Week 2 of the college football season was full of upsets. But perhaps the most shocking victory of the week was Marshall's convincing 26-20 win over Notre Dame football
Formerly 8th ranked Notre Dame now falls to 0-2 on the year after also suffering a loss at the hands of Ohio State in their opening matchup. While there was already some concern following the opening week loss, panic is beginning to set in for the Fighting Irish as this is the first time since 2011 that they have started the season 0-2.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the shocking Week 2 upset at the hands of Marshall.
3. Game lost in the trenches for Notre Dame football
One major concern with this Notre Dame football team is the lack of physicality they have played with. This has been most notable in the trenches where, for back-to-back weeks, opposing teams have won the battle. The defensive line was nearly non-existent in the most recent matchup with Marshall. The Thundering Herd racked up 219 total yards on the ground, including 163 yards from starting running back Khalan Laborn.
If Notre Dame is to have any chance of getting back on track, this cannot continue to be the case. It was one thing to get tired out by Ohio State and allow some late big gains, but to get outclassed by Marshall on the ground is a much greater concern. This also was an issue on the opposite side of the ball as Notre Dame seemed to struggle in protecting the quarterback. While there were only two sacks in the matchup, the passing game was rushed significantly more often. The lack of toughness in the trenches will continue to be a problem for the Fighting Irish and has been the root of their issues thus far this season.
2. Notre Dame football has quarterback concerns
There are more questions than answers surrounding the Notre Dame quarterback position at this point in the season. Tyler Buchner has served as the starter and has had some notable struggles through the first two weeks. In this matchup against Marshall, he completed 18 of his 32 pass attempts for 201 yards and a pair of interceptions. Through the first two games, he had yet to tally a touchdown through the air.
While Buchner has a ton of potential and is working through his growing pains, he will not get this opportunity for the remainder of the season.
On the last of his 13 rushing attempts in the matchup, Buchner suffered a high-grade sprain to his AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder. The injury forced him out of the game in the fourth quarter and he looks to need surgery. The injury is expected to keep him out for four months, which would mean he misses the remainder of the season.
Following his injury, Drew Pyne came into the game to take snaps under center. In his limited opportunity, he completed three of his six passes for 20 yards. Pyne also threw for one touchdown and one interception. He will have a clean slate moving forward as he will be the starting quarterback in Buchner's absence, but it is clear Notre Dame has some real work to do.
1. It is not Notre Dame's year
The margin for error is extremely small in college football. With the rankings changing week in and week out, a slow start can cripple a team's season. This looks like it may be the case for Notre Dame. With back-to-back losses and now a change in quarterback, the 2022 outlook is grim for the Fighting Irish.
The blunt reality is their goals of competing for a national championship are likely out the window. The loss to Marshall has dropped them out of the Top 25 and with legitimate concerns on the roster, there does not seem to be a clear path back. You never want to fully count out a team but the Fighting Irish have made things extremely difficult for themselves to start this season.
In all likelihood, the remainder of this season will serve as a year to get organized and figure out where the biggest holes are. The loss of Buchner is especially frustrating as he is only a sophomore and could use additional reps to work through his growing pains. This also is a brutal start to the coaching career of Marcus Freeman who is in his first full season as head coach. The 0-2 start to the season and 0-3 start to his head coaching career is far from ideal. This is the worst start to a coaching career in Notre Dame history and is a narrative Freeman will quickly look to change.
The focus of Notre Dame football must be on improvement rather than perfection as they look to find a way to get back on track and steer the season in the right direction.
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