Notre Dame Football: 3 players who deserve game balls in Cincinnati loss

1. Drew Pyne

Drew Pyne for a second week in a row saw extended playing time under center. Unlike last week he found himself entering in a much bigger hole down 17 points.

Pyne finished the game completing nine passes for 143 yards in the air and one touchdown. He also ran for 10 yards and helped extend plays by using his feet and avoiding the rush.

It’s not easy coming in down 17 points in the second half, but as Isaiah Foskey did with his strip-sack, Pyne supplied hope at the time. He especially gave hope on his 32-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Braden Lenzy to cut the deficit to only four in the fourth quarter.

With Notre Dame’s playoff odds basically disappearing after this loss to Cincinnati it may be time to look ahead to the future after this year with Jack Coan being a graduate transfer and only being here for this season.

After last week’s second half and Saturday’s, I believe Pyne has earned the right to start. Whether that be against Virginia Tech, or later on in the year he has earned a start when the score is showing zeroes across the scoreboard.