Notre Dame football vs Cal: Things to watch on offense in 2022 Week 3
By Brad Weiss
Notre Dame football takes on Cal in Week 3 looking to get their season on track. Here are some offensive things to watch for in the matchup inside Notre Dame Stadium.
Going into Week 3 still looking for their first win of the season, the Notre Dame football team will play host to the California Golden Bears on Saturday inside Notre Dame Stadium. For the Irish, this has been the worst start to a season in a long time, and for head coach Marcus Freeman, the wait continues for win No. 1 at the helm of the program.
Saturday, Notre Dame football will once again be heavy favorites, though this time, they are looking for a different outcome than what happened last weekend. Marshall came into Notre Dame Stadium and stunned the college football world, sending the Irish to 0-2, and dropping them from the AP top-25 poll for the first time in five years.
Here, we look at some offensive things to keep an eye on this Saturday.
Notre Dame football vs Cal: Things to watch for in 2022 Week 3
The Quarterback
By now, you must have heard that Tyler Buchner is gone for the season, which means it will be Drew Pyne under center when the Irish take on Cal in Week 3. Last season, Pyne had to step in for an injured starter as well, taking over for Jack Coan against Wisconsin and leading the Irish to victory.
On Saturday, all eyes will be on the junior signal-caller, who was beaten out by Buchner this summer but has kept his head down and worked for his opportunity. As long as he plays well, this is his position the rest of the season, so look for him to make a good first impression against Cal.
Can the offensive line turn it around?
Going into this season, many felt the Irish would have one of the best offensive lines in the country, but that has certainly not been the case in 2022. They have struggled mightily the first two games of the season, something that nobody could have seen coming with all five starters returning from a near-playoff team last year.
Cal is the perfect opportunity for the Irish to get it right, but they will have to be better in the trenches along the offensive line. There is more than enough talent to dominate this Cal defensive line, but we were shocked last weekend, and hopefully won’t be again on Saturday.
Will an RB1 please stand up?
The Notre Dame football team went into the 2022 season with three very capable running backs in Chris Tyree, Logan Diggs, and Audric Estime, none of which have grabbed hold of being the feature back through two games. All three have struggled to get it going, and while the offensive line has been an issue, they are all playmakers and have to do their part as well.
On Saturday, the Irish have to find their identity in the run game, as Tyler Buchner led them in rushing with 44 yards last week, and Tyree against Ohio State with only 28. That cannot happen again, because if they struggle to run against an undefeated Cal team, we could be in for another long afternoon.