Notre Dame: Overreaction Tuesday

August 29th, 2023, 6:38pm CST ? By Ryan J. Van Dever

On August 26th, 2023, The Notre Dame Fighting Irish took the field at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, to play the Navy Midshipmen. Gerad Parker had a tall task with a new Offensive Coordinator for the Fighting Irish, as he was the Tight End's coach last season. The Irish had to scramble to find a new offensive coordinator when, in February, Tommy Rees took the same position at the University of Alabama. So, to say that many team fans were in disarray but excited as well would be an understatement. Would the Irish offense be different under new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, or would it stay the same? Would the new transfer QB Sam Hartman bring long-awaited stability to the position? So many questions needed to be answered, and on this day in Dublin, Ireland, at the Aer Lingus Football Classic, they will be acknowledged.

The headline of this game that you will often see is that Sam Hartman threw for four touchdowns, and the No. 13 Fighting Irish would rout Navy on a score of 42-3 in a season-opening victory. More into detail, Hartman completed 19-23 passes for 251 yards with a QBR of 97.9. Audric Estime had 16 carries for 95 yards and 1 TD for the Irish. Jaden Greathouse had three receptions for 68 yards and 2 TDs.

Okay, enough about the stats; what happened in the game? That is what you want to know. The Offensive Line for the Irish dominated the Midshipmen throughout the entire game. Pre-season All-American Offensive Tackle Joe Alt showed why he is an All-American. Also, you must add Blake Fisher to the discussion. These two offensive tackles are some of the best tandems on the offensive line in the country. This offensive line gave Hartman time to go through his progressions and reads. Not only that, but they were constantly opening massive gates to run through for the running game.

Hartman had two scoring strikes to Jaden Greathouse; the second strike was a 20-yard reception for a TD that made the score 35-0 and kept the Irish offense at its peak. To put it in perspective, the Irish scored touchdowns on their first five possessions. One word explains this - dominant!

Estime led the Irish rushing game with 95 yards on 16 carries, including the 1-yard touchdown run. Estime did get put on the sidelines for a bit after he fumbled on the second drive, though the Irish kept possession of the ball as it was recovered. Jadarian Price capped off the drive by running up the middle for a 19-yard touchdown run. We cannot be sure if Estime was pulled because of the fumble, as the Irish planned to get all their running backs in the game.

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The Takeaway

Coach Marcus Freeman can now breathe easy with the quarterback officially in good hands with Sam Hartman, even though the defense did not pose a threat for most of the game. The offensive line overpowered Navy's front line, making way for enormous holes for the running game. The offensive coordinator Gerad Parker’s scheme was much of the same as it was with Tommy Rees, so the offense should not have a stutter step.

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Up Next for The Irish

Notre Dame is hosting Tennessee State next Saturday, September 2nd, 2023, and then plays North Carolina State, followed by Central Michigan before Ohio State visits South Bend on September 23rd.