Notre Dame Football

With Buchner Out, Where Does the Notre Dame Offense Go from Here?

By Andrew Mentock

September 12, 2022

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Shortly after Marcus Freeman named Tyler Buchner QB1, he sat in his office with Drew Pyne. He informed Notre Dame’s second-string quarterback of the coaching staff’s expectations for him going forward.

Even if Buchner was to run onto the field at Ohio Stadium with the first-team offense in the season opener, Pyne still needed to prepare every day as if he were going to be the starter.

“I remember that conversation in my office and told him that we made a decision,” Freeman said, “but I’ve never been a part of a program where you haven’t used more than one quarterback.”

Today, Freeman’s advice appears clairvoyant. Against Marshall, Buchner suffered an unfortunate shoulder injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

“[I didn’t] know when his time is going to come, but I knew it was going to come at some point,” Freeman said. “Here it is. He's always prepared like the starter. He's prepared like a pro. That's who Drew Pyne is.”

He’ll take over an offense that ranks No. 113 in scoring at 15.5 points per game. While Buchner received much of the blame publically, every offensive unit struggled in the first two games of the season.

One way the Notre Dame coaching staff hopes to get the offense out of its funk is by playing faster.

“Tempo has helped us have success the last game,” Freeman said. “We'll utilize that as we continue moving forward as we continue the season.”

But overall, Freeman stated that the offense won’t change much with Pyne as the starter, even if he’s not quite as quick as Buchner.

"I think the major difference is probably the straight line speed. Tyler Buchner is maybe a 4.5 guy. He can run in a straight line. Drew's athletic, but he's not straight-line as fast as Tyler. I think the ability to pull the ball in zone reads to make a team respect you as a quarterback and being able to run the ball is something that Drew can do.

“The passing game obviously isn't much different. I don't see much change in that package. But what runs are we going to have him do in the run game?"

The Offensive Line, Skill Players Must Improve

Regardless of how well Pyne plays, the Irish will continue to struggle offensively if other players don’t step up, and it starts in the trenches.

Freemans has often said that he wants his program to be led by its offensive and defensive lines.

Thus far, the Irish offensive line has proved to be mistake-prone. At times, players have even lacked the effort you’d expected from a unit coached by Harry Hiestand.

“The offensive line position,” Freeman said, “it's about understanding exactly what you're supposed to do, but it's the true fundamentals about where your hat placement goes, your footwork, that is what we got to get better at and the consistency of doing those fundamentals.

“I know Hiestand is just pounding them and trying to get them to the point of where they are perfect, but we know that's a process to get to that point.”

One solution could be to get running back Chris Tyree involved more often. With his speed, he’s well equipped to make plays on the perimeter.

He’s produced 65 yards of offense on just 12 touches this season.

"With Chris, it's unique because he played more plays than the other running backs,” Freeman said, “but we use him in so many different positions at wideout, we use him at slot, we use him at running back. He's a guy that has to be on the field. I think we got to find ways to get the ball in his hands because he's a playmaker.”

Notre Dame also needs more of its skill players to step up in the pass game. Excluding the production from Tyree, Michael Mayer and Lorenzo Styles, the Irish have just seven catches for 114 yards and no touchdowns.

A New QB2

With Pyne elevated to the first-team offense, true freshman quarterback Steve Angeli also gets a promotion from the scout team to second-string.

Freeman, who’s been involved with the scout team offense, likes what he’s seen from Angeli. He has a strong arm and took ownership of his scout team leadership responsibilities.

Yet that doesn’t mean he’s ready to lead the Notre Dame offense onto the field should anything happen to Pyne.

“It’s a little bit different when you’re looking at a card versus reading the defense,” Freeman said. “He’s going to have to get the signals and put guys in the right position. Yesterday was the first day he was running with the twos at practice. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Steve Angeli.”

Unlike with Pyne, the Notre Dame coach staff will tailor its offensive game plan to the abilities of Angeli if he’s needed against Cal this weekend.

“You can’t ask Steve Angeli, who’s been on scout team for the last two weeks and the later part of fall camp, to come in and do what you’re asking Drew Pyne to do. Absolutely not,” Freeman said. “But we’ve got to figure out what can Steve Angeli handle and what plays can he be efficient with if he has to go into the game right now.”

From there, Angeli's responsibilities within the offense can grow as he develops and gains a greater grasp of the playbook.