Notre Dame's Offense Will Have To Clean Up Pass Protection And Game Plan Over The Bye Week

Notre Dame is in an interesting position heading into week two of the college football season, they have a bye week. Last Sunday, they lost on the road to the then-ranked No. 10 team in the country, the Miami Hurricanes, 27-24. Offensively, the Irish were sloppy, inconsistent and, in some areas, flat out poor.

Luckily, the Irish have a week to get things fixed before they prepare for Texas A&M. The Aggies travel to South Bend on September 13 in another matchup under the lights. If Notre Dame wishes to walk off the field victorious, they have to address some issues over the bye week.

Pass Protection

This has been the biggest area of concern and biggest talking point from most after their poor performance on Sunday night, and it should be. Notre Dame returned four starters from their offensive line who began the season in 2024. To the dismay of many, myself included, there was a clear sign of regression from this group. The offensive tackles got dominated throughout the night, which restricted play calling and the ability to push the ball down the field vertically.

Sophomore Anthonie Knapp ended the night with a 12.9 pass blocking grade from PFF. Redshirt junior captain Aamil Wagner allowed four total pressures including one sack and two hits on the quarterback. Redshirt freshman Styles Prescod rotated in at left tackle after Knapp left the game with cramps; he finished with a PFF pass blocking grade of 10.5 after allowing two pressures and a hit on the quarterback.

Notre Dame showed hints of being an explosive offense in the pass game, but the pass protection around redshirt freshman CJ Carr has to improve moving forward. Sunday night was one of the worst offensive line performances of Marcus Freeman's tenure and one that can not, in any way, be repeatable at any point throughout the season. Once this issue starts to mend, the offense will start moving in the right direction.

Running Back Usage And Rotation

Throughout the offseason, Notre Dame's running back room was continually recognized as one of the best units in the country. They returned one of the best players in college football and the best running back in college football in junior Jeremiyah Love. Redshirt junior Jadarian Price also returned to the backfield to round out an extremely dynamic and explosive one-two punch. They ended Sunday night with a combined 16 carries and 20 total touches.

Love is one of the most explosive players in the country and only touched the ball five times in the first half. His work load picked up in the second half adding nine touches to his total, but they all came in the fourth quarter. Price racked up all of his 45 rushing yards on the first touchdown drive of the game, then proceeded to not touch the ball for the remainder of the game.

Carr is an exciting talent with an exceptionally high ceiling, but he will need the talent around him to support him as the season goes on. Love and Price are as good of a running back duo as it gets and will need to be featured more in the offense moving forward. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will have to do more schematically to get two of his best playmakers the football in crucial moments. I would expect to see a heavy emphasis on that early in their primetime matchup against the Aggies.

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