Wild night in Blacksburg: Notre Dame Heads into Bye Week 5-1 after Last-Second Win
If we as Notre Dame fans have leaned anything in the first half of the season, it’s that we are in for a wild ride. This past Saturday vs Va Tech was no different. In front of a sold out wild crowd in Blacksburg, the Fighting Irish fought back from being down more than once to pull out a last-second win with another Jonathan Doerer game-winning field goal. As the Irish head into their bye week, there is a ton to talk about coming from this game.
As last week went on and Brain Kelly talked to the media more, it was sounding like Jack Coan would get the start on Saturday night because he had been in big games before. When the Irish took the field that was the case, but unfortunately the Irish offense showed little signs of light and Coan was pulled late in the first quarter. We figured we would see Drew Pyne replace Coan, as we saw more from Pyne in the last two weeks than we did with Freshman Tyler Buchner. However, taking over for Coan in the first was Buchner, not Pyne, which was an eye opener. Buchner got the Irish offense going in the first half, getting the Irish out front when halftime rolled around. For the first time all season the Irish had a run game, which was outstanding to see. But with all the good that Buchner did for the Irish offense, there were also some very bad decisions from the Freshman QB. His two second half interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, showed that there’s still a lot to learn. Overall, it was great to see him lead the Irish to a couple scores with both his arm and legs. Buchner is the future, we just have to deal with some growing pains this season.
Game Ball: Kyren Williams – 19 carries, 81 yards, 1 rushing TD. 5 catches, 26 yards, 1 receiving TD
The game got a lot more interesting in the 4th quarter when Buchner went down with an ankle injury. Kelly did not go to Pyne to replace the injured Buchner; instead, he put Coan back in which proved to be the right move. The grad transfer again showed that he can lead this team to a comeback win. The Irish were looking at back-to-back losses when the Irish were down 8 late in the fourth, but Coan didn’t blink. Ultimately, he led the Irish down the field, tossing a touchdown pass to Avery Davis, and then tying it up when he found Kevin Austin to make a wild catch. Coan once again showed he is more than capable at leading this team to victory and will do whatever it takes. The key moment that stuck out during the game regarding Coan was not the late touchdown drive, but rather when Buchner went down during the game – Coan was one of the first people out to see if he was ok. That speaks volumes as to the leader he is. Coan could have gotten benched and given up on the team, but instead he comes in game after game to lead this team to victory. Regardless of what happens at that position for the rest of the season, Coan will still lead this team.
The Irish defense held their own Saturday night. It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means – the defense gave up the late touchdown that looked like it may have sealed the game for Va Tech, only to turn around and stop them on the next drive to get the ball back to the Irish for what would be the game-winning drive. The Irish defense made plays when the team needed them the most, which has been the MO for them all season. They also forced two more turnovers on Saturday, giving them 14 turnovers so far this season. They are going to be a blast to watch as the season goes on. I’ve said it before, enjoy watching Kyle Hamilton play this season because there is no way he comes back for his senior year.
I wouldn’t have been shocked if you were to tell me that Notre Dame would be 5-1 heading into the bye week before the season started. After the first two weeks if you were to tell me that same thing I would be over the moon. This team is far from perfect and probably won’t be by season’s end. But this Notre Dame team does have a ton of heart and isn’t going to back down from anything. It took about half the season to realize just how much talent and leadership they lost in the offseason, but guys are stepping up to fill that leadership hole, Coan amongst them. There were a handful of true freshman not named Buchner that got playing time on Saturday. I for one love that, and it will pay off long-term to get these guys playing time on the road at a hostile stadium. The future of Notre Dame is bright with all the freshman getting playing time, but the current season is going to be a wild one – so hold on and enjoy the ride.