Notre Dame Football Grades: Offense vs. Michigan State

The Notre Dame football team played their most complete game on Saturday night against Michigan State.

The Notre Dame offense finally found balance against the Spartans. Offensive Coordinator Chip Long quickly established Notre Dame Quarterback Brandon Wimbush in the passing attack. Overall, the Irish battled their way to 38 points, 31 of which came by way of the offense. Here are the grades for the Notre Dame offensive unit in their fourth game of the season:

Wimbush did not set the world on fire on Saturday night. However, he played extremely efficient. He threw for 173 yards on 14 of 20 passing. His performance is a step in the right direction. In order to beat teams like USC and Miami (FL), he will need to play much better. With a constant lead, Wimbush did not need to do anything to win the game for the Irish.

A collection of Notre Dame Running Backs contributed to the rushing attack. Once again, Josh Adams led the Irish with 56 yards. Dexter Williams, who entered the game much earlier this week, ran for 40 yards. He also caught a touchdown pass. Redshirt Freshman Running Deon McIntosh gave the rest of the Irish Running Backs a rest by carrying the ball the most. He carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards and 1 touchdown.

Thus far, the Wide Receivers failed each week according to our report card. They received a D-, D and F in the first three game respectively. This week, they received B-. The main reason is Sophomore Wide Receiver Chase Claypool. The Canadian native caught 4 passes for 56 yards. His emergence as the second receiver could mean a lot for the Fighting Irish offense. No. 1 Wide Receiver, Junior Equaniemous St. Brown added 61 yards on 4 receptions.

Notre Dame Tight Ends Alize Mack and Durham Smythe added timely plays. Smythe caught a 21 yard pass on 3rd down. A few plays following the 3rd down conversion, the Irish found pay dirt.

The Notre Dame Offensive Line did not put up the same absurd numbers as they did against Temple and Boston College. However, they ran for 182 yards against one of the better rush defenses in the country. Wimbush was only sacked once.

The Notre Dame offense did not do anything spectacular on Saturday night. However, they were efficient. They scored every time they were in the red zone. The Irish offense committed few penalties and did not commit a turnover. That is all Notre Dame needed in this game.