Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 25, 2021 19 BY PATRICK ENGEL N otre Dame freshman quar- terback Tyler Buchner's in- nocuous planned cameo versus Toledo provided a spark and therein shoved the door open. In walked new possibilities, new questions, and a potential fix to a prob- lem Notre Dame can't afford to let fester any longer. Even Jack Coan, the Irish's starting quarterback who suddenly gained an unexpected sidekick, appreciated the boost Buchner's 19 snaps provided in a 32-29 escape from disaster against the Rockets Sept. 11. "I mean, he helped us move the ball," Coan said. It's not that Coan wasn't helping Notre Dame score and sustain drives. T h e W i s c o n s i n graduate transfer led the game-win- ning march 75 yards in just 26 seconds, after all. He completed three passes on it, including the go-ahead touchdown to sophomore tight end Michael Mayer with 1:09 left. Through two games, Coan was averag- ing 302.5 passing yards and three touch- downs per outing. He was completing 69.1 percent of his throws and averaging 8.9 yards per attempt. He's a centerpiece of a seemingly potent downfield pass- ing attack, an element the Irish's offense lacked (and needed) a year ago. But Coan, for all he has done to help, isn't enough of an answer himself for reviving the Irish's run game — a force in 2020 that has evaporated with a rebuilt offensive line replacing a dominant one. At least not compared to Buchner, a dual-threat player whose presence im- mediately ushered in some success for the ground game and space-starved running backs Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree. Buchner's package of plays turned into 19 snaps, 11 of which were in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame called 15 runs with him in the game. Those totaled 122 yards and 8.1 yards per carry. Buchner's seven carries produced 68 yards. With each big run, a previously un- foreseen idea became more practical. Buchner, the potential Irish quarterback of the future, might have to be part of the present too. "It was a game flow thing that hap- pened," Coan said. "All the success he had and the way he was able to move the ball, I knew he was going to play more. It was a smart choice. I'm happy he played that much." Notre Dame isn't in position to turn away any fixes for its run game, which features two of college football's most ex- plosive running backs and the most tal- ented backfield of head coach Brian Kelly's 12-year tenure. The run threat Buchner presents is one antidote for the offensive line woes that have so far sideswiped the Irish's ability to run the ball consistently. Williams and Tyree combined for 1,691 yards on 5.95 yards per rush a year ago. In 2021, though, they were aver- aging just 3.4 yards per carry through two games. No Football Bowl Subdivi- sion running back with at least 25 at- tempts has been hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on a higher percentage of his carries than Williams (67.6 percent). Those numbers aren't befitting of a skilled backfield or a program that fan- cies itself as "O-Line U." "The plan all along was to get Tyler some work, and that was going to en- hance our running game as we transi- tion a little bit there," Kelly said. With Buchner in the game, the read- option becomes a viable play call. The same goes with other option plays that contain quarterback run possibilities. Buchner rushed for 26 and 11 yards on his first two snaps — both read-option plays. Williams uncorked a 43-yard touchdown run on a read-option. All told, Notre Dame had five runs of at least 10 yards in Buchner's 19 snaps against Toledo. It had four such rushes in Coan's 134 snaps over the Irish's first two games. Of course, Coan isn't at fault for that. Run-blocking problems have derailed a normally stout ground game. Pass pro- tection issues have contributed to 10 sacks through two games, tied for the fourth-most in the FBS. "It's a work in progress," senior center Jarrett Patterson said of the offensive line. "The biggest thing is communication. Jack is doing a good job and the coaches are doing a good job putting us in a good position. It's about firing off the ball to- gether and working on fundamentals. "Our goal of getting back to the playoffs and winning a national championship, we know that starts up front with us." It's plausible, though, Notre Dame's line is simply an average unit this year. Or worse. The Irish lost freshman starting left tackle Blake Fisher for eight weeks due to a meniscus injury suffered in the opener at Florida State. His backup, sophomore Michael Carmody, sprained his ankle against Toledo. Sophomore Tosh Baker took over for him. More than anything, the Irish need in-season development from this cur- rent lineup — or a new lineup. Either way, Notre Dame has to get creative to jump-start its run game. Buchner has provided an effective remedy. But not to the point where Notre Dame has a quarterback c o n t r o v e r s y. O r even a quarterback quandary. Coan is the starter. At the same time, a quarterback rota- tion is not ideal. Especially when it's an apparent necessity two games into the season. There's risk of disrupting rhythm. Coan has never rotated with another quarterback before, though he said it was no hindrance. He certainly didn't come to Notre Dame thinking he would be part of a timeshare. He also has no interest in a one- dimensional offense that puts all the weight on the passing game. If Buchner can alleviate it, sign the unselfish graduate student up. "We want to be great in the run game, too," Coan said, "and we want to be more balanced." Buchner can help. But he can't turn into a crutch. Ultimately, Notre Dame also has to run the ball better with Coan in the game. It has to be more effective in short-yardage situations. The Irish converted on just two of the four third- or fourth-and-short run plays they called in their first two games. They di- aled up six passes in those spots. The contrast to last season is stark. "Running to me still is about short yardage, goal-line, setting up play ac- tion and running when everybody knows you need to run," Kelly said. "If you can't do any of those, you don't have a running game." ✦ "All the success he had and the way he was able to move the ball, I knew he was going to play more. It was a smart choice." JACK COAN ON INVOLVING BUCHNER IN THE IRISH OFFENSE AGAINST TOLEDO