Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 OCT. 23, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. More Quarterback Shuffling Quarterback clarity continues to elude Notre Dame's grasp. Who knows if it'll ever arrive. But the Irish's quarterback roulette lingers because, remarkably, a switch has sparked the offense in some key moments. Notre Dame needed freshman Tyler Buchner's mobility and run-game boost after an ineffective first quarter with graduate student starter Jack Coan at the helm. The offense averaged 8.47 yards per play in its first three drives with Buchner in the game. Notre Dame trusted Buchner enough to open up the playbook beyond the initial package of calls for him. But Buchner's passing inconsistency showed up, too. His accuracy dipped. He threw a pair of inter- ceptions and was lucky not to end up with a third. All of a sudden, Notre Dame needed Coan's steadier passing hand when it had to mount a comeback. Buchner also hobbled off the field af- ter his second interception. Coan completed five straight passes, including a four-yard touchdown to graduate student wide receiver Avery Davis and two throws that pushed the Irish into field goal range on their last drive. Try sorting that out and picking a direction. Notre Dame wanted to pick a lane after playing three quarterbacks in the 24-13 loss to Cincinnati Oct. 2. It still doesn't have a clear solution, but, somehow, has made the chaos work. 2. Buchner's Initial Boost The first quarter validated the skepticism that greeted Notre Dame's decision to stick with Coan as its starting quarterback. The Irish trailed 10-0 and averaged 2.7 yards per play through 15 minutes in a continued backslide of the Coan-led offense. It felt like Notre Dame was banging its head against the wall. Meanwhile, Vir- ginia Tech put together a pair of scoring drives built on quarterback mobility and run-game creativity. In came Buchner — not sophomore Drew Pyne — as a necessary spark in a big moment early in the second quarter. He led a 75-yard touchdown drive that included a 46-yard completion to senior wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. Notre Dame took a 14-10 lead just before halftime on a nine-play, 80- yard drive with Buchner in command. This game was another illustration of why Notre Dame needs Buchner's running and improvisa- tional ability. It also revealed passing limitations that prevent him from being the unquestioned starter right now. The latter isn't a shock for a freshman who played one season of high school football. Buchner can help, but he's best suited as part of a multi-quarterback system at the moment. And that system might best suit Notre Dame. 3. The Defense's Day Like the game itself, Notre Dame's defense felt like it had an up-and-down day. A usually domi- nant third-down unit (28.0 percent conversion rate) allowed Virginia Tech to go 8 of 17 (47.1 per- cent) in those situations. Hokies wide receiver Tré Turner flustered Irish defensive backs. Containing quarterback scrambles was an issue. Virginia Tech quarterback Braxton Burmeister's 19-yard touch- down run in the fourth quarter was a scramble on third-and-15. The final numbers, though, are impressive. Vir- ginia Tech averaged just 4.5 yards per play. Hokies quarterbacks completed just 50 percent of their passes and averaged 5.5 yards per attempt. Notre Dame held their four primary running backs to 46 total yards on 20 carries. The Irish lost contain on some scrambles, but forcing the scrambles is a credit to their downfield pass defense that often took away Burmeister's first read and made him improvise. 4. Offensive Line Progress Notre Dame allowed sacks on two of its first three drives, both on third down. It felt like the start of another long day. But from there, the Irish's offensive line played its best three quarters of the season. They allowed no sacks the rest of the way. They paved the way for the running game to post 192 non-sacks rush- ing yards. Running backs Kyren Williams, Chris Tyree and Logan Diggs combined for 124 yards on 28 carries (4.4 yards per rush). The sacks were the only negative rushing plays of the game. Freshman Joe Alt started at left tackle and played the entire game. He gave up a sack on the first drive, but held his own afterward and opened up a few running lanes. Notre Dame replaced junior Zeke Correll with junior Andrew Kristofic at left guard in the first half. Kristofic was called for a fourth-quarter clipping penalty that took Notre Dame out of field goal range, but his physicality showed up in the running game. Freshman Fingerprints All Over Notre Dame held a 14-13 halftime lead at rau- cous Lane Stadium while playing a freshman quar- terback and freshman left tackle. Trial by fire. The youth movement increased in the second half. Buchner and Alt were critical parts of Notre Dame's win. With sophomore tight end Michael Mayer hurt, freshman Mitchell Evans played his most snaps in a game this year, even with his fourth-quarter targeting ejection. Freshman tight end Cane Berrong also saw a usage uptick. Diggs was Notre Dame's No. 1 back on its final drive with Williams and Tyree hurt. Freshmen wide receivers Deion Colzie and Lorenzo Styles Jr. also played on offense. Notre Dame had five freshmen on the field for one play in the second half: Buchner, Diggs, Alt, Evans and Colzie. The Irish needed more contributions from their 2021 class than they anticipated to win this game, but it's a strong early sign of their progress. FIVE THOUGHTS FROM NOTRE DAME'S WIN OVER VIRGINIA TECH BY PATRICK ENGEL Freshman quarterback Tyler Buchner led two first-half scoring drives, but also threw two interceptions. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN