Notre Dame football: 5 Reasons Irish will blow out Cal on Saturday
By Brad Weiss
![SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 02: Drew Pyne #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Notre Dame Stadium on October 2, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 02: Drew Pyne #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Notre Dame Stadium on October 2, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/6177f3c53a3322905dd56ab7afd5728d368bd78999c128a6eee69835e4d3a0f7.jpg)
Notre Dame football: 5 Reasons Irish will blow out Cal on Saturday
Drew Pyne
Unless you have been living under a rock since last Friday, you know that starting quarterback Tyler Buchner went down for the season last weekend against Marshall. The injury to his shoulder will force him to miss the rest of the season, which means that Drew Pyne will be the starting quarterback for the Irish against Cal.
Pyne is not your ordinary backup quarterback, as he was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, and has been the No. 2 behind solid signal-callers in Buchner, Jack Coan, and Ian Book. His tutelage from Book will serve him well in his first collegiate start on Saturday, and all indications are that his teammates feel he is going to more than get the job done.
The Irish offense has looked stagnant with Buchner under center, and while Pyne may not be the athlete Tyler is, he will take more shots downfield. I expect a heavy dose of the run game, opening up what should be a solid game through the air for Pyne, hitting the likes of Michael Mayer and Lorenzo Styles Jr. for big gains.