Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1414190
6 OCT. 2, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL A t first glance, it looked like more of the same. Facing a third-and-1 from Florida State's 37-yard line in the 2021 opener, Notre Dame lined up with three tight ends and junior running back Kyren Williams in the backfield. An obvious run formation on an obvious run down. It certainly was for Notre Dame a year ago. Except graduate student quarterback Jack Coan dropped back and uncorked a downfield throw to senior wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. His pass fell into Aus- tin's outstretched arms on the goal line. It was the second Notre Dame deep- ball touchdown in a short-yardage spot that game. The Irish, a dominant rush- ing team in 2020, passed on trying to impose their will at the line of scrim- mage. One wondered if it was a trend or simply a one-game anomaly — and what it said about Notre Dame's 2021 offensive line. Two more games provided some clar- ity. The Irish offensive line is a veri- table work in progress and a shaky run- blocking unit. The squad has therein leaned on Coan and its passing attack to move the ball — even when the situation caters well to running. Through three weeks, Notre Dame had faced third- or fourth-and-short (three or fewer yards needed) 15 times. The Irish have thrown the ball on 10 of them. Those 10 tosses have yielded six first downs, eight completions, 142 yards and three touchdowns. Mean- while, the five rushing attempts have netted merely five yards and just two conversions. It's a contrast to 2020, when Notre Dame called 44 runs on third- or fourth-down short-yardage situations and just 14 passes, per Sports Info So- lutions. The Irish's offensive line with three eventual top-100 draft picks ranked 32nd nationally in power success rate (78.1), which measures conversion percentage on third- and fourth-and- short runs. Notre Dame frequently used three or four tight ends to hammer the ball past the line to gain. Yet Notre Dame isn't about to cease all attempts to run in short-yardage situations. It's a matter of pride for a program that views itself as an offensive line factory. Head coach Brian Kelly thinks the line will grow over the course of the season. Part of that growth is getting chances in key moments. "I'm not about to say, 'Hey, every time we get in short yardage, we have to pitch it around,'" Kelly said. Hitting the air has been more reliable early on, though. It might be that way all season, even with visible offensive line development. The short-yardage deep ball has worked, but Notre Dame has not turned into unhinged grenadiers on third-and- one. In fact, Williams and No. 2 run- ning back sophomore Chris Tyree have been frequent targets on short throws in those situations. Just because short- yardage runs are more rare doesn't mean touches for two of Notre Dame's UNDER THE DOME IDENTITY SHIFT Without a steady run game, short-yardage situations have become primarily a passing down for Notre Dame — for now Notre Dame has relied on graduate student quarterback Jack Coan and the passing offense in short- yardage situations, a big contrast to 2020. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER