Notre Dame football: What we learned from the 2022 Blue-Gold Game
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team had their Blue-Gold Game on Saturday, and here is what we learned from the 13-10 decision.
The Notre Dame football team took the field on Saturday afternoon, playing in front of the home crowd for the first time in 2022. The Irish had their annual Blue-Gold Game, and it proved to be a defensive battle, one that was decided by a true freshman quarterback who took Notre Dame Stadium by storm.
The 13-10 final may not have been the amount of scoring fans were looking forward to, but it did not lack in excitement. There is a real buzz surrounding this Irish program, and with possible commits in the stands, the group delivered in a big way.
Notre Dame football: What we learned from the 2022 Blue-Gold Game
No. 1: Steve Angeli took advantage of his opportunity
On Friday, we posted a piece stating that with Tyler Buchner out, Steve Angeli is going to get an opportunity, and he certainly took advantage of it. Angeli displayed excellent accuracy, and with the game on the line, was not afraid to tuck the ball and run for the touchdown.
For a kid playing in front of the Notre Dame Stadium for the first time, Angeli delivered for his teammates and likely won over a ton of fans in the process.
No. 2: Drew Pyne has some work to do
With Buchner out, Drew Pyne got the nod for both teams, and he struggled all game long. In fact, Pyne did nothing to assume that he could edge out Buchner for the starting quarterback job, while Buchner likely improve his status on the depth chart by not taking a single snap.
Roles are not won and lost during the Blue-Gold Game, but this was an odd showing from Pyne, who led the team to that crucial win over Wisconsin last year. He will be better and is better than he showed on Saturday, but he squandered a big-time opportunity.
No. 3: Defense could be elite in 2022
Even with some key defensive players out, it is clear that this Notre Dame defense is going to be a special unit in 2022, and beyond. Brandon Joseph is going to ease the loss of Kyle Hamilton in the secondary, and when it comes to the second level, you have to be excited about what a healthy Marist Liufau looks like.
Overall, this team is going to get stops, and they will have to be elite in Week 1 against the potential Heisman Trophy favorite in C.J. Stroud.
Fall camp is sure to bring some outstanding position battles, and based on what we saw on offense, there are going to be a lot of spots up for grabs. The 2022 Notre Dame football team has the talent to be one of the best in the country, and this defense could be one of the best to put on the Irish uniform in quite some time.