Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 24, 2022 17 Notre Dame, and he's the golden stan- dard for us. I'm excited to block for him." BEING HIMSELF Pyne believes his comportment is contagious, too. He said he hopes his teammates see how hard he works and how invested in the program he is. He wears a shiny shamrock necklace everywhere he goes. He bleeds blue and gold. He's living out his dream as a Notre Dame quarterback, and these are the best days of it. He's the Fighting Irish starter. That's coming a long way for the kid who two years ago couldn't believe Patterson took him in and invited him to hang out on Pyne's first Friday night as a student in South Bend. "I'm so thankful to be at a place like this," Pyne said. It's going to take much more than love and a devotion to his brothers for Pyne to be successful, though. No quarter- back has ever thrown a touchdown pass with his heart. That's fine. Pyne believes he's as good as he's ever been as a signal-caller. Rees does, too. Years of paying dues and im- proving in silence have led to this mo- ment in time. Those dues aren't always paid be- tween the white lines. Pyne said he became "obsessed" with film study over the offseason. Bored on a Monday night in June? Film. Couldn't sleep on a Wednesday night in July? Film. Pyne said freshman quarterback Steve Angeli was waiting in the Gug for him to finish his interview session on Tuesday, Sept. 13, so the two could study tape together post practice. It was after 7 p.m. when they started. Who knows how long they stayed. Pyne was pulling 12-plus hour days at the fa- cility during fall camp. "Putting everything you have into this game is something that will make you better," Pyne said. "There is no mistake about it. You're not going to not watch film then go succeed. That doesn't happen." The flailing arms and leaned-back strut Pyne put on display at Soldier Field after tossing a touchdown in a win over Wisconsin last September was more than a viral social media moment. It was a peep into Pyne's vitality. Pyne didn't do it solely because it looks cool and he was fired up for throwing his first career touchdown. He was sincerely paying homage to one of his favorite athletes, MMA fighter Conor McGregor, from whom he's de- veloped his undying demeanor. "He always talks about being obsessed with the game and being obsessed with it to the point where it's a true love for the game," Pyne said. "I started doing that with film, and I was understand- ing things way more. I was understand- ing what defenses were doing and what spaces were going to be open." Arm talent and athleticism is a pre- requisite for winning at this level. Pyne doesn't have as much of either as many quarterbacks in the country. But he has enough of both to succeed if his obses- sion lends itself to dissecting defenses and playing intelligently. "We want to get him to a point Sat- urday where he can go out there and doesn't have to press," Rees said. "He can play free and play with some confi- dence and go be himself." Pyne being himself is just what the Notre Dame doctor ordered. ✦ Pyne didn't start a game in his first two years with the program, but he got the starting nod for the first time against Cal. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER