Notre Dame football: Fiesta Bowl Offensive Grades vs Oklahoma State

Notre Dame football: Fiesta Bowl Offensive Grades vs Oklahoma State

Quarterback

Let’s take a second and appreciate that Jack Coan was asked to win this game, almost single-handedly. He threw the ball 68 times. 68. That’s a Fiesta Bowl record, as well as a Notre Dame record for pass attempts in a game. He put up record numbers in this game, and that needs to be appreciated, even in a loss.

Coan also was incredibly effective in the first half of this game. He was aggressive, throwing downfield and hitting receivers on seem routes and go routes. He found Michael Mayer twice. It was brilliant. On the other hand, the second half looked like all the issues fans had with Jack Coan all season long.

Oklahoma State wasn’t worried about the running game, so they started to tee off on Coan. In response, he had fewer places to throw the ball, and he started to look at the pass rush. He wasn’t looking downfield, and his pocket presence wasn’t good enough.

He also threw one of the worst interceptions a Notre Dame quarterback has thrown all season while driving in the 4th quarter. Then, he responded by leading a great two-minute drive to score a touchdown on a throw to Kevin Austin.

So, it was a tale of two halves. Jack Coan broke records, and he also let the game slip away from him. Two things can be true.

Grade= B