Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 23, 2021 7 BY PATRICK ENGEL N otre Dame can't acquire external fixes for its porous offensive line this year, but head coach Brian Kelly can still ask for outside opinions on poten- tial solutions. "Who do you want me to play?" Kelly joked with reporters at his Oct. 4 media session. "You guys tell me. Give me your five guys." No, he's not actually that desperate. He is, though, still looking for some- thing — anything — to fix a position group that's usually a banner of pride for the Irish. This year, it has instead hamstrung their offense and lacks di- rection five games into the season. Offensive line problems have tanked Notre Dame's running game to unreli- able status despite two talented backs and contributed to an unwanted game of quarterback roulette that finally ran out of luck in a 24-13 loss to Cincinnati Oct. 2. The Irish have played four left tackles through five games. They have rotated at left guard the last three weeks. That rotation spilled over to the other guard spot in the loss to the Bearcats. Kelly is convincing in his dismissals of the idea that senior and 26-game starter Jarrett Patterson could move from cen- ter. He shot down the idea again two days after the Cincinnati game. Other- wise, it seems everything is on the table. "There's no waiver wire," Kelly said after the home loss. "There's nobody getting traded. We're working. We have to coach the guys that we have, and we've got to get them coached better." The latest development was fresh- man Joe Alt's extended look at left tackle against Cincinnati. Notre Dame turned to him after sophomore Michael Carmody left the game due to the ankle injury that knocked him out the prior two weeks. Sophomore Tosh Baker, who started two games in place of Carmody, was unavailable due to a concussion. The opening day starter, freshman Blake Fisher, might miss the rest of the season due to meniscus surgery. Injuries have forced Notre Dame's hand at left tackle all year. Carmody and Baker, though, have also struggled in their opportunities. They have allowed a combined six sacks and 11 pressures this year, per Pro Football Focus. Alt, meanwhile, fared well in 37 snaps versus Cincinnati. He stonewalled Bearcats defensive end Myjai Sanders, a projected early round NFL Draft pick, on his first snap of the game. He held his own until Notre Dame's final drive, where he committed a false start and al- lowed his only two pressures of the game. "It's his demeanor," Kelly said. "He acts like a tackle. I just love the way he does his job. He goes out there and we play him at tight end, change his jersey [from No. 76] and put another number on [No. 45] — doesn't affect him. He goes in and does his job. "Is he perfect? Absolutely not. But there's a physicality he brings that we really like that we feel like we need at the position. Here we go. We have another guy at left tackle and he's healthy." Ideally, Notre Dame would have rolled with Fisher all year and redshirted the 6-7 5 ⁄8, 305-pound Alt, who was a 230-pound high school tight end two years ago and a three-star recruit out of Fridley (Minn.) Totino-Grace High School. Now, though, the Irish would be hard-pressed not to give him more looks, regardless of the injury situation. Freshman ups and downs are surely in- evitable, but the experience gap isn't wide between him and the others. Car- mody and Baker are also in their first seasons of high-leverage action. "You have great length with Baker," Kelly said. "Maybe a little more athleti- cism with Carmody. Then maybe a little of both with Alt, but he's young. Each one of them brings a little bit to the ta- ble, but none are finished products yet. Injuries have dictated what has gone on there, but youth is behind that as well. "We like all three of them. It's still a work in progress." So are the guard spots. Junior Andrew Kristofic has rotated with classmate and starter Zeke Correll at left guard since a 27-13 win over Purdue Sept. 18. Against Cincinnati, he slid over to right guard af- ter a bumpy start to a fourth-quarter drive by graduate student starter Cain Madden and stayed there the rest of the game. Expect more of the same, Kelly said. The rotation is partially rooted in his desire to give the starters a break. But it's also taking place at two struggling positions. It'd be difficult to sub out anyone who provides consistent play, even for one drive. The search for solutions is ongoing within the offensive line meeting room. The game-day experiments and evalua- tions (and injuries) have shown no signs of abating. "I don't know who's going to walk through the door," Kelly said. "We've been working on technique since the spring. Sooner or later there has to be that realization we have to adapt to the group we have." ✦ UNDER THE DOME CONSISTENT CHANGE Offensive line shuffling continues, bringing more options and questions Junior Andrew Kristofic has seen extended chances at both guard positions as a rotation player in recent weeks. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER