Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 FEBRUARY 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. Tyler Buchner Displays The Ceiling Sophomore Tyler Buchner's first game in nearly four months was what you'd expect after a quar- terback with only two prior starts. It was, all told, uneven. There were electric flashes. There were frustrating lows. It felt like an entire season's high- light and lowlight reel crammed into four quarters. Buchner completed only 54.5 percent of his passes and tossed 3 interceptions. He also aver- aged 15.2 yards per completion, rushed for 82 yards on 10 non-sack carries and totaled 5 touch- downs. He threw the game-winner to sophomore tight end Mitchell Evans with 1:38 left. Buchner couldn't win the 2023 quarterback job with his Gator Bowl performance, but he could reaffirm, to himself and the coaching staff, why he previously claimed it. A game with 3 turnovers and some hit-and-miss accuracy wasn't confirmation he would have become a reliable starter this year or will beat out a transfer this offseason. But it also contained the dynamic flashes Notre Dame believed in and bet on this past offseason. That's enough to re-ignite the intrigue, even if pushing in with him for the second straight offsea- son is a gamble the Irish won't take. 2. Run Game Takes Over An opening-drive three-and-out and a 21-7 first- quarter deficit portended a game where the Irish would have to play from behind and attempt a comeback through the air. Notre Dame's ground game was absent on the first drive and amassed a mere 54 yards in the first half. That was a dis- appointment against a depleted South Carolina defensive front. But Notre Dame trimmed its deficit to 24-17 at halftime and never trailed by more than a touch- down, keeping the run as a viable method for mov- ing the ball. And that's how the Irish took the lead twice in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame ran for 210 yards on 29 carries in the second half, excluding a kneel-down. Ten of the 12 plays on the game-winning drive were runs. 3. The Quarterback Run Game's Impact Buchner averaged 8.2 yards per carry, excluding sacks. Perhaps the most compelling part of his ceiling is the run threat he provides, which was one of the few functional parts of the offense in his prior two starts and added another element to an already strong rushing operation in the bowl game. The quarterback run became an infrequently used change-up with Drew Pyne starting. It was a staple with Buchner back. Buchner checked to a quarterback run on his first rushing touchdown and darted through the defense for a 15-yard score. His 11-yarder in the third quarter — also a designed run — showcased his vision and pa- tience. He has the feel and elusiveness as a runner that few quarterbacks possess. 4. Defense Was Better Than The Score Suggests Al Golden's defense couldn't have started the game much worse. It couldn't have finished it much better. South Carolina shredded Notre Dame on its opening drive and scored on three of its first four possessions. The Gamecocks didn't punt until their fifth drive. Their quick-strike, shorter-throw of- fense made the Irish defense look out of sorts. Then South Carolina's offense flipped on its head. It went three-and-out on five of its last eight drives and produced seven points in the final 35 minutes. The Gamecocks had four straight three- and-outs that totaled minus-13 yards. Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer said he didn't think Golden made any drastic schematic changes, which Marcus Freeman confirmed. Notre Dame weathered the tempo, controlled the clock on offense and largely prevented the short throws from turning into chunk plays after the catch. South Carolina averaged 4.9 yards per play and 9.3 yards per completion. Notre Dame had 9 tackles for loss. All told, the defense surrendered just 17 points and finished the game without four starters. De- fensive end Isaiah Foskey (NFL Draft), cornerback Cam Hart (shoulder) and defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola (undisclosed) did not play. Freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison left in the second half with an unknown injury and did not return. 5. Special Teams Swings A matchup of No. 1 (South Carolina) and No. 6 (Notre Dame) in the Fremeau Efficiency Index's special teams ranking started with a disaster for the Irish. South Carolina pantsed Notre Dame with a 23-yard fake field goal touchdown pass from holder Kai Kroeger to long snapper Hunter Rogers that broke a 7-7 tie. It lined up in field goal forma- tion, but altered its alignment with Kroeger taking a snap standing up and Rogers split out wide. From there, though, Notre Dame won the third phase. The Irish waited 13 games to call a fake of their own. They chose fourth-and-4 from their own 33 as the spot to do it. Braden Lenzy's 20- yard reception on a shovel pass from upback Davis Sherwood early in the fourth quarter gave Notre Dame a first down across midfield. Three plays later, Diggs' 39-yard score gave the Irish their first lead of the game. Notre Dame tied the score at 31 on Lenzy's 44- yard touchdown catch, a play set up by a 29-yard punt that put the Irish in plus territory. South Caro- lina also took a delay of game on one punt and had two No. 0 jerseys on the field during another. Else- where, it committed two illegal blocks on returns. FIVE THOUGHTS BY PATRICK ENGEL Sophomore running back Audric Estime (a team-high 95 yards) was a big part of an Irish rushing attack that took control of the game as it wore on, compiling 210 yards on 29 carries in the second half. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER