Tag: Tyler Buchner

Watch: Notre Dame takes lead as Buchner finds Williams against Virginia Tech

The Irish take the lead!

Who know which back-up quarterback will be the spark each week. The last few weeks, it’s been Drew Pyne. That might have been because Tyler Buchner was a bit dinged up.

What we saw in the first reps early this season saw the true freshman running all over the place, mixing in a solid pass. Well, the Buchner that we saw before his soft tissue injury is back. He looks like he belongs, even though he’s didn’t play his senior year due to COVID-19.

He again engineered a drive that gave Notre Dame the lead, 14-10, in the hostile road environment of Virginia Tech got a bit quieter as the Irish scored.  Buchner to Williams isn’t just a hand-off play.

Notre Dame at Virginia Tech: Second-Quarter Analysis

Progress has been made.

The second quarter went much better for Notre Dame. It was able to make a key stop and get on the board before Virginia Tech completely took over the game. Next thing you knew, they were ahead on the scoreboard shortly before halftime. The Irish gladly will take a 14-13 lead into the locker room.

The second quarter began with the Hokies continuing to march on a drive that began in the first. They got into the red zone, then to the Irish’s 1-yard line on a 15-yard reception by Tre Turner. The Irish pulled off the goal-line stand by stuffing Raheem Blackshear, then forcing two incomplete passes. The Hokies had to settle for a 19-yard field goal from John Parker Romo.

The Irish went to their third quarterback in four drives when Tyler Buchner was called upon. This time, the offense looked like a well-oiled machine, getting the ball to midfield on runs before Buchner hit Kevin Austin for a 46-yard completion. Two plays later, Buchner ran 3 yards for the Irish’s first touchdown.

The Irish’s defense then forced a three-and-out. The highlight came when Isaiah Foskey sacked Braxton Burmeister for a 10-yard loss on third down. The offense couldn’t respond on the next drive as it also failed to pick up a first down. It could have happened but for Chris Tyree dropping a short pass from Buchner right by the marker.

After another Hokies drive went almost nowhere, the Irish had one more chance to get points on the board before the half. When Buchner completed a 37-yard pass to Avery Davis, that possibility became very real. Aided by a defensive holding call, the Irish quickly got themselves in the red zone. They then quieted Lane Stadium completely when Buchner hit Kyren Williams with an 8-yard touchdown pass.

With time running out in the first half, the Hokies made a final desperate attempt to get the lead back or at least chip into their new deficit. They were able to get across midfield and then into field-goal range. Only three seconds remained after that, so they only had time for Romo to attempt a 52-yard field goal. The kick was successful, so the message was sent that this game is not going to be won easily by either team.

Watch: Notre Dame answers as Buchner’s long pass leads to his rush TD vs VT

The Irish strike back

Once again, Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan struggled against an above average defense. This time Virginia Tech has made his life uneasy and he was sacked in two of the three series he started.

On the fourth series, in came true freshman Tyler Buchner who has been nursing a soft tissue leg injury. He came in and did what Coan couldn’t, engineered an Irish scoring drive as they marched down the field 75-yards in 7 plays. The biggest play was when Buchner found wide receiver Kevin Austin for a 46-yard gain and putting the Irish inside the Hokie 4-yard line.

Two plays later Buchner ran it in from 3-yards away as the Irish got close to the hosts, 10-7, as the Irish trail midway through the second quarter.

Let’s get wild Virginia Tech! Predictions for Notre Dame vs the Hokies

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.

Brian Kelly gives last comments on quarterback before kick-off at Virginia Tech

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:

 

Tale of the Tape: Starting QBs – Coan/Pyne vs. Braxton Burmeister

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.

Reading between the words: Jack Coan isn’t starting at Virginia Tech

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

Notre Dame tumbles out of Top-10 in USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Another tumble for the Irish

The loss to Cincinnati is going to be looked back upon as a potential turning point for the Irish as it dropped them down to No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. Many of us, myself included, wondered why Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees didn’t turn to Drew Pyne earlier, as they opted not to play him at all in the first half.

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It was a true tale of two halves, as the Irish were blanked in first two quarters and took a 17-0 deficit against the Bearcats into halftime. They would win the second half, 13-7, but it wasn’t enough as the first half hole was too deep to dig out of.

As Nick Shepkowski said last night, it’s time to turn the reigns over to Pyne, after both Jack Coan and Tyler Buchner were ineffective in the first half.

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The first loss of the season will sting for a while, as the Irish seemed like the better team, but mistakes, mainly turnovers in their own territory, ultimately doomed them.

It does help that multiple other Top-25 teams lost, including No. 2 Georgia blanking No. 11 Arkansas, No. 3 Oregon getting upset against Stanford in overtime, No. 9 Florida falling to Kentucky, No. 13 Texas A&M losing at home to Mississippi State and No. 21 Fresno State lost to host Hawaii.

That means there was plenty of movement in this weeks newest Coaches Poll. Below are the updated rankings along with last weeks in parenthesis.

1 – Alabama (1)

2 – Georgia (2)

3 – Iowa (5)

4 – Penn State (6)

5 – Oklahoma (4)

6 – Cincinnati (8)

7 – Ohio State (10)

8 – Michigan (14)

9 – Oregon (3)

10 – BYU (15)

11 – Michigan State (16)

12 – Oklahoma State (18)

13 – Notre Dame (7)

14 – Kentucky (23)

15 – Coastal Carolina (16)

16 – Arkansas (11)

17 – Ole Miss (17)

18 – Florida (9)

19 – Auburn (22)

20 – Wake Forest (25)

21 – Clemson (19)

22 – North Carolina State (NR)

23 – Texas (NR)

24 – Southern Miss (NR)

25 – Arizona State (NR)

5 Stars: The best and worst of Notre Dame’s loss to Cincinnati

Who played well? Who didn’t?

It was a disastrous first half, even though the Irish looked like the better team. They went into the half down 17-0 and early in the third quarter it looked like the Bearcats were about to pull away. The Irish battled back to 17-13, but Cincinnati responded with a touchdown and that’s was the end of the Notre Dame comeback attempt. It wasn’t all bad for the Irish and here are the best, 5 stars, and worst, 1 star, performances during Notre Dame 24-13 loss to Cincinnati.

Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati: Third-Quarter Analysis

This one’s not over yet.

If Notre Dame is going to come back against Cincinnati, time remains for it to happen. The third quarter showed a few signs that a miracle is in the cards. We might be having a big celebration 15 minutes from now. At the moment, the Irish trail, 17-7.

Right out of halftime, the Bearcats went for the kill. On the third play of the quarter’s first drive, Desmond Ridder completed a 45-yard pass to Alec Pierce to get to the Irish’s 17-yard line. The Irish’s defense held firm on the next series, not allowing another first down. Cole Smith came on to salvage the drive with a 30-yard field goal, but it sailed left, opening the door for the Irish.

Drew Pyne came on as the Irish’s third quarterback of the afternoon. Other than a Tyler Buchner run that went nowhere, Pyne was able to navigate a drive that went down to the Bearcats’ 30. The Irish got no further as Pyne threw an incomplete pass to Braden Lenzy on fourth-and-5.

The Bearcats chose to run to get into Irish territory, and Ridder’s 24-yard completion to Michael Young set them up at the 24. That’s when Isaiah Foskey sacked Ridder to force a fumble and allow Drew White to scoop it up for a 28-yard gain. Yet another opening for the Irish, and with excellent field position to boot this time.

Pyne needed only four plays and just over two minutes to get the Irish their first points. A 16-yard completion to Michael Mayer and an 11-yard of his own gave the Irish a first-and-goal. Pyne handed the ball off to Kyren Williams, who leaped into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown. Hope indeed is alive at Notre Dame Stadium.