Notre Dame Football: Position report card for the Irish in Week 4

Coming off what was likely the receiving corps’ worst outing of the season, Notre Dame’s receivers improved against the Spartans but still lacked what we saw out of them last season. Much of this is due to the drop in passing ability from DeShone Kizer to Brandon Wimbush, but they still struggle nonetheless.

Saturday was not much different as no receiver was able to make it into the end zone despite putting up 38 points. While the Irish’s run-first mentality limits the ceiling for these receivers, it was the third straight week that an Irish receiver had failed to reach 65 yards.

These struggles can’t continue when the Irish face off against teams with stronger rush defenses than that of Michigan State. This group has had plenty of time to work on their miscues, but a combination of poor execution and a quarterback hesitant to throw the ball doesn’t bode especially well.

The Irish will have another chance to groom their receiving attack against Miami of Ohio, but will likely stick to their bread and butter until forced to do otherwise. It has worked so far, but there is still a lot that needs to be done before the Irish can truly compete with the best of the best.