Notre Dame football: Experience will lead the Irish in second half of 2022
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team had some key players return in 2022, and they will help lead this team the rest of the way.
The Notre Dame football team may have stumbled out of the gate in 2022, losing in primetime to Ohio State, and shockingly to Marshall at home. That could have made this season spiral out of control, but the team was able to come away with a close win against Cal in Week 3, and then had a huge matchup with UNC before this week’s bye week.
The Tar Heels were seen by many as the better team and had an offense that was putting up points in bunches. The problem for North Carolina was that they had not played tough competition, and when the Irish punched them in the mouth early on last Saturday, they dug themselves a hole they could not get out of.
Led by a strong rushing attack, and solid play by Drew Pyne, the offense was able to finally look right, and going forward, the large group of experienced players could cause more Notre Dame football upsets than the one last weekend.
Notre Dame football has multiple potential first-round picks
On defense alone, the Irish have multiple experienced players that could end up being first-round picks in 2022. That means that no matter what offense Notre Dame football plays, there are enough playmakers on that side of the ball to get stops.
Isaiah Foskey, Brandon Joseph, and Cam Hart have the first-round ability, while veterans like Jack Kiser, Rylie Mills, and Howard Cross III are having strong seasons as well. On offense, Drew Pyne is a former backup to Ian Book, so he has prepared for some huge games in his career, while the offensive line as a whole boasts a first-round talent in Jarrett Patterson.
In terms of talent, the Irish are right there with the rest of the teams on the schedule, and they have guys who have played in big-time games before. Going forward, the young players need to lean on these players, get as much experience as they can, and continue to move this program forward in both 2022, and beyond.