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Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman pushes back on the idea that Drew Pyne should have been the starter all year

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•10/10/22•

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notre dame drew pyne
Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne. (Photo by Katherine Gawlik)

Injury forced Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman to make a quarterback switch, with Tyler Buchner out for the season. Since then, Drew Pyne has stepped up for the Fighting Irish and performed well. They have quietly won three games in a row and pulled off an upset of No. 16 BYU on Saturday.

As the focus now shifts to Stanford, Freeman was asked if he regrets not naming Pyne the quarterback starter originally. He was quick to push back on the idea, saying Buchner earned the right throughout practice this offseason. Freeman was still complimentary of the work Pyne has done for Notre Dame over the past three games but has no regrets when looking back.

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“No, I don’t question that decision at all,” Freeman said. “That was earned. That was earned through practice and we made a decision. Sometimes, the results can put a mask over your eyes and cloud the process of getting to that decision. I know we didn’t win that game and three quarters that Tyler played but Tyler Buchner earned the right to be the starter through preparation.

“Now, Drew Pyne has done a superb job and he’s done an excellent job leading this team. He’s earned the right to now be our starting quarterback and done a great job with this opportunity. But no, I don’t question our decision in terms of making Tyler the starter to start the year.”

While Buchner’s sample size is much smaller, Pyne has been completing passes at a significantly higher percentage. He’s at 72.5% on the season on 91 passes, while Buchner was at 56% before his injury. The two have the same amount of interceptions as well with two.

Against both North Carolina and BYU, Pyne threw for over 250 yards and tossed three touchdowns in there too. It’s really been the Notre Dame offense carrying the load thanks to the improved quarterback play.

Pyne will continue to have the opportunity to shine, with some strong opponents coming up on the schedule. While Freeman is enjoying the success Notre Dame is having with the new starter under center, he still believes the right decision was made in Septemeber.