Notre Dame is riding a five-game win streak heading into their second and final bye week of the regular season. Their offense reached new heights in September but have sputtered, at times, in their last three games against Boise State, NC State and USC. This bye week will be crucial to get Mike Denbrock's unit back on track, and the schedule sets up favorably to get them back to performing to their standard. There are three keys areas the Notre Dame offense will have to improve throughout the bye week and it starts with their efficiency inside the 20 yard lines.
Red Zone Efficiency
Over the last three games, the Irish have struggled to put points on the board in the red zone. Some of that is due to their kicking woes, which seemed to have carried over from last season. North Carolina transfer Noah Burnette missed a few games at the end of September and the beginning of October due to an injury. He made his return last week against NC State but missed an extra point and a field goal against USC. Special teams coordinator Marty Biagi will have to get this kicking game turned around if Notre Dame is to be a playoff team; we know how crucial the kicking game is in the post season.
Despite their special teams woes, the biggest area of concern is the offense's performance inside the 20. The Fighting Irish currently rank No. 109 in the country in red zone scoring percentage (77.8%) and it's in large part due to their success, or lack thereof, in their last three games. Notre Dame went 3-4 against Boise State, 5-8 against NC State and 4-7 against USC. The Wolfpack and Trojans held this team to under 63 percent in the red zone. Points have been left off the board the last three weekends for Notre Dame; the bye week is a perfect opportunity to get that corrected.
Attacking The Middle Of The Field
By now, it's not a secret how Notre Dame plans on attacking you in the passing game. They'll hit Malachi Fields on a go-route or comeback. Quarterback CJ Carr has been consistent finding receiver Jordan Faison on deep outs and comeback routes, but the middle of the field has yet to be consistently attacked by this offense. Some of that is due to lack of personnel, specifically Jaden Greathouse who has missed the last month nursing a thigh injury. Regardless, attacking the middle of the field has to be an area of focus for Denbrock and this offense during the bye week and the numbers back that up.
Outside of the numbers, they have completed 72 passes on 107 attempts, thrown eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Inside of the numbers, the offense has completed 49 passes on 71 attempts, thrown six touchdowns and two interceptions. Their completion percentage is a few points higher over the middle of the field and, but the interception numbers are the same on 36 fewer attempts. The next step in CJ Carr's evolution as a starting quarterback will be working the middle of the field; getting Greathouse back wouldn't hurt the effort either.
Get More Weapons Involved
Notre Dame has an arsenal of skilled talent that hasn't really seen the field this season, some due to injury and some due to the make-up of the schedule. The final five games for the Irish put them in a position to work on getting other players involved in their offense. Tight end Cooper Flanagan made his first appearance this season, primarily as a blocker. He, or Ty Washington, will have to be a player Denbrock gets going in the passing attack moving forward. Ideally, Greathouse or redshirt sophomore Micah Gilbert are back in the rotation soon to add to the receiver room's depth.
Fact of the matter is you have skilled players like Fields and Faison who are playing too many snaps, and I fear they may wear down before the Irish reach the post season. Both Fields have Faison have played over 380 snaps on offense this season, Fields at 398 snaps and Faison at 382 snaps. The next closest receiver is captain Will Pauling who hasn't eclipsed the 220 mark yet while Greathouse and Gilbert are sub-115 in their snap counts. Denbrock and receivers coach Mike Brown will have to utilize their depth down the home stretch of the regular season. Players like KK Smith, Cam Williams and Elijah Burress can contribute to this offense some way, shape or form. You'll need Fields and Faison fresh for the post-season.
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