The day after: Lasting thoughts on Notre Dame’s loss to USC

It was a good effort but not quite enough for Notre Dame to get an upset on the road against USC. The game was closer than the score, even if the Irish failed to get the game within one score late in the game. There were positive and negatives and here are my thoughts that have lingered in my mind since the game finished last night.

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Marcus Freeman better than recent history of first-year head coaches

Nov 26, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman leads players out to the field before playing against the Southern California Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Before this season, 21 first-time head coaches had complied a .509 winning percentage and Freeman obviously did better than that. Yes, the 8-4 record should have been better (10-2) but overall it was still a great season to lay down a foundation for his program. Freeman has a chance to tie his successor Brian Kelly’s 9-4 record, while it won’t best Charlie Weis’ 9-3 or Tyrone Willingham’s 10-3 starts. The start was better than Bob Davie, Lou Holtz, and Gerry Faust. A bowl game win would really add more positive momentum to the Freeman era.

Drew Pyne wasn’t all that bad

The question after Tyler Buchner went down with his season ending injury was what the Irish offense would look like. Although it took longer than many would have liked, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees finally found the right mix for success with Drew Pyne. He ended the season with some solid numbers, a 64.6 completion percentage with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. There are some turnover issues, but with more experience he should be better in that area. Pyne even outgained the Heisman front runner Caleb Williams in their head-to-head matchup. He is not a championship caliber quarterback, but Pyne is a solid starter. It will be very interesting how the spring and fall camps play out when Buchner is healthy. I doubt that Freeman will name a starter so early next year.

A salute to Michael Mayer

Record-setting tight end Michael Mayer might have went out with a bang. Just shy of 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns cemented his status as the GOAT Notre Dame tight end. With a potential bowl game and one more season (highly unlikely), Mayer could add on to his school records for receptions, yardage and touchdowns at the position. He caught a ball in every game he appeared in, a very impressive feat. If it really was the end of Mayer’s time in South Bend, he will be remembered for a long time.

One for Isaiah Foskey as well

The defensive star shouldn’t be left out, as it looks like this could have been the end of Foskey’s Irish career as well. The career leader in sacks, in just three seasons of playing time, was on fire against USC. Five tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. One hell of a line for a player that should also be selected high in this coming NFL Draft. Big shoes to fill if Foskey does leave, but we have a give a tip of our cap to his fantastic career.

The foundation is set

As mentioned earlier, Freeman could have had a much worse debut than 8-4 with a bowl game still remaining. More importantly, the first-year head coach set a precedence for what is expected going forward in the program. This team got better as the season continued along, which is a great sign. The recruiting has been fantastic, the tone of the locker room is high as well. The ultimate goal is to play for a championship but expectations should have been tempered given the situation. When looking back at what this team accomplished over the season, it should be looked at as a success with a bright future.

The Irish failed to get off the field on third and fourth down

Back to the actual game, this was the biggest issue for the Irish Saturday night. A lot of it has to due with how impressive a player Caleb Williams is, but you can’t allow a team to go 8/12 on third and 1/1 on fourth down. Yes, the Irish on offense did well in this department also, but some of those third downs converted by the Trojans were back-breakers. The third-and-six with the face mask penalty in the fourth quarter was the biggest. If the Irish were able to get off the field in a few more of these situations, the game could very well have turned out differently.

The run game struggled

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 26: Logan Diggs #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball against Shane Lee #53 of the USC Trojans in the first half at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

It wasn’t not the best effort for the backs and offensive line. The game plan for the Trojans was obvious, they were going to have Pyne beat them and sell out to stop the run. They were successful in that area, allowing just 3.5 yards-per-rush, gaining just 90 yards on 26 carries. I don’t think Audric Estime got enough touches, his 6 carries for 43 yards led the team but just six carries. You’d have to expect if he got 12-15, he would have gone over 100 yards and eaten up more time. Logan Diggs wasn’t very successful in his tries, just 2.8 per carry, over 12 touches. It wasn’t a very good showing for this group.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire