Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 SEPT. 25, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Barring Injury, Coan Is Notre Dame's Clear No. 1 By Tyler Horka Yes. A case can be made for true freshman Tyler Buchner to take over because of his dynamism as a rusher and ability to escape collapsing pockets behind a struggling offensive line, but the two most important words in all of that are these: true freshman. No doubt about it, Buchner looked good in his collegiate debut against Toledo. Notre Dame would not have won that game without him. But how would he have looked if given the keys to the Irish offense for four quar- ters? There's a difference in entering the game in a gimmicky, run-first fashion and being tasked with operating an offense for an entire game. Buchner should continue to get opportunities. He's too much of a game-changing talent not to. But let's not forget Coan was the one who engi- neered the most-important drive of the Toledo game. He took Notre Dame into the end zone on three plays — all completed passes — and it only took 26 seconds. Could Buchner have done the same? Maybe. Head coach Brian Kelly said he has confidence that he could. But there was no need to find out because Coan had it covered. The Notre Dame offensive line has been too ineffective to warrant throwing a true freshman behind center. Coan, while not nearly as mobile as Buchner, can take the hits. He can also make the throws despite the shaky line in front of him. Barring injury, this is Coan's season to play out. Buchner should sim- ply continue playing the sidekick role; the Robin to Coan's Batman. Tyler Buchner Will Take The Reins And Run With Them By Todd D. Burlage After basking in the hype and ballyhoo for the last two and a half years since Tyler Buchner offered his verbal commitment to Notre Dame, Irish fans finally got their first glimpse of the freshman quarterback in the Toledo game, and the dual-threat star was every bit as good as advertised. Playing as a backup to graduate student starter Jack Coan, Buchner led the Irish to two touchdowns, including one on a critical five- play, 96-yard scoring drive on his first-ever offensive series at Notre Dame. He finished 3-of-3 passing for 78 yards with a 55-yard touchdown throw in the game. More importantly, Buchner rushed for 68 yards on seven carries, showing a versatility that Coan can't pro- vide and that Notre Dame desperately needs with a rebuilt offensive line that can't get out of its own way, let alone move defenders out of any ball carriers' way. This story is not intended as an indictment on Coan or his abilities. It's a recognition that Buchner — in the same way Ian Book did — gives opposing defenses much more to worry about and prepare for than Coan does. Coan has been steady, poised and solid as the Irish starter. But he doesn't provide the dual-threat abilities, the talent ceiling or the improvisational skills Buchner does. Irish head coach Brian Kelly knows that this is Buchner's team to lead in the future, and after a few games working situationally to better learn the offense and flatten the learning curve, Buchner's future as the Irish starter will begin before this season ends. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WILL JACK COAN REMAIN NOTRE DAME'S STARTING QUARTERBACK ALL SEASON? BUCHNER COAN When Jay Bramblett entered this past offseason readying him- self for a third year as the starting Notre Dame punter in 2021, the Irish junior thought he'd already mastered all of the necessary regimens and routines to properly prepare, until he realized more work was needed. Wanting to improve consistency, precision, distance and hang time, Bramblett spent this latest offsea- son fine-tuning the finer points of his position. And through a more focused workout approach this summer that included time spent with some of the best punting coaches in the business, Bramblett believes he's ready for another production jump in 2021. Bramblett — a Tuscaloosa, Ala., native who wasn't offered a scholarship by hometown Alabama — av- eraged only 39.4 yards per punt in 2019 as a Notre Dame freshman, which was 109th out of the 120 punters ranked nationally, before jumping to 42.8 yards per kick as a sophomore last season, good enough for 57th in the country. And he expects similar improvement in 2021. Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Bramblett to discuss his steady improvement so far, the im- portance of consistency and what it will take to become one of the best punters in the country. BGI: Coaches talk about consis- tency as being the most impor- tant trait for kickers, how exactly do you improve consistency? Bramblett: "It doesn't matter if you can kick a 50-yard ball with a great hang time unless you can do it every time. So, being inten- tional and doing what I need to do has been a big deal. It's not been so much what I need to do with the consistency of my kicks, but in my drops, my steps and on my mechanics, just doing every- thing that needs to be done." BGI: You've talked often about how a better focus in the offseason was needed to improve consistency and bolster performance, what went into that? Bramblett: "Being really intentional this offseason has been a really big focal point for me, and that's just not in mechanics and in punting, that's from recovery, nutrition, in the weight room, all that stuff. That doesn't work on the field if I'm not doing all of the right things off the field and being able to put it all together." BGI: Golfers often change their swings when looking for improvement, does the same hold true for a punter? Bramblett: "I don't change my swing, necessar- ily. I will change my drop — tweak things here and there — raise, lower, more extended than others. It's kind of like trial and error. I know what feels right for me. Once you get on it, you can make it repeat." BGI: Do you get nervous before a game or an important punt? Bramblett: "I think I was a little nervous for my first game, but it's pretty easy for me to kind of zone out. Really, the only time last year when I was nervous was for the Alabama game because every single person I knew was watching, just knowing that I had all of those people supporting me. I kind of go in my little bubble when we get to game time. Nothing around me, I'm doing what I'm doing, muscle memory, same thing over and over." BGI: What are your early overall impressions of the Notre Dame special teams units? Bramblett: "We have some big-time players on offense and defense that are making their impact on special teams, and that's a huge deal when you have guys like that at a place like this that are playing on special teams." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … JUNIOR PUNTER JAY BRAMBLETT Through two games, Bramblett has averaged 42.7 yards on his nine punt attempts; more impor- tantly Notre Dame ranks 27th nationally with a net punting aver- age of 42.67 yards per attempt. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER