Keys To A Gator Bowl Victory For The Notre Dame Offense

Breaking down the keys to victory for the Notre Dame offense in the Gator Bowl matchup against South Carolina

Notre Dame squares off against South Carolina in the Gator Bowl tomorrow as the Fighting Irish look to finish the first season of the Marcus Freeman era on a strong note. If Notre Dame is going to pull off the win the offense will need to erase the struggles of the regular season with an outstanding performance in the bowl game.

In this video we break down the five keys to a Notre Dame victory for the Irish offense.

Here are those keys:

1. Start Fast - This has been a key all season for an offense that has struggled mightily out of the gate. There are practical reasons to start fast. Getting off to a fast start does one of two things, and both help the Irish defense. It either gives the Irish a good early lead or it allows the Irish to go toe to toe with the Gamecocks until the defense is able to figure things out.

Notre Dame also needs a boost of confidence on offense. It will be without its best player (Michael Mayer) and Tyler Buchner returns at quarterback. The last time Buchner was on the field he struggled in a big way, and the Irish were 0-2 in games he started. A fast start takes a lot of the pressure off Buchner's shoulders, gives him confidence and gives his teammates confidence. This would be even better if the run game or other players are making plays, as Buchner would be able to realize he doesn't have to do it all himself like he did in the first two games.

South Carolina will come in as a confident team as well after blasting Tennessee and beating Clemson to end the season. A slow start by the Irish will build on that confidence, but Notre Dame coming out on fire will switch it up.

2. Be Who You Are - What Notre Dame can NOT do is come out and try to be who they WERE. They don't have Mayer, they can't build the offense around him they did during the regular season. Just running 12 personnel and Duo all game, which was a quality recipe during the regular season, would not be playing to who the team is now. That doesn't mean 12 personnel can't be used (it should), but it can't be the dominant personnel usage like it was during the regular season.

Against South Carolina we need to see more 21 and 20 personnel packages, we need to see more 11 personnel packages. We need to see the offense tailored more to Buchner's skillset, which is quite different than that of Drew Pyne. The running backs are now the best position group, not tight end, and the offense needs to reflect that with the run game and pass game. 

Getting the wideouts more involved is also a vital part of the offense coming out and playing well against South Carolina.

3. Mix Up The Run Game - Florida set the blueprint for success against the aggressive South Carolina defense. The Gamecocks do a lot of three-man fronts, although we could see more of a four-down against Notre Dame. But the Gamecocks are going to run stunts, they are going to load the box, they are going to shoot their linebackers hard downhill. Florida did a great job of mixing up its run game, showing the hard downhill runs (like Duo), but also using Jet sweeps, outside zone/stretch runs and misdirections.

The result was a 374-yard outburst (5.8 YPC) in a 38-6 beatdown of the Gamecocks. Notre Dame needs to follow suit and not rely so heavily on Duo. Yes, it can and should be a top run, especially when Logan Diggs and Audric Estime are in the game, but using misdirections is vital (counter, jet sweeps, read zones). Running outside runs (outside zone, stretch, please run a Buck Sweep) is also a must. 

If the Irish mix up their runs effectively I could see Notre Dame dominating with its ground attack, and it would also set up more play-action opportunities.

4. Attack The Perimeter, Take Some Shots - This is two-fold, but at the heart is a need for the Notre Dame offense to start stretching the field vertically and horizontally to a greater degree. Notre Dame's offense was very condensed during the season, and in many ways it had to be. The personnel is such now that Notre Dame should be able to more effectively attack the width of the field, and to take more downfield shots in the bowl game.

The first part of this is attacking the perimeter with quick throws. South Carolina runs a lot of man coverage and press coverage, and their defensive backs do a great job baiting quarterbacks into quick game mistakes. I would avoid the hitches and quick outs with outside receivers unless it's a really, really off cornerbacks. I want to see Bubble and Look screens out of the RPO game. I want to see some quick slide routes from motion receivers or inside receivers. Those are the quicks I want to see.

When South Carolina is playing press there are also opportunities to hit the Stop routes and Comeback routes, which could be key chain moving routes. 

Finally, if the Gamecocks stay true to their heavy use of Cover 1 we absolutely need to see Notre Dame take some outside vertical shots to players like Braden Lenzy, Tobias Merriweather and Lorenzo Styles. This isn't a read, it's not a boundary throw, it's a field throw where Buchner sees the outside one-on-one, he takes his drop, gets to the top and just lets it fly. If Notre Dame can hit a couple of these it forces South Carolina to adjust and should open up more and more run game opportunities.

5. Stay On Schedule - South Carolina is prone to making big mistakes on defense, which is why it tends to give up a lot of big plays. But Notre Dame needs to stay on schedule in order to create more play opportunities, which then increases the chances they hit big plays. Notre Dame cannot afford to get into a lot of second-and-long and third-and-long situations. 

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