Notre Dame is down their starting kicker, Noah Burnette, who is out with a right hip injury. Burnette was a late scratch as he was ruled out just one hour prior to kickoff. The Fighting Irish are certainly missing him as Marcus Freeman has opted to go for it on fourth down twice when in field goal range and a blocked extra point attempt.
The kicking duties are in the hands of freshman Eric Schmidt, who is struggling today, and Freeman has certainly noticed. On the first drive of the game, Notre Dame was on the one-yard line on fourth and goal, and instead of taking the points and kicking a field goal, they opted to go for it.
Jeremiyah Love was stuffed on the one-yard line, and the Fighting Irish turned it over on downs. Then, when it came to the extra point, the kick just wasn't high enough and was an easy block for the Boise State Broncos.
On Notre Dame's most recent drive, CJ Carr had a wide receiver wide open and over threw him on fourth down when the Fighting Irish were in field goal range.
The lack of a kicking game could be a detriment to Notre Dame vs. Boise State
Notre Dame can't afford not to have a kicking game against Boise State, as this game is now 7-6 in favor of the Broncos. If this game comes down to a field goal attempt, the Fighting Irish could be in a lot of trouble
Marcus Freeman needs to figure something out when it comes to the offense if he doesn't feel like he can trust his backup kicker.