Notre Dame football vs. Oklahoma State Fiesta Bowl: 3 things we learned
Notre Dame football vs. Oklahoma State Fiesta Bowl: 3 things we learned
No. 1: Notre Dame Needs to Improve Its Roster Depth
At the end of the day, there are a ton of different reasons why Notre Dame blew a three-touchdown lead in the Fiesta Bowl. Among them is an issue that has been plaguing Notre Dame for years in postseason play, and that’s a lack of depth.
Missing Avery Davis and Joe Wilkins limited what Notre Dame was able to do in the passing game. Remember, this is a game where Jack Coan threw the ball 68 times, to three wide receivers. By the end of the game, those guys were gassed. On top of that, Coan was reliant on throwing to players like Braden Lenzy, who was struggling to hold onto the ball and get open all game. With depth, someone with different skills could have entered the game and helped the offense when they were down in the second half. The same could be said for the ineffective running game without Kyren Williams. At some point, you need to find a way to build depth.
The defense had the same issue. They were gassed, which led to missed tackles and blown coverages. However, no one could enter the game and try to stop the bleeding. That’s because of that lack of depth.
One of the most important things for Notre Dame to do in the coming years is building roster depth. Luckily, that relies on recruiting, which is a major strength of Marcus Freeman’s. Given the new one-time transfer rules, he can do this at a much quicker pace too. So, while the Fiesta Bowl helped expose an issue, the Irish are equipped to fix it.