Notre Dame football: After BYU win, the Irish are officially back
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team struggled to start the 2022 college football season, but after three straight victories, the Irish are back.
For head coach Marcus Freeman, his start as the main guy for this Notre Dame football program could not have gone worse. First, he blew a big lead in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State, then, back-to-back losses to start the regular season against Ohio State, and lowly Marshall.
To make matters worse, the Irish lost starting quarterback Tyler Buchner for the season after the Marshall game, so everybody wrote them off. In fact, Notre Dame football has not gotten a single AP Poll vote across the last three weeks.
However, Freeman has gotten this program back on track, and with their third win in as many tries, the Irish are officially back.
Notre Dame football ready to roll the rest of the way
The matchup against BYU in the Shamrock Series was the first big test for Freeman since the season opener against Ohio State. Playing against the No. 16 ranked team in the country, and in primetime, the Irish had a golden opportunity to get back on the map in terms of the national picture.
Get back on the map they did, as the Irish dominated the Cougars all game long, thanks to strong play from quarterback Drew Pyne, excellent blocking and running in the run game, and a defense that was very opportunistic. In fact, the Irish got their first interception of the season on the first play of the game.
Installing Pyne as the starter has worked wonders for this program, as he has been downright excellent across the last two and a half games. If the Irish play the way they did on Saturday night the rest of the way, there is no reason why they cannot run the table.
Big games are ahead of the Irish the rest of the way, as they take on ranked opponents in Clemson, USC, and Syracuse. They will have those opportunities to prove they belong back on the national scene, and with so many young players stepping up against BYU, the future is certainly bright in South Bend.