Little Details the Focus for Notre Dame QB Tyler Buchner Following Ohio State
Tyler Buchner got his first taste of college football last fall, but on Saturday night, the sophomore quarterback got the full experience as he made his first start against No. 2 Ohio State.
It didn’t take long for Buchner to make his presence felt as he hung in the pocket and hit Lorenzo Styles for a 54-yard strike on the first play of the game.
Notre Dame hit on four passing plays longer than 22 yards on the night and consistently taking shots was part of the game plan for the Irish, but it wasn’t enough as the Buckeyes pulled away in the final 12 minutes.
"I think all that was part of the plan going into the game and as the game moved forward, we stuck to the plan,” stated Buchner. “At the end of the day, it comes down to execution and the little things. In that last stretch of the game, we didn't execute. We didn't do the little things at the standard we hold ourselves to."
Ohio State pulled ahead 14-10 in the final seconds of the third quarter and Buchner hit Braden Lenzy for a 32-yard strike. It gave Notre Dame a splash of momentum before an offensive pass interference stalled the drive.
"It's always nice hitting a chunk play,” Buchner explained. “You get a little momentum. At the end of the day, we have to execute. It's tough when Ohio State goes on a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter. It's hard to win a game like that."
Buchner didn't make the game-changing play when the game was in the balance, but Tommy Rees can pull a ton of positives from the performance.
The California native hit his first eight passes and finished the game 10-of-18 for 177 yards.
"The first half, we were rolling as an offense,” said Buchner. “We were executing. In the second half, Ohio State is a really talented team. Their defense is awesome and we can't give the ball back to their offense.
"It wasn't clicking in the second half and it killed us."
Notre Dame's offense certainly didn't click in the second half as the Irish only gained 72 yards, which included Buchner going 2-of-8 for 49 yards.
"It all comes down to the little things and the little details," Buchner explained. "We were taking care of the little things on that drive. Everyone, including me, we were doing the little things. The reason why it wasn't clicking in the second half was because of those same little things."
Ohio Stadium will be the toughest environment of the year and cleaning up those small details will be the focus moving forward.
"It was a little bit of crowd noise,” said Buchner. “It was a little of working the communication stuff. That's another one of those little things we have to clean up."
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