Notre Dame football: Brian Kelly defends quarterback Jack Coan
Notre Dame picked up a 32-29 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday. Although the Fighting Irish moved to 5-1 on the season with their third single-score win of the season, it did not come without controversy.
As starting quarterback Jack Coan continued to struggle, freshman Tyler Buchner took over the offense in the second quarter. Buchner did not fair well, throwing two interceptions before exiting in the fourth quarter. Coan then returned to the field and led Notre Dame on two scoring drives for the win.
Despite another close call and the brewing quarterback controversy, head coach Brian Kelly does not want negative questions surrounding his players. Frustrated with a question on the quarterback situation, he came to his quarterback’s defense.
“You guys should be thinking about great things to write about [Coan], because that doesn’t happen very often,” Kelly told reporters, via The Athletic’s Matt Fortuna. “But you’ll find negative things to write about this (game) and that’s why I don’t really care.”
Coan finished the game 9-for-12 for 108 yards and a touchdown. He went 7-for-9 on the final two drives as he led the Notre Dame offense to a comeback win.
Playing the middle portion of Saturday’s game, Buchner went 6-for-14 for 113 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He does add an extra element to the offense with his legs, picking up 67 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
More about Jack Coan
Jack Coan transferred to Notre Dame after spending four years at Wisconsin. After losing his starting job to Graham Mertz, he found a new home in South Bend, Indiana as the replacement for Ian Book.
Early returns have not come as promised. Through six games under Brian Kelly, Coan has 1,208 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions as the starting quarterback. He has completed 61.7 percent of his passes, down from 66.3 over his career.
Preparing Tyler Buchner
The original plan was to prepare Tyler Buchner to take over the Irish offense next year, but due to underwhelming quarterback and offensive line play in South Bend, the 18-year-old standout has seen a fair amount of game action this year.
The California native is a run threat and former four-star recruit. He was the No. 5 player in California and the No. 11 quarterback overall in his class according to 247Sports. Buchner has played in three games this season but has been hindered by a minor hamstring injury.
Entering tonight’s game, Buchner was 3-for-6 with 78 yards, a passing touchdown and an interception. He had carried the ball 14 times for 100 yards.