Quarterback Tyler Buchner will lead the Notre Dame offense when it faces Ohio State on Sept. 3. The sophomore was announced as “QB1” by the school on Saturday, drawing attention to potential college football playoff contenders and ending a fierce offseason quarterback battle.
Buchner and Drew Pyne were considered prime contenders for intense offseason competition. Ian He’s Book He’s Fighting From 2017 To He’s 2020 With his Irish he’s made 45 appearances and last year was replaced by alumnus Jack Cohn, so both have more experience in the game so far It wasn’t.
Although he was not a starter for 2021, Buchner made 10 appearances. As a pace-changing player from Coan, Buchner passed only 35 times he threw, and in 21 he had 298 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Most of his work came in run games, where he rushed for 336 yards and on 46 carries he scored three touchdowns. His mobility may have been the deciding factor in the competition against Pine, who appeared in last season’s games against Wisconsin and Cincinnati, but did not appear in Notre Dame’s final eight games.
Buchner was a four-star recruit in Notre Dame’s 2021 recruit class. According to 247Sports, he was ranked as his 91st-ranked player, and by QB he was ranked 10th. He chose Notre Dame, but had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and USC, just to name a few.
This decision is not a big surprise
There was certainly competition between Buchner and Pine, but it was highly expected that Buchner would win the job. Looking back at how each player used last season, it was clear how to use the tea leaves. Pine relieved an injured Jack Cohn against Wisconsin and played 34 snaps against Cincinnati the following week, but was never seen on the field again.
Buchner, meanwhile, only saw seven snaps against Cincinnati, but in the seven games between Virginia Tech in Week 6 and the regular-season finale against Stanford, Buchner averaged 11.8 snaps per game. was recorded. This included a season-high 43 against the Hawkeyes. The playing time established him as his #2 QB on the depth chart, giving him a head start heading into 2022.
Buchner’s mobility should prove vital
Buchner gave another dimension to the offense last season with his feet, which should be worthwhile again in 2022.On the same day Notre Dame announced Buchner as the starter, with slot receiver Avery Davis as the starting slot receiver. It was also announced that it would become Missed season with torn ACLThe Irish already had a question mark on their receiver before Davis was injured. Without an established No. 1 in position, the offense may rely on Buchner’s legs to help keep the drive going and put points on the board.
Buchner has also demonstrated an ability to carry the ball downfield with his arms. Neither had a large sample size of attempts to draw firm conclusions, but Buchner completed 53.3% of his passes last season with 15 attempts of at least 7 air yards, averaging 13.73 yards per attempt. Pine made such throws he attempted 16 times, but on one attempt he succeeded only 43.8% against 7.56.
Pine is not out of the picture
Buchner will start in QB1 this year, but the job isn’t for the rest of his life. If Buchner doesn’t tend to the football or move the chains, Pine could be called out regardless of injury. Buchner is a more explosive option, but you have to be careful as the fireworks can go off in his hands.
Buchner threw three interceptions last season with a small sample size, and all three were 3 downs. For a young quarterback trying to adjust to a level of life that is harder than it was in high school, this is no unexpected result. A year of experience should help Buchner through the decision process, but starting the season with a road trip against Ohio State will be a tough test from the get-go.