"You can't throw three interceptions" - Brandon Wimbush

The quarterback position at Notre Dame comes with many highs and lows, but it also takes maturity and the ability to have thick skin. 

Senior Brandon Wimbush threw for a career-high 297 yards on Saturday in a 24-16 win over Ball State. However, Wimbush also tossed three interceptions, which allowed the Cardinals to hang around late into the fourth quarter. 

Head coach Brian Kelly wasn’t throwing his quarterback under the bus on Saturday night and took part of the responsibility for the offensive woes. 

“Brandon Wimbush wasn't the reason we were ineffective offensively,” stated Kelly. “. I don't think we coached very well this week. I don't believe I prepared them the way we should have now that I see the way they played. We didn't protect them at the highest level. There's a lot of things.

“I get it. It's going to go back to the quarterback, and he gets the scrutiny.” 

To no one’s surprise, Wimbush put the bad offensive performance on his shoulders.

“The feeling after this game,” Wimbush said. “It's not a good one. You want to perform better. You want to win to the Notre Dame standard. We hold ourself to a high standard, and Coach Kelly and the rest of the coaching staff emphasizes that every day and we clearly didn't play to our standard today.

Wimbush’s three picks aren’t acceptable for any quarterback, and the New Jersey native took full responsibility for his errors, but he’s also not going to let it linger. 

“Three picks, I mean, I don't give myself an A, a B, I would say D, D plus,” Wimbush said of a grade for his performance on Saturday. “You can't throw three interceptions and win games that are going to be vital to the team's success. So we got to clean it up on all parts. Confidence-wise, I'm not going to lack confidence, but I got to be better.” 

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day wasn’t Wimbush’s interceptions or 297 passing yards, but the lack of chances to use is feet and designed runs. The Irish offense seemed centered around not using one of Wimbush’s greatest assets and not playing to his strengths, which is something Kelly and offensive coordinator Chip Long emphasized over fall camp. 

“We were able to watch one game of their defense where they implemented and incorporated their new defense that they had this year,” explained Wimbush. “We thought we would be able to take the gimmies and the easy throws and then make big plays out of them. We had a good game plan in terms of running the ball. Some things sometimes just don't work as effectively as you may wish, but I think we did a good job of kind of mixing it up.” 

Kelly stated there wasn’t a motive to not run one of the nation’s most explosive dual-threat quarterbacks, but rather Long’s play calls were dictated by the flow of the game. 

“I don't think it was intentional at all,” Kelly said. “I think it was just part of, you know, play calling and part of what we're doing. I think sometimes we look too much into the whole, ‘Did you run him? Did you not run him?’

“I think the game and the circumstances kind of dictate the play calling. Just has to flow with the game. I don't think he comes into the game saying, “I'm going to run him more, I'm not going to run him more.’”

Vanderbilt will come to South Bend next Saturday, and Wimbush will be the focus of the talk this week, but Kelly remains positive his quarterback is headed in the right direction. 

“I think what really needs to be said is that the ineffectiveness of our offense doesn't always revolve around Brandon Wimbush, nor does the success. I think we're all going to jump to the quarterback.

“He jumps on the sword. But we won the football game. He's got a lot to learn. He's got to grow, but he will. That's the great thing about it. When you work with kids like that, he'll be anxious and eager to come in to get better.”