Notre Dame Football: Grading the Offensive Position Groups vs. Michigan

In Notre Dame Football’s big win over Michigan, the offense dazzled early and struggled late. But their play was good enough to propel them to a win.

At first, it looked pretty easy. Notre Dame stunned critics by scoring touchdowns on their first two drives, but struggled the rest of the game. Overall, though, the Notre Dame offense grades out pretty well against a superb Michigan defense. Let’s take a look at each of the five major offensive position groups.

Offensive Line

Having lost Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey to the NFL, Notre Dame’s offensive line had a lot of questions to answer and not much time to answer them against the vaunted Wolverine defensive line.

Overall, the offensive line had its struggles, especially on the edges. Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich dominated the pass rush as the game went on, making it very difficult for the Irish to move the ball in the second half. The Irish were able to tally 132 yards on the ground, but only at 2.8 yards per carry.

The good news for the Irish offensive line is that this is likely the best defense they will face all season. They managed to protect just enough to avoid a major strip sack or turnover. For that reason, they get an overall grade of a C.

Running Backs

It’s really hard to grade this one because running back is a direct product of the offensive line. Jafar Armstrong got loose once or twice and scored two touchdowns. Tony Jones, Jr. had a couple of impressive carries. Other than that, the Irish avoided the big mistake and churned out just yardage when they needed it. The Irish will learn more about the running back position in the coming weeks. For now, they get a B+ thanks to Armstrong’s heroics.

Tight Ends and Receivers

Again, this is another difficult position to grade in this one. Chris Finke made the play of the game and Miles Boykin would have had the second-most impressive play, had he been off the line of scrimmage, negating his own touchdown. Chase Claypool was good as a receiver and also made an impressive special teams tackle before halftime.

In all, the receivers got enough separation early in the game to allow the Irish to jump out to a 14-0 lead, which is what they needed, given the talent they have on defense. But the passing game struggled in the second half. The receivers made plays, but they have room for improvement. For that reason, they get a B. 

Quarterbacks

Brandon Wimbush played a tremendous game, given the circumstances of Notre Dame’s inability to protect him most of the game. Brandon lit up the Wolverines in the first half, throwing for a 10-for-15 mark and 150 yards. His best pass of the night–a back shoulder fade to Miles Boykin for a touchdown–was negated by a penalty, but shouldn’t be dismissed when assessing his play.

Wimbush was equally impressive making plays with his feet, converting three crucial third downs on the ground, including a 3rd and 22 on a quarterback draw.

Most importantly, Brandon avoided the major mistake. He threw one interception, but it wasn’t entirely his fault and didn’t result in any points for Michigan. Because of his gutsy play, Wimbush gets an A-. 

It’s also important to note that Ian Book took two snaps in this game. Both of them were handoffs to Jafar Armstrong. Both of them resulted in touchdowns. So there’s that.

Overall, the Irish offense was good enough against a really good defense, and they will only get better. Going forward, the offense as a unit doesn’t have to be spectacular–they just have to be good enough to give the defense an opportunity to take over and control the game. They did that on Saturday night. They certainly have much to iron out, so for this game, they get an overall B.