Notre Dame football received a huge boost from a couple of very familiar names against Navy, and it could be huge for the offense
It was a tremendous performance from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who defeated the Navy Midshipmen 51-14 on Saturday. Every side of the ball, even including special teams, had a major part in this victory. On offense, it was especially a very encouraging performance, for many different reasons. In total, the offense exploded for 466 […]
It was a tremendous performance from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who defeated the Navy Midshipmen 51-14 on Saturday. Every side of the ball, even including special teams, had a major part in this victory. On offense, it was especially a very encouraging performance, for many different reasons.
In total, the offense exploded for 466 total yards and scored six touchdowns on the day. That is especially impressive when you consider that quarterback Riley Leonard and the starting offense were pulled after the third quarter, and played with several short fields. A big part of optimism during the contest was a couple of familiar names to Irish fans making an impact.
During the week, head coach Marcus Freeman was asked about starting offensive guard Billy Schrauth and his availability for this week. There was talk about figuring out a role, and what that might look like. Would it be in a rotation? Would it be as a starter? Would Notre Dame opt to hold him out one more week with the bye week coming up?
We found out those answers, and on the very first drive. Schrauth not only played for the Irish on Saturday, he started the game at left guard and took every snap until the starters were pulled after the third quarter. Having No. 74 back on the offensive front was a stabilizer for an offensive line that really needed it.
Over the last several weeks, we had seen wide receiver Jordan Faison on the field for Notre Dame but there was very little impact. He has been dealing with an ankle injury, and clearly Faison hasn’t been healthy. For the first time since that season opening victory over Texas A&M, the sophomore pass catcher was clearly healthy.
He was the team’s leading receiver during the day, hauling in four receptions for 52 yards. That included a drop on a deep in cut that would have been another huge gain. Faison looks like he could be a factor for the Irish going forward, which is huge for the team.
Notre Dame still holds their own destiny with four games remaining, and a clear path to the college football playoff. If the team is going to make it, and potentially make noise in the field, the offense needs to be more dynamic. Having both Schrauth and Faison healthy is huge for the unit, and could help the offense be the best version of themselves in the right time of the season.
