Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from tough Fiesta Bowl loss to OK State
By Dante Pryor
3. Notre Dame had no counter punch in the second half
Kyren Williams opting out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft was a difficult loss. However, the Notre Dame offense held its own in the first half. The Irish were not even trying to run the football most of the first half.
Irish quarterback Jack Coan distributed the football to several different receivers in the first half, throwing six different receivers. However, 68 pass attempts are too many for an offense that bases much of what they do on the running game and that caught up with them in the second half.
The Cowboys were selectively aggressive in the second half and took advantage of Coan’s lack of mobility. One difference in the game was Cowboys’ quarterback Spencer Sanders’ ability to run and Coan’s lack of ability to run.
Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator had no counterpunch for the Oklahoma State defensive adjustments in the second half or their lack of a running game. When the Cowboys brought pressure, they got home, throwing off Coan’s timing or sacking him.
Coan had no place to go with the football when the Cowboys played coverage. Since Coan is immobile, he could not take advantage of the available running lanes when Utah dropped seven or eight defenders.