Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish finally got in the win column on Saturday, but what were the Notre Dame grades vs. Cal? The Irish struggled in the first half, trailing 10-7 at the break. They then proceeded to trail into the fourth quarter before coming up with a comeback and multiple defensive stands. Here’s how each position group performed versus the Golden Bears.
Notre Dame Grades: Offense
Quarterback: B-
Drew Pyne was flirting with disaster in the early going. He missed low on several easy rollouts to his right. Given play calls designed to create easy completions, Pyne couldn’t find his receivers’ hands. However, he slowly settled in. His average depth of target was a stunningly low 2.8 yards. However, that allowed the redshirt junior to quickly find his playmakers in space, and he did that well, orchestrating key scoring drives down the stretch.
Running Back: A
Not much to complain about here. Chris Tyree and Audric Estime got a combined 43 touches on 65 offensive snaps. Tyree notched 108 yards and a touchdown. Estime found paydirt as well alongside 119 all-purpose yards. The two backs each handled their biggest offensive load of the season, and they responded with fantastic efforts. Improved offensive line play helped, and the Irish leaned on Tyree and Estime to establish their offense in Week 3.
Wide Receiver: C-
To be fair, it’s difficult to impress as a wide receiver with the game plan with which Notre Dame entered the game. But as far as the Notre Dame grades go, the wide receivers didn’t inspire much confidence on Saturday. They hauled in seven catches for 53 yards and zero touchdowns. Sophomore Lorenzo Styles had a bad third-down drop that was a major lowlight in the offensively sparse first half. With little depth, the Irish need some high-level production from their top names, and they’re not getting it so far in 2022.
Offensive Line: A-
Much, much better this week. This unit needed to answer some questions. Facing a Cal defense that had been weak against the run game, the Irish prioritized establishing their presence in the trenches. Notre Dame did just that. Per PFF, the Irish’s top three offensive grades went to their offensive lineman. The left side of their line of Joe Alt and Jarrett Patterson was fantastic. Center Zeke Correll rounded out that top three, and right guard Josh Lugg slotted in at seventh. The run game was better, and in pass protection, they allowed just two sacks.
The one downside? It continues to be redshirt freshman Blake Fisher, who made his fifth career start and continued to struggle. Missed assignments plagued the right tackle again, and he needs to sharpen up in the coming weeks.
Tight End: B-
Rounding out the offensive Notre Dame grades is a tight end group that was pedestrian. They made little impact in the passing game until Michael Mayer caught the game-winning touchdown. That was one of just two catches for the tight end group. Mayer was solid in run-blocking, but Kevin Bauman struggled again. He needs to be better to help the Irish diversify their running attack.
Notre Dame Grades: Defense
Defensive Line: A
After struggling and failing to be very disruptive in their first two weeks, the Irish defensive line thrived in Week 3, earning top marks in the Notre Dame grades. They notched six sacks, including four in the final quarter. Isaiah Foskey rebounded from a mid-game injury and recorded 1.5 sacks in a big performance, while Jacob Lacey added a pair of sacks. This unit flushed Cal quarterback Jack Plummer out of the pocket all game long and flustered the former Purdue signal-caller.
Linebacker: D+
When it comes to Notre Dame grades on the defensive asked, the linebackers deserve the worst grade. The unit not only struggled tremendously with containing Plummer’s scrambles, but they nearly cost the Irish the game late. Plummer took off on a series of drive-extending scrambles, beating the Irish linebackers to the edge, or frequently just seeing far too much green. On Cal’s attempted game-tying drive, senior captain JD Bertrand delivered a completely unnecessary targeting penalty. It negated a potential game-sealing interception, and the Irish needed to survive a Hail Mary to win. That’ll keep Bertrand out for the first half of the next game. This unit absolutely has to be better, no questions asked.
Secondary: B+
Another solid game from this group, although the Irish will look for a little more out of Cam Hart moving forward. He posted another subpar game in pass coverage, despite entering the year as Notre Dame’s apparent top cornerback. However, the Irish got great games from Clarence Lewis and Tariq Bracy, as well as safety Brandon Joseph. DJ Brown had an up-and-down game and will seek more consistency. His big open-field tackle stonewalled a potential touchdown, but an unnecessary roughness penalty provided a sluggish Cal offense a key spark in the second half.
Ultimately, the Irish put together their best performance in the young season this year, but there’s more to work on. The Irish take on a red-hot UNC offense in a week, and they’ll need the offense to pick it up a notch to keep pace.
