Notre Dame football: Expect better play along offensive line going forward
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team has revamped its offensive line, and the expectation is for better play throughout the rest of the 2021 season.
During their last time out, the Notre Dame football team had an interesting grouping for most of the 32-29 victory against the Virginia Tech Hokies. For starters, Joe Alt was named the starting left tackle for the Irish, a move that looks to be permanent, after a stellar performance in primetime.
Outside of an early sack allowed on Jack Coan, Alt played outstanding for the Irish, proving to be the best of the four starters the team has trotted out at the position through the first six games of the season. He is big, strong, and agile, making him a perfect fit at one of the more important positions in football.
Next to him for most of the game was Andrew Kristofic, a bulldog of an offensive guard who replaced Zeke Correll early on. That duo proved to ignite this Irish offensive line, and going forward, the team could get some strong play from the big fellas up front.
That would prove to be huge for the team going forward, as they have yet to get Kyren Williams going this season, and if they go with Jack Coan at quarterback, they must protect him, as he is not as mobile as his counterparts. Overall, Alt playing solid football will prove to be huge for this team down the stretch.
Notre Dame football boasts a 5-1 record coming out of the bye week
Despite the struggles along the offensive line, the Irish are still 5-1 entering their bye week, and their only loss is to the current No. 3 team in the country. If the line plays better moving forward, based on their schedule, it could be smooth sailing the rest of the way, putting the Irish in contention for another shot at making the College Football Playoff.
Right now, that seems like a pipedream, but we have seen more than enough crazy things happen from week to week during the 2021 college football season.
Notre Dame football has some easier sledding ahead of them, including not playing a ranked team the rest of the way. If the Irish can win out, they would end the season with an 11-1 record, and based on everything they have gone through, and all the players they lost to the NFL last offseason, that would be an incredible achievement.