Report card: Grading Notre Dame football in Irish loss to USC

The 2022 Notre Dame regular season ended in disappointing fashion for the Fighting Irish in a 38-27 loss to rival USC on the road. Here’s how the Irish graded in the game according to BlueandGold.com.

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Notre Dame Passing Offense: A

Who had Notre Dame junior quarterback Drew Pyne throwing for more passing yards than Heisman Trophy favorite Caleb Williams of USC? Pyne: 318. Williams: 232. Pyne also had fewer incomplete passes. Pyne: 3. Williams: 4.

It’s not like Pyne outplayed Williams by any means, though. Williams accounted for more total touchdowns, 4 to 3, and did not turn the ball over. Pyne did twice. But Notre Dame would take 318 passing yards with 3 aerial scores from Pyne every single Saturday.

Pyne’s lone interception was costly. It led to a Williams score that put USC ahead 38-21 with 2:35 left. Pyne also missed a wide-open read early in the game and put the ball on the ground for a lost fumble on what was supposed to be an RPO toss into the flat. USC scored a touchdown after that giveaway, too.

But to pin the loss on Pyne would be irresponsible. He completed passes to 7 different targets. He got junior tight end Michael Mayer loose for 8 catches, 98 yards and 2 TDs. He played an overall incredibly impressive game.

Notre Dame Rushing Offense: F

Trailing 10-0 in the first quarter did not allow Notre Dame many opportunities to stick to the run, but 24 carries for 106 yards excluding sacks was not the stat line the Irish were looking for in the ground game.

Sophomore running back Audric Estimé ran 6 times for 43 yards. Twenty-four of those came on one carry. Sophomore Logan Diggs had 12 rushes for 34 yards. A yards per carry average of 2.8 isn’t going to get the job done. Junior Chris Tyree had two attempts; one for six yards and another for 24. Perhaps it would have been wise to get him involved.

Sophomore tight end Mitchell Evans’ streak of six-straight short-yardage conversions on third and fourth downs came to an end with a denied attempt on fourth and one. Notre Dame failed to make noise in the rushing department, and the Irish severely suffered for it.

Notre Dame Passing Defense: C-

It wasn’t a complete failure considering Williams only passed for 232 yards, his third-lowest total of the season, but it was still all too easy for the Heisman hopeful. He completed 18-of-22 attempts.

Factored into this grade is also Notre Dame’s inability to bring Williams down with the pass rush. Time and again he escaped the backfield to either make a play with his arm or continue a dazzling display with his feet. The Irish knew that was going to be a major factor in the game, and they still didn’t do enough to stop it.

Williams also completed the ball to 9 different receiving targets. He simply had his way in the passing department even if the final numbers don’t totally reflect dominance.

Notre Dame Rushing Defense: F

This was perhaps the most surprising aspect of the night. It was USC running back Austin Jones – not Diggs or Estimé or Tyree – who dominated running the rock. Jones carried 25 times for 154 yards. His first tote of the night was a seven-yard gain. He picked up at least seven yards on nine other instances. He gashed the Notre Dame defensive front repeatedly.

Jones’ effective running took some pressure off Williams, who was a factor in the running game himself. He scored on the ground three times. Freshman Raleek Brown got into the end zone on a carry as well. He walked in untouched on an option look from seven yards out. Williams ran in stride for stride with him after handing off. It was one example of the Irish flat-out failing to stop the run.

Notre Dame Special Teams: B

Notre Dame only punted once and did not attempt any field goals. Tyree only averaged 15 yards on three kick returns. Sophomore Lorenzo Styles returned one for 37 yards in garbage time. There weren’t many game-changing special teams opportunities. USC punted twice – and it was Williams who botted the ball both times. The Trojans used him as a pooch punter, likely to avoid any chance of Notre Dame blocking a punt.

Notre Dame Coaching: C

Something seemed off for the Irish from the start.

Notre Dame was flagged for an illegal substitution on USC’s first extra point. Then the Irish were tagged for an illegal block in the back on the ensuing kick return. Head coach Marcus Freeman’s team eventually settled in and played a more disciplined brand of football, but in the end it felt like USC was always the team in control while Notre Dame was scrambling a bit.

There aren’t many games that end in a loss in which the coaching grade will be anything better than a C. It’s not that Freeman did a whole lot wrong. He just didn’t coach the Irish to a win. And that’s all there is to it.