The offensive line is struggling worse than last week.
When the Notre Dame offensive line struggled last week against Florida State, I tried not to overreact as it was the first game for the Irish with four new starts. But, unfortunately, the offensive line is struggling even more today against MAC rival Toledo.
Notre Dame gave Toledo six sacks and the ground game couldn't go on until they added new Tyler Buchner to the quarterback – more on that later. After the first drive of the game, Cone could not rest in the pocket as he was under siege. No matter how many new starters or injuries there are, it will never be okay to lay siege against a Mac opponent.
The injuries caused what Brian Kelly referred to as a sprained ankle. Sophomore Tosh Baker came in and fought early but eventually settled in for a bit. Still, it was a slightly rough debut for him. Josh Lug, a 5th year senior, didn't do a whole lot better with the right side.
Where Notre Dame goes from here, I don't know. Kelly was asked about transferring to Jarrett Patterson to deal with all the injuries, but he quickly dismissed it. A week one street clash against an ACC opponent with some talent on his defensive line is understandable. Week Two Struggle, at home, for a Mac rival? Not so much.
With the Notre Dame offense struggling in the first half, Brian Kelly put on the true new Tyler Buchner for a spark. He provided. He led the Irish on a 96-yard touchdown drive, thanks mainly to his legs and run hazard. With the offensive line struggling, putting in a mobile quarterback made a difference. However, it was just one drive, and Buchner didn't get back on the field until the fourth quarter.
A week after snubbing the Florida State Defense and earning Player of the Week honors, Jack Coen struggled. He was never comfortable in his pocket, and as a result, he missed many opportunities and made some costly mistakes. His first quarter rumble was caused by a lapse in safety, but his pick-6 was on him at the end of the first half.
For all of Cone's struggles, he got into the clutch when it mattered most. One play after removing his finger and putting it back in place, he delivered a game-winning touchdown.
Where does Notre Dame go from here? I do not know. Buchner clearly had a lesser package and provided a spark, but could offense flourish with Buchner if a defense had time to prepare for him? I do not know. Can Kon survive behind the offensive line as it is now? I don't know that either. Kelly and Tommy Rees have some big decisions to make at quarterback now. I'd be surprised if Koen doesn't get at least one more chance against Purdue next weekend, but Koen might get a short leash after seeing what Buchner can add to the mix.
Crisis again in fourth quarter for Notre Dame defense
The Notre Dame defense dropped some players early on, but for the most part, he played very well for the first three quarters. Toledo scored only nine points on the Irish defence, the other seven coming off a pick-6 from Cone. But then the fourth quarter happened, and the Irish allowed Toledo to score 10 points, which included a touchdown to advance in the final three minutes.
A week after giving Florida State 18 points, giving Toledo 10 points, and the requirement to be free from offense, was not the norm. There are clearly still some growing pains with defense, and as much as Brian Kelly wants to say, that's just because the Irish are learning to play a different style of defense, there's more to it than that.
Marcus Freeman tried to use his "dollar package" again this week, featuring a three-person front, and again it was not effective. With injuries to the linebacker and some questions in the secondary, the strength of this defense is still the line. Notre Dame and Freeman will have to lean further on that strength.
JD Bertrand had a game himself
JD Bertrand led Notre Dame with 11 runs, including three losses and a sack. He was a threat to Toledo, culminating with a thunder recovery on Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa's game-sealing strip-sack.
Notre Dame linebacking corps have been ravaged by injuries in the first two weeks and some other starts that haven't produced as expected, but Bertrand had a great afternoon.
We knew Notre Dame would skip more big plays in Marcus Freeman's offense, because given his aggressive nature against Clark Lee's turn, don't break the approach. But, in game two, we're seeing a lot more come to fruition than we'd imagined.
Again, they're still learning and mastering Freeman's defense, but vast amounts of big plays are allowed. Much better offenses are coming on the schedule, including next weekend. We got used to Clark Lee's defense keeping the points down, so this change is going to be troubling. The tradeoff is considered more negative play, and while Notre Dame recorded 5.0 sacks, they only forced one turnover. Granted, a turnover was stolen, and Cam Hart had an INT in his hands, only to fall to the ground, but only one turnover was recorded.
Hopefully, we're looking at the opposite of Brian Vanguard, who started off with some strong defensive performances that only surfaced halfway through the season. If big plays continue at the current rate, there will be more reasons to be concerned.
Wrong side of replays for the second week in a row
It didn't matter at the end of the day, but it almost did. On the first drive of the game to Toledo, it looked like Kyle Hamilton had made his third interception of the season. It was called an interception on the field, and like last week's review of the rumble, it did not appear that there was indisputable evidence to reverse the call on the field. Alas, it was.
The ball seemed to have hit the ground at first, but the standard for review is considered undisputed, and that standard was not met.
Notre Dame won a game they used to lose
admit it. You thought Notre Dame would lose it when Deacon Finn ran for 26 yards, left in the endzone to move on with 1:35 remaining. I know I did. This is the kind of game Notre Dame has lost for the better part of the last 20 years. He didn't today, though, and while there was a lot worse than this game, it's undoubtedly the biggest positive from today.