Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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18 SEPT. 24, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL G raduate student guard Josh Lugg understands the impor- tance of time and patience in an offensive line's development into peak form. For five years at Notre Dame, he has seen and been part of lines that played their best later in the season. The 2022 unit — on which Lugg plays right guard — fits the profile of one that should improve with time. Its two sophomore tackles, Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, started a combined 10 games last season. Lugg, in his sixth year with the Irish, moved from tackle to guard. Graduate student Jarrett Pat- terson switched from center to guard. Senior Zeke Correll re-integrated into the starting lineup at center. All told, they had 66 combined starts entering the season. No one is interested in using that as an excuse or a hedge for two bumpy games to start 2022, though. Not when Notre Dame began the season 0-2. Not after it lost at home to Sun Belt Conference opponent Mar- shall 26-21 as a 20.5-point favorite. Not when the line has performed below its expected floor. Not when urgency to pull the wheel around is at a premium. Maybe the line will indeed improve with time. But Notre Dame doesn't have time right now. "Reality is, the season goes so fast and games come so quickly that we can't say, 'We have time,'" Lugg said. Notre Dame knows it can't force a month's worth of time to jell into one week of practice. It won't try to. That's not the task. The Irish's front five sim- ply needs to be better. The line has to be better than allow- ing 2.5 sacks per game through the first two outings. It has to improve a 33.8 percent pressure rate on the Irish quar- terbacks in that span. It has to increase the running backs' average of 2.95 yards per rush — a product of being hit at or behind the line on 64.1 percent of their carries, per Sports Info Solutions. Those numbers aren't solely the fault of the five linemen, but the line is the head of the spear. If Lugg is any indica- tion, they're also more than willing to admit their play hasn't met their stan- dards. "There's a fierce urgency for right now to execute our fundamentals and know what we need to do," Lugg said, "to have the right technique that's being taught by [offensive line coach Harry] Hiestand and just give undeniable effort every single play. "Right now we need to start figuring it out." NO TIME TO WAIT Notre Dame's offensive line understands the urgency of finding improvements after two substandard games and two losses