Notre Dame's Quarterback "Issue" Is A Distraction From The Real Problem
Nothing generates discussion at Notre Dame more than a quarterback controversy, and that has certainly been a frequent topic of conversation throughout Brian Kelly's tenure in South Bend.
We are here again, with Notre Dame set to once again go through indecisiveness at the most important position on the football team, quarterback.
Jack Coan was brought in to provide experience, and after getting off to a brilliant start his play has continued to falter week after week.
In game two the Irish inserted standout freshman Tyler Buchner into the game and he shined as a change up player, but as teams see more and more of Buchner his play has regressed, and the offense stalled every time Buchner was in the game against Cincinnati.
Sophomore Drew Pyne replaced an injured Coan in the win over Wisconsin and went 6-8 for 81 yards and a touchdown. He went just 9-22 against Cincinnati and was unable to bring the team back from a 17-0 deficit.
Against the Bearcats none of the quarterbacks were overly impressive, but Coan, as the veteran starter, has become the new whipping boy for Notre Dame fans and in some ways head coach Brian Kelly.
All of this is nothing more than a distraction for the real issue, and that is an offensive line whose performance has been so poor that it has crippled the Notre Dame offense.
Until Kelly and line coach Jeff Quinn fix the offensive line nothing else will matter. Kelly can talk about the quarterbacks not getting the ball out quick enough, or not making proper protection checks, or how many hours his staff is working, none of that changes the reality that the offensive line has been woefully unprepared, played with unacceptably poor technique and they lose battle after battle in the trenches.
It's not a youth problem, as sixth-year senior Cain Madden and fifth-year senior Joshua Lugg, who have combined for 49 career starts, have had the same issues that the "young" blockers have had.
Notre Dame's linemen, as a whole, struggle to move their feet when they engage. That's a coaching issue.
The linemen on both sides of the line struggle to handle basic line games. That's a coaching issue.
The linemen as a whole don't finish blocks. That's a coaching issue.
The linemen as a unit don't come off the line with enough force to move opponents. That's a coaching issue.
Notre Dame is averaging just 80.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks 124th nationally. It ranks 127th nationally at just 2.4 yards per attempt. Notre Dame also has one of the nation's best backfields.
This is an offensive line problem, and the foundation of that is the line is poorly prepared.
Notre Dame ranks 126th nationally with 22 sacks in five games. Could some of that be on the quarterbacks? Absolutely! Is most of it on the quarterbacks? Absolutely not!
Does any of that change if you bench Jack Coan and start Drew Pyne, or start Tyler Buchner? Maybe a little, but it isn't a magic elixir that cures what ails this football team. That requires a much more dramatic change.
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