Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from thrilling win at Florida State

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Sep 5, 2021; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Jack Coan (17) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Jack Coan is better than advertised

After spring ball, I was a Tyler Buchner believer. He showed plenty of potential in the spring game and I was already ready to pencil him in as QB1. I didn’t think Jack Coan was that great at Wisconsin and was worried that him being named starter for the Irish was a bad sign for the quarterback room.

I was dead wrong.

Coan came out and looked like a confident leader all night long and made Brian Kelly look like a genius for choosing him as his starter.

The Irish were cruising on offense through three quarters as he looked like the best player on the field for most of the game and although he was held in check in the fourth, that was mostly due to play-calling and a critical drop by Michael Mayer which may have led to the game-winning field goal in regulation.

The Wisconsin transfer finished with 366 yards and four touchdowns on 26-of-35 completions and really took command of the offense on a national stage.

I guess the post-Ian Book era isn’t too bad, after all.

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