Notre Dame Likely Getting OL Boost & Offense Ready to Deliver Fireworks

Notre Dame All-American Jarrett Patterson tried to give it a go last weekend at Ohio State, but it became evident the offensive lineman wasn’t going to play at the conclusion of warmups.

Patterson did not see action in the 21-10 loss to the Buckeyes and head coach Marcus Freeman is hopeful the 6-foot-4, 310-pounder will make his season debut on Saturday as the Irish host Marshall. 

"Jarrett has practiced every day,” stated Freeman on Thursday. “We are expecting him to play on Saturday unless something crazy happens in the next 48 hours. He's had a good week of practice.” 

It’s a step in the right direction as Freeman noted Patterson practiced last week, but didn’t finish practices as he works his way back from his sprained foot. 

Patterson’s return would be a boost of positive momentum for Harry Hiestand’s unit as the Irish offensive line struggled at times last weekend. The Notre Dame staff has challenged the offensive line to find consistency this week in practice and Freeman is pleased with what he’s seen over the first two days of practice. 

"The offensive line group has had a really good week,” explained Freeman. “They were not happy with their overall performance from the Ohio State game. It's a group that has some older guys with Josh Lugg, JPatt and some guys that have played football that take a lot of pride in their performance - Zeke Correll being an older guy too. 

"The two tackles, Joe (Alt) and Blake (Fisher), are continuing to follow their lead. They take a lot of pride in their performance. They've had a great week of practice and I'm looking forward to seeing them play on Saturday." 

The Irish receiver room is also on the mend as receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. seems likely to get more playing time sooner than later. Wilkins played one snap against Ohio State, but Freeman is hopeful he’ll be ready for a larger workload, which will allow a deeper rotation for the receiver room. 

"Joe is continuing to heal,” Freeman stated. “He's ahead of schedule and he's continuing to gain confidence in his foot and heel. I hope he goes out and he can perform at the level he feels he can do and the coaching staff expects him to. He's had a good week of practice. His foot will continue to be the focal point for us to make sure we're continuing to heal this foot and it can help him perform at the level he aspires to do.” 

Sophomore receiver Deion Colzie has suffered a knee sprain in fall camp and is still working to get to the point to play. 

"Colzie is not truly 100 percent yet,” said Freeman. “He's not at the performance level he aspires to be at. For him, it's a gradual progression to get him to be a part of playing as some of the guys starting right now." 

Notre Dame’s offense will also look to take a step forward in week two. Teams typically make significant strides in the second week of the season and Tommy Rees will also have the freedom to open up the offense this week. 

The game plan against Ohio State was focused on shortening the game and limited possessions, which worked as the Irish easily could have pulled the upset. This week, Freeman expects Rees to be more aggressive as clock management won’t be a focus point. 

"The mindset maybe isn't as much to just control the clock this week and limit the offensive possessions,” Freeman said. “We want to be aggressive on offense. I look forward to seeing what our offense does on Saturday. They're going to be aggressive. We're going to take some shots. 

"Our identity starts with the run game and the ability to run the football. We will be aggressive on offense. I look forward to seeing what this offense does on Saturday." 

Notre Dame’s explosive plays start and end with quarterback Tyler Buchner. Sure, the Irish still want to be dominant in the run game, but the Marshall game will present opportunities for Notre Dame’s skill position players to make plays on the perimeter. 

Freeman also felt a few plays were left on the field due to lack of execution and he hopes that gets cleaned up this weekend. 

"I was really pleased with his decision-making in the last game and the ability to not turn the ball over,” stated Freeman. “I challenged Tyler and the entire quarterback room, we have to continue to make plays. We made some plays. He started off the game 8-for-8, but we have to make those plays when it matters the most and that's at the end of the game when the game is on the line, no matter if we're up three or down four. We have to make those plays.

"The playbook is open. The parameters from the head coach aren't as tight as they were last week in terms of wanting to continue to control the clock, keep the ball in play, and keep the clock running. I want to be able to take advantage of the different looks the defense is going to give us this week and have a plan and not be afraid to take shots and not be afraid to take advantage of those different opportunities they are going to give us."  

Saturday will also mark the first time two black head coaches will face each other inside Notre Dame Stadium as Charles Huff will go head-to-head with Freeman. 

Freeman was unaware of the fact until Thursday afternoon and he quickly embraced it. 

“What a great representation it is for young and old minority coaches,” said Freeman. “You work hard and do things the right way, there is no cap to where you can go in this profession of coaching. Credit to Coach Huff and where he has come from and the job he has done. 

"Hopefully, the focus is obviously on the game, but it's a great representation of minority coaches in the coaching profession." 

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