Notre Dame football: Brian Kelly, Tommy Rees want offense to do more

If Notre Dame football hopes to win a national championship, its offense must take the next step. The Fighting Irish have twice made the College Football Playoff in the past three seasons, losing in the semifinal both times.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is pushing his offense to be better this year, he told the Associated Press.

“This offense has got to produce more points, and so you saw that we’re going to be more multiple in our offensive sets,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to get the ball downfield to our playmakers.”

The Fighting Irish made the College Football Playoff this past season averaging 33.4 points per game. They lost to eventual champion Alabama, 31-14. The past three national champions have all averaged more than 44.3 points, with the Crimson Tide putting up 48.5 in 2020.

Offensive coordinator and former Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees is tasked with replacing Ian Book, the school’s all-time winningest quarterback. The Fighting Irish brought in Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan to take over, and running back Kyren Williams returns to give the offense star power.

However, the Irish also lost four-fifths of their offensive line. Slowly but surely, behind returning center Jarrett Patterson, the offense is beginning to look formidable.

“Obviously coming into training camp there were a lot of question marks about personnel,” Rees said. “It’s been a good gel of putting all the pieces together.”

A 6-foot-4½, 307-pound senior, Patterson started 21 straight games before missing the final four in 2020 and all of spring after undergoing foot surgery. He is the leader of a line that lost four players to the NFL with a combined 142 career starts.

How quickly the rest of the new faces on the line are able to come together will be a big key for the offense.

“They’re all talented as individuals, but the offensive line is about five guys playing together as one,” Rees said. “That doesn’t happen until you have continuity up front.”

Rees believes once they do, the offense has the capability to be even more explosive. In addition to Coan and Williams, the Irish expect big things from tight end Michael Mayer, who had 42 catches for 450 yards and two touchdowns in 2020.

“I don’t mean any disrespect for any of the guys that I played with or any who have come before,” Rees said of Notre Dame’s lineage of NFL tight ends, “but Mike Mayer has the ability to be the best to ever come here.

“We know the talent we have. Guys might have a chip on their shoulder, and they can use that to their benefit.”

The Irish open the season at 7:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 5 against Florida State. Can its offense take Notre Dame football to the next level?