected to increase Sunday to around 600 trucks per day, as stipulated in the agreement.

Egypt said it was sending 400 aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday. Associated Press footage showed dozens of trucks crossing the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing. The Egyptian Red Crescent said the vehicles carried medical supplies, tents, blankets, food and fuel. The trucks will head to the inspection area in the Kerem Shalom crossing for screening by Israeli troops.

Expanding Israeli offensives and restrictions on humanitarian aid have triggered a hunger crisis, including famine in parts of the territory.

The United Nations has said it has about 170,000 metric tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid ready to enter once Israel gives the green light.

Abeer Etifa, a spokeswoman for the World Food Program, said workers were clearing and repairing roads Sunday inside Gaza to make way for the deliveries.

Gaza Humanitarian Fund’s future in question

The fate of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli- and U.S.-backed contractor that replaced the U.N. aid operation in May as the primary food supplier in Gaza, remained unclear.

Food-distribution sites operated by the group in the southernmost city of Rafah and central Gaza were dismantled following the ceasefire deal, several Palestinians said Sunday.

The GHF had been touted by Israel and the United States as an alternative system to prevent Hamas from taking over aid. However, its operations were mired in chaos, and hundreds of Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while heading to its four sites. The Israeli military has said its troops fired warning shots to control crowds.

A GHF representative said in a statement that some distribution sites might be temporarily closed during the transfer of hostages to Israel, but “there is no change to our long-term plan.”

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, which has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks of aid waiting outside in Egypt and Jordan, also had no clarity on its role in the scaled-up relief effort. A spokesperson for the agency known as UNRWA, Jonathan Fowler, said the organization was “standing ready” to contribute and has enough food in its warehouses for the entire Gaza Strip population for three months.

Preparations for Trump’s visit

Trump, who pushed to clinch the ceasefire deal, is expected to arrive Monday morning in Israel. He will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, according to a schedule released by the White House.

Trump will then continue to Egypt, where the office of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has said he will co-chair a “peace summit” Monday with regional and international leaders.

Timing has not yet been announced for the release of the Palestinian prisoners held in Israel who are to be freed under the deal. They include 250 people serving life sentences in addition to 1,700 people seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge.

Dr. Mounir al-Boursh, head of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said he hopes the bodies of medical personnel who died in Israeli detention centers will be among those handed over. He called for the release of two doctors who were detained from Gaza during the war.

Gaza residents return home

Palestinians continued to move back to areas vacated by Israeli forces Sunday, although many were returning to homes reduced to rubble.

Satellite photos taken Saturday and analyzed by The Associated Press showed a line of vehicles traveling north to Gaza City along the strip’s coastline. Tents along the coast also could be seen near Gaza City’s marina, where many have been living to avoid Israeli bombardment of the city.

Armed police in Gaza City and southern Gaza patrolled the streets and secured aid trucks driving through areas from which the Israeli military had withdrawn, residents said. The police force is part of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

The ministry said in a statement Sunday that it would allow members of armed gangs not involved in the killing of Palestinians to turn themselves in as early as Monday, “repent and be pardoned.” As for others, it noted some gangs took advantage of the situation to carry out out extrajudicial activities.

The pause in fighting allowed first responders to search previously inaccessible areas for bodies buried under rubble. Health officials said 233 bodies were recovered and brought to hospitals since Friday, when the truce went into effect.

Yasser el-Bureis, who was at the morgue in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said Sunday that he and his relatives had finally retrieved the bodies of his two cousins killed months earlier as they tried to flee their homes.

“For five months, we didn’t manage to recover the bodies,” he said.

Hospitals have run short on supplies for both the living and the dead, including body bags.

Devastation from 2 years of war

The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.

In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.

The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

While both Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza welcomed the initial halt to the fighting and plans to release the hostages and prisoners, the longer-term fate of the ceasefire remains murky. Key questions about governance of Gaza and the post-war fate of Hamas have yet to be resolved.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on X that he had instructed the military to prepare to begin destroying the network of tunnels built by Hamas under Gaza “through the international mechanism that will be established under the leadership and supervision of the U.S.” once the hostages are released.

___

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell and Sarah El Deeb in Cairo, Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Abby Sewell in Beirut and Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.

Hurricanes defenseman Slavin exits early against Flyers, status for road trip unclear

Hurricanes defenseman Slavin exits early against Flyers, status for road trip unclear

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes are preparing for a long road trip with concerns about the status of defenseman Jaccob Slavin.

He missed a large portion of the third period and all of overtime in Saturday night’s 4-3 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“He’s getting looked at,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We’ll know more about his status Monday. He came up a little gimpy.”

Carolina begins a six-game road trip Tuesday night at San Jose. The Hurricanes will go more than two weeks before playing again on home ice.

Slavin, 31, logged less than 4 1/2 minutes of ice time following the second period Saturday night. He was on the ice for more than 20 minutes in Carolina’s season-opening 6-3 victory over New Jersey on Thursday night.

Slavin, who didn’t play in the preseason, has appeared in more than 75 regular-season games in each of the past four seasons. He had three consecutive seasons earlier in his career when he played all 82 regular-season games.

He’s a two-time winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most gentlemanly player. He signed an eight-year contract in the summer of 2024.

The Hurricanes beat Philadelphia on Seth Jarvis’ goal with 16.7 seconds left in overtime.

October 12th 2025

October 12th 2025

Thought of the Day

Photo by Getty Image

Beware a dagger hidden in a smile. – Traditional Chinese Proverb

Jarvis scores winner late in OT as Hurricanes top Flyers 4-3

Jarvis scores winner late in OT as Hurricanes top Flyers 4-3

By BOB SUTTON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Seth Jarvis scored with 16.7 seconds left in overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

Jarvis also scored the go-ahead goal in Carolina’s season-opening win over New Jersey. Jarvis, who has three goals this season, is building off his 2024-25 season when he was the team’s leading goal scorer.

Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal also scored for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen made 20 saves.

Bobby Brink had a goal and an assist and Owen Tippett and Travis Sanheim also scored for the Flyers. Sanheim had the only goal in the third period, pulling Philadelphia even with four minutes left. Samuel Ersson stopped 35 shots.

The Flyers have lost their first two games of a season for the first time in 10 years. But they picked up a point much like when they began the 2015-16 season at 0-1-1.

Jarvis scored the winning goal on a slap shot from the left side after Brink’s goal with 53.1 seconds to play in overtime was nullified because of goalie interference following a video review.

Staal’s goal was the 299th of his career.

The game included the first coaching meeting between Philadelphia’s Rick Tocchet and Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour, who were teammates with the Flyers in the 1991-92 season.

It marked the last home game for the Hurricanes for more than two weeks because of the upcoming North Carolina State Fair on the adjacent grounds.

Up next

Flyers: Home opener Monday vs. Florida in a rematch from Thursday night.

Hurricanes: Begin a six-game road trip Tuesday night at San Jose.

No. 16 Notre Dame pulls away from NC State in second half for fourth consecutive win

No. 16 Notre Dame pulls away from NC State in second half for fourth consecutive win

By CURT RALLO Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — C.J. Carr passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns and No. 16 Notre Dame beat N.C. State 36-7 on Saturday for its fourth straight victory.

Carr connected on 19 of 31 passes, with TD tosses of 18 yards to K.K. Smith and 12 yards to Will Pauling in the third quarter.

Jeremiyah Love rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (4-2).

Notre Dame led 10-7 at halftime. The Fighting Irish outscored the Wolfpack 26-0 in the second half.

Eli Raridon had seven catches for 109 yards, and Pauling had four catches for 105 yards as Notre Dame relied on the passing game more than its heralded 1-2 running game punch of Love and Jadarian Price.

“We just want to win,” Carr said. “That’s the result we want, whether it’s (Love and Price) carrying the ball, and there are times they’re going to have six touchdowns each, or we’re going to spread the field out and throw it all over the yard.”

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said that his team did not play its best game.

“My message was stop beating Notre Dame,” Freeman said of what he told his team after they only held a three-point lead at halftime. “That was the message. …. It’s easy for me to say don’t beat Notre Dame, but we have to continue to train our minds to focus in the right way and go out and execute.”

C.J. Bailey connected with Terrell Anderson on a 45-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter for the Wolfpack (4-3). Anderson did not play in the second half due to injury.

Notre Dame came up with three interceptions and hit the Wolfpack for four sacks, five tackles for loss and a safety. N.C. State entered the game averaging 447.7 yards of total offense a game, but only managed 233 yards on Saturday.

N.C. State star running back Hollywood Smothers only gained 46 yards on 12 carries. He entered the game averaging 115.5 yards.

N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said turnovers haunted the Wolfpack.

“C.J. (Bailey) was off,” Doeren said. “We had some chances for some good throws down the field and overthrew the ball. It happens at times. If you’re in a game where they’re going to overload the box and play man-to-man, you have to be able to throw to hose down-the-field routes.”

Defense rising

Notre Dame’s defense has only allowed three touchdowns in the last three quarters. The Fighting Irish have seven interceptions in the last two games compared to five picks in the first four.

“The defense played lights out the second half — really played lights out for the majority of the game,” Freeman said.

Jump start

Some trickery helped jump start the Notre Dame offense in the second half.

Leading 10-7 early in the third quarter, Notre Dame lined up for a punt on a fourth-and-two at its 38. The Fighting Irish quickly shifted into a formation that had back-up quarterback Tyler Buchner taking the snap and gaining three yards for a first down. Notre Dame took advantage to drive down and get first first score of the second half, the TD pass from Carr to Smith.

The takeaway

Notre Dame’s fourth consecutive victory should help the No. 16 Fighting Irish continue to inch their way up the rankings.

N.C. State has lost three of its last four, including setbacks against Duke and Virginia Tech before Saturday’s game at Notre Dame. A 56-10 victory over Campbell is the only bright spot for the Wolfpack in the past month.

Up next

N.C. State: At Pittsburgh on Oct. 25.

Notre Dame: Hosts Southern California next Saturday.

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