TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jack Coan lit the arrow and let it fly. Then he pulled another from the quiver; let it rip too.
Caught. Caught.
Seriously? Notre Dame’s offense can do this? Is this confident grenadier who previously played in a system known for its lack of a downfield attack and was deemed a game manager really connecting on shot play after shot play?
Coan, the graduate transfer quarterback from Wisconsin making his first start at Notre Dame, launched passes downfield at will Sunday night. With each completed one, he answered those questions with a resounding “yes.” In this venue known for its pregame thrust of a flame-tipped spear, Coan’s ablaze arrows stole the attention for part of the game.
One game doesn’t offer definitive answers, but Notre Dame sure seems to have a deep passing attack – an element it lacked a year ago and one it needs to take its offense a step closer to elite. Notre Dame has a quarterback who not only can complete downfield throws, but seeks them out. It has an offensive coordinator who’s willing to call them with frequency.
And Sunday night, in Notre Dame’s 2021 opener, that downfield aggressiveness shined in a game that looked like a romp, turned sour and ended with a narrow escape amid a backdrop of nervous laughter.
Kicker Jonathan Doerer and a timely defensive stop may have ultimately delivered a 41-38 overtime defeat of Florida State, but the Irish’s ability to lean on their passing attack and stretch the field is as encouraging a development as any other that revealed itself at Doak Campbell Stadium. It’s an apparent answer, or at least the start of one, to one of the offseason’s most important questions.
“Before the game, [offensive coordinator Tommy] Rees talked about being in attack mode and taking the shots when they present themselves,” Coan said. “That’s a big part of playing quarterback.”
Notre Dame headed back to South Bend still a work in progress, with a running game it needs to unlock and a defense that surprisingly wilted and could not hold an 18-point third-quarter lead. Though Notre Dame led most of the game, it feels like the Irish filched a victory from Florida State. Non-execution moments defined the final quarter. Overall, they resembled the team in transition they are.
Coan, though, looked comfortable in Notre Dame’s structure and in sync with his receivers. In his first game, it appeared he wanted to be the reason Notre Dame created explosive plays, not just an auxiliary piece. Rees didn’t get in the way.
“We called the plays accordingly,” Kelly said. “He had the opportunities to push the ball down the field.”
Coan was a perfect 4-for-4 on Notre Dame’s first drive, which ended with a 41-yard touchdown throw to sophomore tight end Michael Mayer on a busted coverage. That was just a warmup toss.
On third-and-4 late in the second quarter, Coan lofted a pass to senior receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. down the sideline. A risky time for a shot, he admitted. But he trusted Wilkins to make the decision a wise one. Wilkins snatched it from a defender in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown. It gave the Irish a 17-14 lead they took into halftime.
Coan wasn’t done there. After Florida State went ahead 20-14 on its first possession of the second half, he unfurled a swift response. On the first play of the ensuing drive, he heaved a pass to senior receiver Kevin Austin Jr. for a 29-yard gain. He saw one-on-one coverage and went after it.
Three plays later, Coan noticed Austin in single coverage again on the far side. He fired another throw his way, dropping it on Austin’s outside shoulder a step before he crossed the goal line.
Bang. Bang.
Notre Dame went from trailing to leading in four plays and covered 75 yards in 1:44.
“He had a one-on-one opportunity, and I always trust Kevin to get over the top on that,” Coan said.
All told, Coan was 26-of-35 for 366 yards, four touchdowns and an interception he threw on a Hail Mary. No Notre Dame quarterback has ever thrown for more yards in an opener.
No, Coan didn’t set Florida State’s secondary ablaze from wire to wire. He was not flawless. He fired too wide of Mayer on a second-and-4 out route in the fourth quarter. He took four sacks, his limited escapability revealing itself. Head coach Brian Kelly said he misread a coverage on one second-half incompletion. Notre Dame averaged 2.2 yards on 18 plays in the fourth quarter and overtime.
At the same time, Coan had little help from a largely absent rushing attack and a pair of third-down drops by Mayer. The latter drop, if caught, would have put Notre Dame inside Florida State’s 40-yard line and set up a game-winning field goal attempt. Film sessions this week will show room for growth. For Coan. For everyone.
Notre Dame learned plenty about itself in its first game, and not all of it good. There are concerns, namely on the offensive line and in the secondary outside of omnipresent junior safety Kyle Hamilton. If those are season-long bugaboos, it’s hard to see Notre Dame getting where it wants to go.
Those same goals will be in view, though, if quarterback and the vertical passing game are the strengths the opener teased they can be.
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