Wimbush And Notre Dame Offense Still Looking For Identity
Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush gave his three-interception performance a ‘D’ a week ago, so how would his 122 passing yards, 84 rushing yards and one touchdown grade out this week?
“I learned from one of our own in our building who played here to not give grades as a quarterback,” laughed Wimbush. “So I'm going to hold back on that. But I thought the offense performed today how we wanted to perform today.”
Wimbush paved the way for a 22-17 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday, and while it was a close game, it had a different feel than the 24-16 win over Ball State.
“It's much better than it was last week,” stated Wimbush. “I think as an offense we really fought play-in and play-out. So I guess we executed how we wanted to execute today, and we feel good coming away from it. There is so much more to learn, so we're excited for that.”
Notre Dame’s offense rushed for 245 yards on the day and averaged 5.1 yards per rush, but there were times the offense struggled.
The Irish opened the game moving the ball 74 yards in 10 plays to settle for a Justin Yoon field goal on its first drive and then scored a touchdown on a 15-play, 94-yard drive on its second possession.
Notre Dame had three three-and-outs in its next six drives before getting an 11-play, 75-yard drive as Ian Book found Nic Weishar for a touchdown with 11:04 left in the game.
“We just got to keep the same energy and understand that we've run through so many of these plays throughout the week,” explained Wimbush. “We have to just execute them. Like I said, keep our foot on the pedal all four quarters.”
While the offense has been up and down through three games, Wimbush is excited for the future as the Irish haven’t necessarily found an identity.
“I think it's still out there, honestly,” stated Wimbush. “We're still forming that identity. Coach (Brian) Kelly came up to me and said, ‘You know, week three is the time that you kind of form that identity.’
“Just looking back on the first three weeks, I don't think there's something we can kind of hang our hat on yet. Maybe that's a good thing, and maybe it's not. But as we practice more, we will see who we become, so I'm excited for it.”
Wimbush’s legs are a significant part of the Notre Dame offense and on Saturday, the 6-foot-2, 222-pounder used them 19 times, which is the same number as in the season-opener against Michigan.
“I had to use my feet more than I did last week,” said Wimbush. “It's one of my weapons, and it's deemed effective when we're playing teams. So I think running lanes were there for me, and I had to take advantage of that.
“I think it's an advantage. If you're smart when you run the ball and protect yourself, and know when to run the ball and when to not run the ball, I think it can be used to the offense's advantage.”