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These five factors could be huge for the Irish against USC
In all rivalry games, there’s always a lot riding on them, regardless of record. Yes, the Trojans come into South Bend 3-3, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. There’s players on both sides of the ball for them and the Irish will have to bring their A-game. Here are 5 keys for the Irish to defeat the Trojans Saturday night.
Who should Notre Dame be starting at quarterback this week and why?
Who will start at quarterback for Notre Dame on Saturday as the Irish renew their nearly century long rivalry with USC?
Will it be the starter from their last contest that was benched in the first half before being put back in to save the day after his replacement got hurt?
Will it be that replacement that had an extra week to heal up?
Or will it be the spark plug that helped save the day against Wisconsin and nearly engineered a comeback against Cincinnati but who didn’t see the field at Virginia Tech?
In terms of starting the answer appears to be Jack Coan while freshman Tyler Buchner will get work. Drew Pyne meanwhile must be a different player in practice than on game day or something because Brian Kelly indicated Monday that it’ll be unlikely to see Pyne against USC.
“I think from a quarterback standpoint, Jack Coan continues to be the guy that we feel like gives us the best chance to win. A mixture of him with Tyler Buchner, I think both of them.
Drew (Pyne) has done some really good things for us. If we feel like we’re in a situation where we need to call on him, we would. But I think right now, as we look at it, it’s probably in my mind, and I know Tommy’s, that Jack would start and we’ll continue to get Tyler more playing time.”
I can’t say I’m shocked by this but I’m not thrilled, either. Coan just led an epic comeback against Virginia Tech which was exciting but he also struggle mightily to start the game and has had plenty of issues at times this season.
I’m all for Notre Dame going about this and trying to win as many games as possible. They clearly see the future being more about Buchner than Pyne at this point which now makes me wonder what Pyne’s future in South Bend may be.
I do wish we’d see Pyne get more game reps or at least be told why he isn’t after he’s performed how he has in games, however.
Related:
Notre Dame-USC: fun facts about epic rivalry
Notre Dame injury update ahead of USC game
Which changes would you make this bye week?
The first “half” of the season is over and this week the Irish will surely work hard and do some self-scouting. Head coach Brian Kelly has a big time job to do, there are some holes that need to be fixed and now is the time to address them. Let’s take a look at a few changes the Irish make before the hit the field against USC on October 23rd in South Bend.
What happened last night?
Last night was crazy for Notre Dame fans as the Irish came back from down eight with under five minutes to play to rally and tie Virginia Tech before winning in the final seconds thanks to kicker Jonathan Doerer’s heroics.
I had initial thoughts from the game last night but have more I felt the need to share on this Sunday morning as 5-1 Notre Dame now heads to their bye week before taking on USC to start the season’s second half.
Here are a few morning after thoughts about what happened last night…
If you didn’t think this game was a dog fight waiting to happen, you haven’t see enough of both Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. The two teams are similar, both hit hard and make plays on defense to keep them in games while having average offenses. The …
If you didn’t think this game was a dog fight waiting to happen, you haven’t see enough of both Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. The two teams are similar, both hit hard and make plays on defense to keep them in games while having average offenses. The two teams slugged it out over four quarters but the Irish prevailed with a quality and exciting, 32-29 road victory. Here are the best, 5 stars, and worst, 1 star, performances from the Irish this week.
Not having fun yet.
So far, the prognostications that the game between Notre Dame and Virginia Tech would feature little offense mostly have held to form. The offense that we have seen has not gone the Irish’s way. Accordingly, they find themselves down, 7-0, after the first quarter.
The Irish took the ball first and opted to start Jack Coan. The drive went nowhere, and it ended with him being sacked by Amare Barno on third-and-long. The Irish’s defense caused a three-and-out the first time it saw the field. When the offense came back out, Drew Pyne took over quarterback duties, and he helped get the ball into Hokies territory before his first drive stalled.
Braxton Burmeister engineered his second drive to perfection, mixing a series of complete passes and runs. He was aided by a holding call against Cam Hart, but based on how the drive was going, what followed seemed destined to happen anyway. Raheem Blackshear concluded the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, giving the folks in Blacksburg something to keep their loud support going. It all happened in less than four minutes of game time.
In what could be a sign that Pyne is going to remain in the game for now, he came back out for the Irish when their offense returned to the field. He did nothing but get sacked by Josh Fuga on third down. The quarter ended with the Hokies picking up a first down that put them in Irish territory. This could be a long night.
Five predictions for Notre Dame football they get set to visit Virginia Tech Saturday evening.
It didn’t go the way many of us would have liked it to last week, but the season rolls on. Up next, the Irish travel to Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies in a raucous night environment. This contest won’t be easy by any means, as VT was once ranked before losing on the road to West Virginia in their third game. They rebounded two weeks ago beating Richmond, but not very convincingly, 21-10. The bye week bodes well for the Hokies but the Irish are hungry after the loss to the Bearcats. Here are five bold predictions for the Irish on Saturday night.
Who do you think starts Saturday and who should start Saturday?
Notre Dame looks to bounce back at Virginia Tech on Saturday night after suffering their first home loss in over three years last week. For good reason, much has been made about who Notre Dame will start at quarterback against the Hokies, after three again played last week.
Will it be Drew Pyne as I and so many others made the plea for following last Saturday’s offensive debacle?
Will true-freshman Tyler Buchner get his first start after being a gadget the first five weeks of this season?
Or will Jack Coan make this week just a bunch of pointless speculation?
Here is everything Brian Kelly had to say about the quarterback position Thursday as he met the media for the final time before Saturday night’s kickoff:
Who would you start if you were the Irish’s coach?
Even though Notre Dame’s depth chart lists Jack Coan as the starting quarterback against Virginia Tech, many don’t believe it. Even our own editor is certain that Drew Pyne will get the start, and he is among the many calling for it. All we know for certain is that the Irish are as reliant on advance its offense through the air, and no seems particularly better this season anyone else. Between that and a season that no longer has College Football Playoff aspirations, it makes more sense to start the player with more of a future at the position.
What we know for certain is that the Hokies will start Braxton Burmeister. While he’s a much better runner than even Tyler Buchner, his passing numbers mostly are underwhelming given this matchup. He likely will use both aspects of his game to attack the Irish’s defense. Whether that will be enough is anyone’s guess.
It may not have been made official but it seems obvious at this point, doesn’t it?
Brian Kelly met the media for his weekly availability on Monday ahead of their trip to Virginia Tech and addressed the biggest question on the mind. of Notre Dame fans this week.
Who is going to be the starting quarterback Saturday?
“We’ll talk to the guys today when they come over, but it’s not any different from what I kind of mentioned to everybody here. We’re going to have one guy and we’re going to let him know that the reps are for him to be the starter, and focus on one guy. We just haven’t gotten a chance to talk to that individual yet. We know exactly who it is.” – Brian Kelly
I feel safe in saying this means Jack Coan won’t be starting. Immediately following the Wisconsin game Kelly was clear that as long as health allowed, Coan was Notre Dame’s starter. If Coan were to be starting at Virginia Tech why wouldn’t Kelly say that, and why would he need to talk to the starting quarterback? Heck, the depth chart Notre Dame released on Monday even listed Coan as the starter.
It’s not official but using process of elimination it seems obvious who the starting quarterback will be at Virginia Tech.
Coan wouldn’t have to be told by Kelly he’s out, and Tyler Buchner took one (too many) snap in the second half as Drew Pyne tried to pull a rabbit out of his hat. It may not be official but connecting a few dots makes it seem that Pyne is going to be handed the keys to the Ferrari this weekend.
Or perhaps the keys to a Geo Metro.
Related:
Don’t overthink things – it’s Drew Pyne time
5 Stars: best and worst of Notre Dame’s home loss to Cincinnati
Cincinnati athletics troll Brian Kelly extra hard after handing Irish home loss
