Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer Excited for Full Notre Dame Stadium
Michael Mayer and Jack Coan got the season started off with a bang as the two connected for a 41-yard touchdown on the first drive of the season.
The score came on 4th-and-1 and the 6-foot-4, 251-pounder knew he was going to score as soon as the ball was snapped.
"I saw there was a corner and I knew Kyren was going to come out to the flat,” Mayer recalled. “I knew as soon as the play started it was a broken coverage. I turned my head and Jack already had the ball in the air and I knew it was going to be a touchdown."
Mayer finished the night with nine catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, which was the most receiving yards by a Notre Dame tight end since Kyle Rudolph’s 164 yards against Michigan in 2010.
The big game from the Kentucky native wasn’t a surprise as Mayer could very well be the best tight end in the country and Coan knows it as he targeted the Notre Dame star 13 times.
“We had built a ton of chemistry through the summer and 18 days of camp,” explained Mayer. “Through the chemistry, we built a lot of trust in each other and that trust can take us through the entire season. I think we're going to keep having games like this."
One area of Mayer's game that isn’t getting highlighted following the win is his work in the run game. Mayer graded out as the second on the team in run blocking according to PFF and that’s been a point of emphasis over the last nine months.
"Last year, we had Tommy (Tremble) and Brock (Wright), who blocked pretty well,” Mayer stated. “I feel like now I'm taking over as the big blocker in the offense. I feel like that was one of my big improvements this summer and through camp.
"I feel against Florida State, I blocked pretty well and I'm going to keep improving on it."
Mayer made big plays on Sunday night, but he also showed room to grow as a player as he was credited with two drops, which came at critical moments for the Irish offense.
"I go back and watch the film,” stated Mayer. “I know what I did on both the drops. It's the first game of the season and I got a little eager and took my eye off the ball before it got in my hands that led to the drops. It's going to happen. I'm human. I'm pretty good at moving on from things like that and I'm looking forward to Toledo."
And speaking of Toledo, Mayer is excited to play in front of a full Notre Dame Stadium for the first time this weekend.
"I'm expecting some rowdy fans and a packed stadium for sure,” said Mayer. “I'm excited about it. It's going to be nice not to have 80,000 people yelling in your ear on 3rd-and-3."
2021 Stats
Receptions: 9
Receiving Yards: 120
Touchdowns: 1