Notebook: Irish picked apart, pushed around late in the game once again
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It was not just a defeat. It was a dismantling.
After being outplayed on both sides of the ball Saturday, No. 8 Notre Dame somehow still led unranked Marshall at Notre Dame Stadium. A three-point lead with 10:32 to play on paper did not seem like much, but it was everything to an Irish team that desperately needed a victory.
And then Marshall took over at its 6-yard line.
Over the next 5:16, the Irish came apart, piece by piece, with each of the Thundering Herd’s 11 plays. The crowd was silenced but not stunned, because Marshall showed signs of that capability earlier in the game.
The Thundering Herd outgained the Irish 262 to 259 through the first three quarters, averaging five yards per play. But Marshall covered 94 yards on this drive and averaged 8.5 yards per play. The drive ended in the go-ahead touchdown, a three-yard pass from Henry Columbi to tight end Devin Miller with 5:16 left for a 19-15 Marshall lead.
A pick-6 on Notre Dame's enusing possession clinched the eventual 26-21 upset for the Thundering Herd (2-0).
One week earlier, Ohio State revealed Notre Dame’s vulnerabilities — almost identically. In the fourth quarter of last week’s game, the No. 2 Buckeyes went 95 yards on 14 plays. But that was Heisman trophy finalist CJ Stroud and perennial power Ohio State.
So how could it possibly happen again to the Irish (0-2) ... just one week later? Against Marshall, nonetheless?
JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON THE INSIDER LOUNGE MESSAGE BOARD
"The biggest thing was a lack of tackling," head coach Marcus Freeman said. "It's too many times where, run or pass, we didn't get the ball carrier down. You can't let an offense drive 95 yards at any moment, but especially not in the fourth quarter when the game's on the line. You're up, and you're trying to put your game away. …
"When it matters the most, we have to execute. And that's at the end of the game, in the fourth quarter, when the game's on the line. We have to find a way to get a stop. We have to tackle, and we have to execute better."
On that drive, half of the non-touchdown play results required two tacklers. On two other plays, Marshall went out of bounds.
Notre Dame's safeties accounted for over a quarter of the team's tackles, as Marshall's playmakers easily rushed through Notre Dame's front seven through four quarters. Senior DJ Brown had a career-high nine tackles, including a team-best five solo. Only two of those tackles came in the second half.
"I feel like at the end of the game, we just kind of (need to) interlock as a group, as a defense," Brown said. "And just tackle. It's just that the end-of-the-game drives is what's killed us the past two weeks. So, going forward, when it's crunch time when guys are tired, we need to push through that and execute and tackle."
Until that drive, the Marshall offense had been on the field 54 seconds less than Notre Dame. Still, the Irish defense could not hold it together when it mattered most.
Nowhere to run
Freeman restated and reaffirmed.
“Our identity is still to me; it starts with the running game and the ability to run the football,” he told the media on Thursday.
That was five days after only totaling 76 rushing yards (2.5 yards per carry) against Ohio State. The Irish were without preseason All-America interior offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson in that game, and it showed.
But the Irish could not use the same excuse Saturday. Patterson was back, and they did not perform much better against a much less decorated front.
Notre Dame finished with 130 rushing yards. However, more than half of those yards (77) came from Irish quarterbacks Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne, and wide receiver Lorenzo Styles. The running back trio of Logan Diggs, Audric Estime and Chris Tyree combined for 57 rushing yards on 20 carries (2.85 yards per attempt).
So, following Saturday’s game, one of Freeman’s biggest goals ended up being one of his biggest critiques.
“(I) still didn’t feel like we could run it at will,” Freeman said. “How do we get it to the point where we feel like we can stay consistent and stay in rhythm by the ability to run the ball?”
Like nearly every part of this team, there are more questions than answers.
One of Notre Dame’s most dynamic offensive playmakers, junior Chris Tyree, only had three carries — including a meaningless one on the last play of the first half. Besides Styles with one carry for 22 yards, Tyree averaged a team-best 5.7 yards per carry. He also only added two receptions, which totaled 14 yards.
As for Freeman’s excuse to explain why Tyree was so limited in the offensive game plan … he could not find one.
“We’ll go and evaluate those five reps that he got the ball and see how he graded and what he did,” Freeman said. “Chris Tyree’s a guy I have no hesitation in making sure he gets the ball in his hands. If we have to find ways to do that and be creative in getting the ball in his hands more often, then we have to do it.”
Buchner’s deep passing game
The outcome could have been different. That's if Notre Dame's offense could push the ball downfield.
Tyler Buchner had his chances on deep throws. He did not capitalize on them. And one pass epitomized it.
On the second-to-last play before the end of the first half, Buchner had a wide-open Braden Lenzy running through the middle of the field. A completion would have almost guaranteed a touchdown. Instead, Buchner airmailed him by about 10 yards.
Styles was left to answer for Buchner's miscues afterward, and all he had to say was the passing game is still a work in progress.
"I mean, we've been working on trying to get better every single day," he said. "We've just got to just work to get better at it and make sure we're completing it."
Pyne replaces Buchner due to injury
While a quarterback switch might have been justified Saturday, it was not by choice.
After a quarterback keeper with about three minutes remaining, Buchner took a hit that resulted in a shoulder injury. Pyne replaced Buchner and threw an interception two plays later.
Pyne finished the game and was 3-6 for 20 yards. He also threw a touchdown. Buchner was 18-32 for 201 yards (6.1 yards per attempt) with two interceptions. His completions, attempts and yards all ended up being career-highs.
The severity of Buchner’s injury was unknown following the game.
“They just said he was out for that series,” Freeman said.
Back to the sellouts
Over the last four seasons, Notre Dame’s attendance has varied from a previously accomplished precedent.
Until the Navy game on November 19, 2019, the Irish had carried a 273-game sellout streak — a mark that was the second longest in the NCAA. But the Irish fell about 3,500 fans short of reaching its capacity in the 52-20 Irish victory over the Midshipmen three years ago.
Since then, the other two sellouts were against Cincinnati (Oct. 2) and USC (Oct. 23). Saturday’s Marshall game marked the third with 77,622 fans, reaching Notre Dame Stadium’s current capacity.
Hash Marks
- Michael Mayer eclipsed 120 career receptions during the game, becoming just one of 11 Notre Dame players — and the last since Chase Claypool — to reach that mark since 2000. Mayer led the team with eight receptions for 103 yards (12.9 yards per catch) and a touchdown.
Mayer’s touchdown catch was the 10th of his career, making him the third Irish tight end to achieve that mark. Ken MacAfee (15) and Tyler Eifert (11) were the others.
- Freshman tight ends Eli Raridon and Holden Staes made their collegiate debuts against Marshall. Neither recorded a stat.
Linebacker Junior Tuihalamaka was one of four freshmen — Jaden Mickey, Benjamin Morrison, Zac Yoakam — to play in their second career game. Tuihalamaka notched his first career tackle.
- Sophomore Jayden Thomas registered his first career catch, which went for eight yards.
- Defensive tackle Howard Cross III (11 tackles) accompanied Brown in setting a new career-high in tackles. Cross’ team-best 11 tackles were the first time a Notre Dame defensive lineman had recorded double-digit tackles since Kurt Hinish against Navy on Nov. 6, 2021.
- Isaiah Foskey’s first sack of the season moved him to 11th all-time in career sacks with 16.5.
- Notre Dame Stadium did not quite bring out the stars like last weekend’s matchup at Ohio State, but there was at least one professional athlete in South Bend.
Former Irish men’s basketball player Pat Connaughton was in attendance for the first home game of the Freeman Era. Connaughton is entering his eighth NBA season.
---------------------------------------------------------------
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND, @TJamesND and @ByKyleKelly.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports