Notre Dame Football: Irish Passing Attack Needs to Step Up
By Ben Belden
Notre Dame leaned heavily on a power rushing attack in 2018. After losing their two best offensive linemen and their best running back, how will the Irish move the ball in 2018?
Notre Dame football under Brian Kelly has embraced the spread offense. In 2018, that spread offense looked a little different than it had in years pass. Under new Offensive Coordinator Chip Long, the Irish ran for 3500 yards in 2017. They were lead in the rushing category by Josh Adams, who ran for 1430 yards. Adams has since moved on to the NFL.
Along with Adams, the Irish lost another vital part of their rushing attack. Both left guard Quenton Nelson and left tackle Mike McGlinchey both were selected in the top 10 picks of the NFL draft.
The bottom line: Notre Dame has a lot to replace in the running game.
The Irish have talented players to fill in for Adams, Nelson, and McGlinchey. Though there are some understandable question marks, the Irish rushing attack will be just fine. That said, it is also safe to say that the Irish will not be able to put the same emphasis on the rushing attack in 2018. It’s safe to say that the Irish won’t run for 3500 yards again.
If the Irish hope to improve on–or even match–their 10-3 season from a year ago, the passing attack needs improvement.
Where can the passing attack improve?
Brandon Wimbush came under much scrutiny during the 2017 season. Much of that scrutiny was fair, as Wimbush completed only 49.5% of his passes a season ago. Much of that was Wimbush’s own doing, as the first-year starter seemed gun shy at times last season, especially on short an intermediate throws. Wimbush’s passing chart shows an interesting trend.
According to College Football Film Room, on passes 20+ yards down the field, Wimbush completed 34.4% of his attempts. For context, Sam Darnold of USC–the 3rd pick in the 2018 NFL Draft–completed just 37% of such throws.
However, on passes that passed the line of scrimmage, but were shorter than 20 yards, Wimbush only completed 34.7% of his attempts. Darnold completed 69.4% of such passes.
Wimbush has had time to improve upon his weaknesses from a season ago. By all accounts, Wimbush has made the appropriate tweaks to his throwing mechanics that will allow him to complete a higher percentage of shorter passes. And if spring practice is any indication, his confidence is soaring.
But Notre Dame’s passing struggles don’t fall solely on the shoulders of Wimbush.
According to College Football Film Room, Irish receivers dropped 31 balls in 331 total targets. That’s 9.3% of all targets. For context, it’s worth taking a look at a similar type of offense: That of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Buckeye receivers dropped just 26 passes last season on a total of 416 targets. That is 6.25% of all targets that ended in a drop.
Next: Get to Know the Navy Midshipmen
Clearly, Irish receivers need to step up in 2018. Veteran receivers Chase Claypool, Miles Boykin, Michael Young, Chris Finke, and Alize Mack will lead a vast array of younger players are all receivers who will be called upon to step up. If the Irish are able to find success throwing and receiving, they can replicate and improve upon their offensive production next season.