SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Another prolific rushing effort and some clutch defense kept No. 9 Notre Dame rolling on Saturday. The Fighting Irish are firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation, too.

Their confidence is soaring after beating No. 14 North Carolina State, 35-14. Notre Dame (7-1) has not been at a loss for good vibes lately, winning six consecutive games by at least 20 points.

"I just think that it's about each and every guy holding themselves to a high standard of wanting to do better and wanting to be better," Fighting Irish running back Josh Adams said. "We're not going to settle for less. I don't think any guy on our team has that mindset. We're going to hold each other accountable to everything that we do."

Adams rushed for 202 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while quarterback Brandon Wimbush passed for two touchdowns and ran for another. The Wolfpack (6-2) saw their winning streak snapped at six games, struggling to mount consistent offense to match Notre Dame.

An offensive line led by left tackle Mike McGlinchey helped open holes for the Notre Dame rushing attack, which struck early, persistently and at opportune times, gaining 318 yards on 54 attempts.

Adams burst to his left for 21 yards on the first play of the game. The modest Adams lauded the line for that opportunity and others.

"They bring that aggression and they have that mindset to dominate, and it kind of spreads through the offense," Adams said.

It was a promising start, to be sure, but not nearly enough to subdue a stout Wolfpack front seven so early. Defensive ends Kentavius Street and Bradley Chubb corralled Wimbush for successive sacks, forcing the Fighting Irish to punt on their opening drive.

Notre Dame punted again on its second possession, but ultimately met disaster. James Smith-Williams blocked Tyler Newsome's punt in the end zone, and Wolfpack linebacker Germaine Pratt pounced on the ball for a special teams touchdown with 10:05 remaining in the opening quarter.

Notre Dame responded almost immediately. Adams rushed for 35 yards before Wimbush connected with tight end Durham Smythe for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Fighting Irish needed just 29 seconds to cover 60 yards, tying the game at the 9:36 mark of the first quarter.

"What's impressive to me is that they've consistently come out with the energy and the mindset to get after their opponent, and that was evident again today," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said.

"I think what was most impressive for me, coaching for as long as I have, when you get a punt blocked, it has the tendency to really affect your football team. Our guys never flinched. It was as if nothing ever occurred other than, 'Let's get back out on the field and get back to work.'"

The Wolfpack entered the game with the nation's sixth-ranked run defense, allowing an average of 91.3 yards per game on the ground. On Saturday, the Fighting Irish surpassed 100 yards rushing with more than nine minutes remaining until halftime.

Notre Dame outgained N.C. State, 422-263. The Fighting Irish averaged 5.8 yards per play.

"You just have to tackle," Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. "It's the No. 1 fundamental on defense, and we didn't do that well enough."

Notre Dame's third-quarter defensive heroics shifted the complexion of a game after the Fighting Irish led 21-14 at halftime. With the Wolfpack driving inside Fighting Irish territory, cornerback Julian Love intercepted N.C. State quarterback Ryan Finley and weaved 69 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown with 12:05 left in the quarter.

Finley had thrown 339 consecutive passes without an interception before Love dashed in front of a pass intended for Kelvin Harmon and scampered for his second interception return for a touchdown of 2017.

"I thought we really needed it," Love said. "We were up, but you always need that momentum and crushing blow to the opponent, and I think that was it."

The Wolfpack marched to the Notre Dame 6-yard line on the ensuing possession but were stopped on a fourth-and-1 when defenders Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Te'von Coney stopped H-back Jaylen Samuels for a loss of 1. Adams broke the game open later in the quarter, scoring a 77-yard touchdown at the 4:11 mark, his seventh run of at least 60 yards this season.

Samuels gained 39 yards of total offense on 10 touches. Wolfpack running back/returner Nyheim Hines left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury after rushing twice for 6 yards.

Finley was 17 for 37 passing for 213 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Harmon had seven catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.

"Just disappointing," Doeren said. "I really wish we were full strength. I was really looking forward to it being a four-quarter game."

NOTES: LB Germaine Pratt became the first North Carolina State defensive player to score multiple touchdowns in a season since David Amerson in 2011. ... Notre Dame LB Greer Martini returned to the lineup after missing last week's game against USC with a meniscus injury. ... The Fighting Irish and Wolfpack met for the first time at Notre Dame Stadium and third overall.