Marcus Freeman hoping to see Drew Pyne open up Notre Dame offense

Drew Pyne took over the starting quarterback job for Notre Dame over the weekend in a win against California. With Tyler Buchner out for the year with a shoulder injury, it’s now on Pyne to wake up the Irish’s offense. Through one game, Marcus Freeman sees things that suggest he’ll be able to do just that.

Freeman spoke about Pyne’s ability to open up the Notre Dame pass game during media on Monday. He thinks he didn’t get a full glimpse of what Pyne could do because of the way they had to win against the Golden Bears. However, he believes his new starter has the talent and skill set to get the job done.

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“I believe (Pyne) can open up the passing game. He’s got a strong arm,” said Freeman. “What we were trying to do Saturday is what we needed to do to win. Hopefully the second half is a better indication of who Drew Pyne is.”

Pyne completed 73.9% of his passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns against Cal. With respect to Buchner’s play, that’s better than his numbers in Notre Dame’s losses to Ohio State and Marshall. With Pyne now in the saddle, Freeman thinks the most important thing is to get him to settle in. He wants his QB’s passion to be an asset rather than a liability as he works through the growing pains of now being the full-time starter.

“He’s a passionate dude and sometimes that can be almost your biggest challenge. Maybe sometimes he’s so excited, so anxious that he was making throws a little bit lower or maybe a little bit higher than he usually does just because of the game. For him to calm down and really (us say), ‘Drew, go play. Go play.’ Do the things that you’ve done to get you to this point…Just take the layups that they give you. There was a couple early in the game that we were missing,” said Freeman. “I have a lot of confidence in Drew running this offense. Being able to throw the ball downfield if we need to depending on what the defense is doing and making the right decisions.”

With Notre Dame still a game under .500, Marcus Freeman will need Pyne to acclimate himself quickly. Their schedule gives them no time to rest. The Fighting Irish will hit the road this weekend to face a high-powered North Carolina offense. If they want to leave Chapel Hill with a win, they’ll need to put up points in a hurry. Their best chance at doing that begins and ends with Pyne finding his groove as soon as possible.