Notebook: The allure of a retro look for the Notre Dame offense vs. UNC

Perhaps the most striking embodiment of Notre Dame’s reputation as Tight End U. was tweeted out in a photo by Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees back in 2020.

With running back Kyren Williams out of the frame — but definitely in the formation — the shot shows a wall of blockers, comprising five offensive linemen and four tight ends, about to score the game-clinching touchdown in a masterful 31-17 road win for the Irish in Chapel Hill, N.C.

It was essentially the game that ensured Notre Dame’s inclusion in the College Football Playoff field that year, after an ensuing one-sided loss in the ACC Championship game to Clemson gave the Irish a split with the Tigers.

It was also complementary football at its best, Rees’ offensive game plan totally cognizant of and designed to foster defensive success for then-Irish defensive coordinator Clark Lea, who was facing the most prolific North Carolina offense in its football history.

SUBSCRIBE TO INSIDE ND SPORTS TO STAY IN THE KNOW ON NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS

JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON THE INSIDER LOUNGE MESSAGE BOARD

There are a lot of lessons there for first-year Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman to cherry-pick as the Irish (1-2) seek their 25th victory in the last 25 regular-season games against ACC competition in a deja vu scenario against North Carolina, Saturday in Chapel Hill (3:30 p.m. EDT; ABC).

Not the least of which is that playing keepaway from the Tar Heels two years ago wasn’t exclusively about exerting ND’s will in the running game, but rather mixing in enough finesse and variety to keep the chains and the clock moving.

Notre Dame didn’t take its first lead, 24-17, until midway through the third quarter and didn’t have a two-score advantage until Williams pounded into the end zone in the tight-end heavy 14 personnel package with 80 seconds left.

The bottom line was impressive, if not stunning. North Carolina amassed a season-low 298 total yards on a season-low 57 plays. That from what was the nation’s No. 4 offense at the time, averaging 563.4 yards.

North Carolina ran only 25 plays in the second half, lost the second-half possession battle 18:26 to 11:34 and netted just 75 yards while going scoreless after halftime.

The Tar Heel offense comes into its 23rd-ever meeting with the Irish, and third in three years, No. 5 in the nation in total offense (547.3) and No. 4 in scoring (51.3).

The Irish themselves amassed 478 total yards on 69 plays in the 2020 encounter — 127 more than their high-water mark in three games this season. North Carolina — 123rd nationally in total defense this season after facing a depleted Florida A&M team, Appalachian State and Georgia State — is by far the worst defense statistically on the Irish schedule.

Wedged in between the two Carolina road trips was a 44-34 shootout in 2021 at Notre Dame Stadium won by the Irish and just ahead of an ND defensive surge in the second half of the regular season,

If Notre Dame is going to try to flex its tight end prowess again, a la 2020, it’s going to require a bit of a leap of faith. The Irish have the numbers — seven scholarship tight ends on the roster counting fullback/tight end and Greensboro, N.C., product Davis Sherwood.

But beyond All-American Michael Mayer (188 snaps this season) and sidekick Kevin Bauman (75), no tight end on the roster has as many as 10 snaps. Sophomores Cane Berrong and Mitch Evans don’t have any, with Evans still on the mend from July foot surgery.

“I hope he's able to get back, hopefully by the BYU game (Oct. 8), or soon thereafter,” Freeman said during his weekly Thursday Zoom conference with the media. “I know he's out of the (protective) boot. He's making his progression toward returning.”

But now Bauman’s availability Saturday is in question after “getting twisted up a little bit” in practice on Wednesday.

“We're still waiting to see how he feels today and his return (Thursday),”Freeman said, “but that's still to be determined, depending on how the day goes.”

If Bauman can’t go, that would make the top options to go with Mayer sophomore Sherwood (nine snaps this season), and freshmen Eli Raridon (seven) and Holden Staes (two).

Mayer incidentally is one reception and one TD catch away from moving into second place alone on the Notre Dame career list in both categories.

Freshman Steve Angeli is running a small section of Notre Dame’s playbook in practice for the second week after starting the season as the Irish scout-team quarterback and playing the part of opposing QBs against the Notre Dame No. 1 defense.

How comfortable would Freeman be to put him in a game at this point, should starter Drew Pyne be sidelined?

“There's no other option. We have to become comfortable,” Freeman said. “And that's coach Rees’ and all of our job, to make sure that we have a package. Listen, you can't ask someone to do things that they're not capable of doing. I don't think you're going to ask Steve Angeli to run every single play that you're asking Drew Pyne to run.

“It takes time to learn the entire package, the entire offensive system. But guess what, Steve Angeli, if he's presented with the opportunity, has to go in there and execute and he has to go in there and be able to do what we need our quarterbacks to do.

“And so, we have to meet him halfway. We’ve got to be able to ask Steve Amgeli to do the things that we know he can do. But it also has to be enough that you're not running one play. And so I feel really strongly about the way he's prepared. He's prepared not as the scout team quarterback, but as a quarterback that can be ready to go into the game.”

Angeli moved from No. 3 to No. 2 on Sept. 10 when QB1 Tyler Buchner was lost for the season with a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury late in a 26-21 loss to Marshall.

Junior Pyne moved up to the top of the depth chart.

Speaking of Pyne, the Drew Pyne that Freeman and Rees had seen in practice last week was not the same that started out 4-of-9 against Cal last Saturday before settling down and going 13-of-14 in a short passing game thereafter.

Freeman is expecting a different/improved version against North Carolina.

“I think he was just trying to force the ball, force plays early in the game,” Freeman said. “He was making uncharacteristic mistakes, and that’s a reflection of maybe your first start. Everybody talks about a case of the yips that you see amongst all sports. Easy throws that he usually makes, he was throwing a little bit low. And we weren’t helping him.

“That’s the other part. We have to help him. As an offense, make sure we're catching the ball that might be a little bit low. Some of the balls were uncatchable, but that was just something that we have to make sure we're helping him. I don't think you'll see a repeat performance to start a game, and we have the utmost confidence in him.”

Speaking of Pyne, the Drew Pyne that Freeman and Rees had seen in practice last week was not the same that started out 4-of-9 against Cal last Saturday before settling down and going 13-of-14 in a short passing game thereafter.

Freeman is expecting a different/improved version against North Carolina.

“I think he was just trying to force the ball, force plays early in the game,” Freeman said. “He was making uncharacteristic mistakes, and that’s a reflection of maybe your first start. Everybody talks about a case of the yips that you see amongst all sports. Easy throws that he usually makes, he was throwing a little bit low. And we weren’t helping him.

“That’s the other part. We have to help him. As an offense, make sure we're catching the ball that might be a little bit low. Some of the balls were uncatchable, but that was just something that we have to make sure we're helping him. I don't think you'll see a repeat performance to start a game, and we have the utmost confidence in him.”

Tyler Buchner reportedly spent his first game as a non-participant upstairs in the box instead of on the sideline.

“There are two things,” Freeman said when asked what he’d like to get out of Buchner moving forward this season. “How do you make yourself better even though you're not playing? And that can be watching the play go on, charting things for yourself to write down and to learn.

“But also be a teacher, being able to communicate after a game or after a practice or during practice with some of those quarterbacks and say, ‘Hey, here's what I saw. What did you see?’

“That's been a challenge. I've kind of presented to Tyler: ‘How do you make yourself better when you're not playing? You know you're not going to play, and you're here and you're part of what we're doing.’ And so, I think he's done a good job in one week of being able to help himself improve but also help that quarterback room.”

Pyne in postgame Saturday defended a heated first-quarter exchange on the pressbox/sideline phone of Rees berating the QB in a sequence captured by the NBC cameras.

Freeman on Thursday backed his offensive coordinator as well.

“I think it's something that might have been a bigger issue to those outside the football program than it was to us inside the football program,” he said. “That tough coaching is what you get every day, and I've always had a strong belief you can push guys as far as they trust you.

“And to me that is a reflection of coach Rees’ and Drew Pyne’s relationship. You know, Drew Pyne is the first to say, ‘I want tough coaching. I want that type of coaching.’

“Obviously, Tommy and myself and everybody in this program, we’ve got to be cautious on the language we use. And I’ve got to remind myself I have six kids, and I'm sure little ones are watching. You’ve got to be careful of the language you use. But that's an intense moment that we had to try to find a way to get Drew to snap out and to be able to perform at the level we expect.

“You don't treat every player the same in terms of how you coach them. You treat them in terms of what will help them respond in the right way. And for that moment, that's what Drew needed and Drew will be the first one to tell you that.”

Notre Dame’s bye week comes unusually early this season, four games in after the North Carolina game.

“I hope after four weeks or four games, we're not tired,” Freeman said. “I don't plan to rest (the players) a lot. We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to develop in that week, and we'll have three or four practices during that week to continue to find ways to develop as individuals, as football players, and so we'll utilize that.

“Again, it's not like it's after week six or toward the end of the year. We're talking about the first third of your season will be complete as we hit our bye week. And so, if the guys are banged up, obviously, we’ve got to be smart and try to get them to return to play.

“But (for) the majority of guys, it's the development time. It's practice time. It's ways to get better. And that’s the only way you get better, is out there in practice.”

Freeman said the coaches will also take time to do some recruiting and evaluating of prospects during the week.

• Speaking of byes, Joe Giglio of radio station 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, N.C., and WRAL-TV had an interesting note in the North Carolina-ND series.

Not only is this the third year in a row the two teams have played (the 2020 meeting was not on the original pre-pandemic schedule), but North Carolina has had a bye week before all three meetings.

AND, North Carolina is 0-4 after scheduled open dates in coach Mack Brown’s second tour of duty at UNC.

• Notre Dame’s 24-17 victory over Cal last Saturday drew 2.91 million viewers on NBC. The most-watched game of the weekend was Penn State-Auburn on CBS (4.05 million). ND’s 26-21 loss to Marshall the week before on NBC drew 2.48 million, while its Sept. 3 season opener on ABC at Ohio State pulled in 10.53 million viewers.

---------------------------------------------------------------

• 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