Brian Kelly provides update on Notre Dame quarterback situation

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is keeping his starting quarterback for Saturday’s game under wraps. 

In a Thursday media availability, Kelly said he will not publicly name Jack Coan nor Drew Pyne his starter ahead of a date on Saturday night with Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. True freshman dual-threat Tyler Buchner has seen the field in three games this season, but he is not in the starting conversation. 

Coan has started each of Notre Dame’s first five games this season, but since the Florida State overtime win, he has been pedestrian. The veteran has made some glaring mistakes, miscues that one would not expect from a 22-year-old with as much experience as Coan has. Coan’s immobility is a massive concern, especially behind Notre Dame’s struggling offensive line. Coan has -74 rushing yards on the season. 

Pyne, on the other hand, has provided a spark in relief in both the Wisconsin and Cincinnati games over the last two weeks. Pyne finished the game against the Badgers in Chicago on Sept. 25 going 6-for-8 with 81 yards and a touchdown. He is the more mobile of the two quarterbacks, but he is undersized at 6-foot and 194 pounds, and the redshirt freshman lacks big-game experience.

Irish offense continues to be a cause for concern

The Notre Dame offense has been, to put it lightly, a mess this season. 

The young offensive line was going to have growing pains, but the combination of inexperience and Coan’s immobility has been a recipe for disaster. The Irish have allowed 22 sacks through five games, which is 127th in the country ahead only of Southern Miss and Akron and tied with Oct. 30 opponent UNC. Further, despite having two of the better running backs in the nation talent-wise in Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree, Notre Dame is averaging 2.4 yards per carry, also 127th in the nation. Overall, the Irish are 86th in the country in first downs with 96.

The Irish passing game is posting 280.4 yards per game, which is actually the highest number since the 2014 season when they finished with 285 yards through the air per contest, but they’ve been heavily reliant on big plays. They are averaging 12.86 yards per attempt, which is 29th in the country. 

Regardless, this is not exactly the position offensive coordinator Tommy Rees wants to be in heading into Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech is tied for 11th in the country in first downs allowed with 71 and trails only the Clemson defense in the ACC in points allowed per game at 15.3. Granted, they have yet to face a team currently ranked in the AP Poll, but after Wisconsin fell out of the rankings, the Irish no longer have a ranked victory either. 

The over/under for Saturday’s contest is 47. For context, the same prediction for the Penn State-Iowa game, which matches two of the nation’s top defenses, is 41. There is the potential for rain on Saturday evening in Blacksburg as well, so all things considered, expect a defensive slog. The line is currently even, and the game kicks off at 7:30 ET on the ACC Network.