Notre Dame OL Focused on Consistency & Communication

Notre Dame's offensive line play has been up and down over the first three games of the 2021 season. 

The Irish have started three left tackles in three games, have a center playing guard and a graduate transfer finding his way at right guard. 

And yes, there were always going to be growing pains as Aaron Banks, Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hainsey and Tommy Kraemer are on NFL rosters.

There were signs of growth during Saturday's win against Purdue as Kyren Williams averaged 7.6 yards per carry, but there is more work to be done.

"As we start to play with each other, it's gotten better," stated graduate student Josh Lugg. "Cain (Madden) coming in this summer, he's been a fantastic communicator. He sees things differently when he first came in than we might. Being able to work with each other, we both are on the non-degree seeking graduate course, so being able to have that, there is a lot more time to watch film together and break down defensive opponents. 

"Being able to work with Jarrett (Patterson), who is a fantastic center. We love having him in the middle because he is able to communicate fronts really well. 

"Now, Tosh (Baker) over the left side is getting some good experience the last couple weeks and he's definitely settled in and become more comfortable and consistent, which has been fantastic for our offensive line." 

For Lugg, he's been in a starting role before and knows what it takes to have success at a high level as he's been part of some of the best lines in the country. 

"Executing at a high-level land fixing the mistakes that occurred this past week," Lugg said of how the Irish continue positive growth. "Whenever you watch the film on Sundays, you try to find two or three things you can work on. Coming into Tuesday's practice, it's time to do those. Being able to work on those today, I felt a lot more comfortable and changing up some of my technique and fundamentals. Being able to execute those on Saturday is always rewarding. 

"It's great to get a win, but it at the end of the day, can I do my job at a high level? That's what's most important." 

The competition will be raised this weekend as the Irish will face Wisconsin at Soldier Field and the Badgers have one of the best front seven groups in the country. 

"I think every week we need to expect a physical game and we need to be more physical in our preparation, so when Saturday comes, we're executing with high intensity," explained Lugg. 

"We treat our opponent as a faceless opponent. We always look at the defensive line as a faceless opponent. If we execute our fundamentals and go back to the basics at a high level, we're going to be good when it comes to Saturday." 

There is pressure on the offensive line to raise its consistency as Notre Dame has two of the best backs in the country running behind them. 

Williams showed all he needed was a small crease to find his way to the end zone from 51 yards out against Purdue. 

It might have been a highlight-reel play, but for Lugg, it's something he sees every day. 

"I'm not shocked because they do that in practice," stated Lugg. "You see that on the field on Saturday because we're able to execute those plays on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

"It will be a team run period and they'll easily breakthrough. Kyren will sprint his butt off for 30 yards to make sure he's finishing in the end zone. It inspires us to block even better because we love seeing that. We love running down the field after them and see if we can pick off anybody even though we're slower than everyone else. 

"They're fast, quick and good football players." 

The game against Wisconsin will be one of the most physical of the year and Lugg knows it starts with his unit. 

"I think every week we should have a chip on our shoulder no matter who the opponent is or who we're playing," said Lugg. "We definitely need to execute, play our fundamentals and go back to the basics so we can do our job come Saturday. 

"If we want our team to be successful, it starts with us up front and doing our job consistently, not just one play here or there."