2021 Notre Dame Season Review: From MVP to Best Play of the Year
The 2021 Notre Dame football season is over, and boy what a season it was. There were extreme highs and some very bad lows. It was anything but dull, and one that I will always remember. From MVP to best play of the year and everything in between, here are my picks.
MVP: Kyren Williams RB – 1,002 Rush Yards, 14 TDs. 359 receiving yards, 3 TDs. Hard to imagine what this season would look like without Williams, as he was the heart and soul of this Notre Dame team. There were games where Williams put the team on his back and carried the Irish to victory. Many even picked Williams as the best Running Back at Notre Dame since the great Jerome Bettis. I am excited to see what he does at the next level.
Offensive MVP: Jack Coan QB – 3,150 Passing Yards, 65.7% comp, 25% Passing TDs, 7 INTs. With Ian Book, everyone expected the QB position to take a setback in 2021. That’s not crazy to think when one of the best QBs in school history graduates. Notre Dame got very lucky when Jack Coan transferred. The start of the season was very rocky and a lot of people (myself included) wanted to see a change at QB. All Coan did was put his head down and play outstanding football. Coan threw over 200 yards in 8 different games this season, and even in the loss in the bowl game, Coan threw for 509 yards. The 509 yards was second all-time in a single game. In his lone year at Notre Dame, Coan finished 7th in passing yards in a season and 8th in touchdown passes in a season.
Defensive MVP: Isaiah Foskey DL – 52 total tackles, 11 sacks. On a defense led by All-American Kyle Hamilton, it was Foskey that was the star. It looked like for most of the season that Foskey would break the single season sack recored (13.5). The 11 sacks this season lands Foskey 3rd on the single-season sack list. He was a force to be reckoned with all season. He was the reason why the Irish defensive line was one of the best in the country. Foskey will make his decision on if he will come back for a final year or go pro on Saturday, December 8. Regardless of his decision, it’s been a pleasure to watch Foskey at Notre Dame.
Breakout Freshman: Tyler Buchner QB – 298 Passing yards, 60% comp, 3 passing TDs, 3 INTs, 335 rushing yards 3 rushing TDs. The Freshman came in with very big expectations, and while there was some rust at times, there was more great than bad from Buchner. While he wasn’t the main QB, he was the change up that Notre Dame needed at times during the season. You saw it early in the season with his legs, and when Buchner got more comfortable with the offense you saw what he could do with his arm (VA Tech game). The future at the QB position is bright with Buchner taking over next season.
Game of the year: Week 6 Notre Dame 32 Virginia Tech 29 – Looking back, this was the turning point in Notre Dame’s season. The Irish won, but if they didn’t who knows what the season would have looked like. Coan and Notre Dame came out slow, and we saw Coan get benched. Buchner came and sparked the offense, things were rolling – until he threw a pick six and things didn’t look so good. Notre Dame then saw Buchner get knocked out with a leg injury. Coan comes back in to lead the Irish on a game-winning drive, throwing a touchdown pass as well as a two-point conversation where Kevin Austin made an amazing play to convert. Notre Dame pulled a win out of nowhere to save the season.
Play of the year: Kyren Williams – 91-yard touchdown run vs UNC- This might have been the easiest one to pick (runner-up was Chris Tyree’s kick return vs Wisconsin). With Notre Dame backed up to its own 9 yard line, Williams took a handoff to the right, then bounced left and took it 91 yards to the house, throwing stiff arms and breaking tackles on the way to the play of the year. I have watched it a million times and it was amazing to see in person.
I said at the start of this blog that this season will be one we won’t ever forget, and I meant that. This team was one that everyone around the country didn’t expect much from. Notre Dame lost a ton of leadership and talent from last year’s team and all they did was put up another 11-win season. Next year will look a lot different with Marcus Freeman running the show, but I still expect Notre Dame to go out and win a ton of ball games. I’m very excited for what the future holds going forward.