Drew Pyne's Play A Glimmer Of Hope For The Struggling Notre Dame Offense

The Irish quarterbacks struggled for much of the game, but the performance of Drew Pyne is one glimmer of hope for Notre Dame

The offensive woes continued for Notre Dame against No. 7 Cincinnati, and in the end, all three of Notre Dame’s quarterbacks weren’t enough for the Irish to extend their home winning streak and takedown the Bearcats.

Though the Irish were able to mount a late second half comeback, it was a tale of too little too late after Notre Dame was held scoreless in the first half for the first time this season, ultimately falling to Cincinnati by a 24-13 score.

After the game, Irish head coach Brian Kelly didn’t mince words in his evaluation of Notre Dame’s quarterback situation.

“Clearly, we can't continue down this road of who's the flavor of the week here," Kelly said. "We're going to have to sit down and figure this out and decide which direction we want to go because it doesn't give us the kind of continuity and consistency in offense that we need.”

Irish quarterback Jack Coan started the game and was able to get the offense moving on the first drive of the game, leading an 11-play, 69-yard drive all the way to the Cincinnati six-yard line. The Irish offense wasn’t able to capitalize though, after Coan made arguably his worst decision of the season and threw an interception across his body on second and goal on a ball that should’ve been thrown away.

Coan’s interception would prove to be the first of several costly mistakes for Notre Dame. Two drives later, freshman Tyler Buchner was in at quarterback and threw an interception of his own after getting drilled in the pocket on a 3rd-and-12. The turnover set Cincinnati up at the Notre Dame 17-yard line and the Bearcats scored the first touchdown of the game for either side to take the lead on the ensuing drive.

Notre Dame had seven drives in the first half. Five ended in punts and the other two ended with an interception. Coan finished the first half 14-of-22 through the air for 114 yards and an interception while Buchner was 0-2 passing with an interception and also struggled to get anything going with his legs as both quarterbacks got ample action over the first 30 minutes.

After the stagnant first half offensively, Irish sophomore quarterback Drew Pyne started the second half and gave the team a much-needed boost. Pyne led both of Notre Dame’s lone scoring drives, highlighted by an 8-play, 80-yard fourth quarter drive in which the former New Canaan product connected on a 32-yard deep ball with Braden Lenzy in the right corner of the end zone to bring Notre Dame within 17-13 with eight minutes to play. 

The sophomore provided a spark but the offense sputtered with him at times as well. Pyne finished the game 9-for-22 for 143 yards and a touchdown.

Kelly noted that the plan was always to start Coan and mix in Buchner, but he and Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees thought a quick change was needed after the slow first half which is why Pyne was brought in.

Pyne's intangibles are a significant factor in what make him effective.

“Well, escapability certainly," Kelly said of Pyne. "He sees the field very well, and he just has a confidence, a bit of a swagger to him.

“There’s no stat for that. It’s just a sense and a feel.”

Kelly was also quick to note that the staff still likes what they have in Coan, who “looked really good at times” and only made the one mistake on the opening drive of the game.

Irish tight end Michael Mayer also thinks Pyne’s mindset is what makes him effective.

“I think he’s got confidence, you can see that when you watch him play," Mayer stated. "I think he knows what he’s doing, I think he knows the offense very well and I think he’s confident in his throws.

"I think he handled the moment great. I think Drew came in and gave us a little spark that we needed.”

Mayer also highlighted the fact that such confidence isn’t limited to Pyne.

“Coan’s confident too, all of our quarterbacks are confident," continued the Irish tight end. "I have the same amount of confidence in all three quarterbacks, I know that they can all three get me the ball.”

For Pyne himself, his confidence comes from his teammates as much as it comes from within.

“Going out there with my teammates, those guys and being such a great unit on the offense is what makes me be able to go out there and have confidence,” Pyne said.

It all started last year against Alabama, that one play I went in all those guys came up to me in the huddle and obviously I was a little nervous but that group of guys has always had my back and it’s been the same thing this year so I’ve always been thankful to be around those guys and I’ll always be confident.”

When Coan went down with an injury in the second half of the Wisconsin game, Pyne was able to step right in and lead the offense to victory while going 6-for-8 with a touchdown pass. This time around, Pyne found out he was going in during Notre Dame’s first defensive possession of the second half and was again able to put points on the board.

One of those guys from last year’s team in particular who helped Pyne gain confidence is former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, who took Pyne under his wing and showed him the path to success.

“I just always have stayed ready, that’s just how I am," Book explained. "Ian led me that way last year and I’m so thankful for him and I’ll always be grateful because he always dragged me along, staying until 10 o’clock and being in there with him and Coach Rees was something that I’ll always be thankful for and that led me in the right direction and I’m doing the same thing now and no matter what the circumstance is for the rest of my life I’ll always be ready.”

After the game, Pyne also emphasized the fact that he, Coan and Buchner, who have all seen playing time this season, just want to see each other succeed.

“With Coach Kelly, Coach Rees, Tyler and Jack, we’re all really close, there’s no controversy between us, there’s never any sign of doubt between us," Pyne noted. "Whoever is on the field we all have each other’s backs. We’re all just trying to get better, I think the biggest thing for me is always keeping a positive attitude.”.

We all kind of help each other. There’s never a doubt, we’re never missing a beat whenever whoever is on the field…I’m so thankful to be around such a great group of guys and it’s a testament to Coach Rees and Coach Kelly for getting us here together. I’m just thankful to be a part of it,” Pyne continued.

Five games into the season, Notre Dame is still searching for a consistent offensive identity. According to Kelly, the team is also still in need of figuring out who its main quarterback will be moving forward. But there are worse problems than having three strong options under center, and as Pyne made clear, all three are willing and eager to do whatever is necessary to help the team reach its potential.

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