Notre Dame makes quarterback change after the half against Cincinnati

At the start of the second half, after finding themselves in a 17-0 deficit against Cincinnati, Notre Dame made a quarterback change.

Redshirt freshman Drew Pyne took over for a struggling Jack Coan. While Pyne is not a dual-threat quarterback at his core, he is more mobile than Coan. Pyne led the Irish to victory over Wisconsin last week.

Coan went 14-for-22 with 114 yards and an interception in the first half.

When true freshman Tyler Buchner, the biggest rush threat in the Notre Dame quarterback room, came in for a play for the Irish and gained zero yards, the fans booed. Buchner also threw an interception in the first quarter.

Head coach Brian Kelly told NBC’s Kathryn Tappen that the Irish would not switch quarterbacks after the half.

Irish offense continues to sputter

Notre Dame has had issues on offense all year, and those problems continued against Cincinnati.

The Irish mustered just 84 yards on the ground in a year where the ground game cannot get going. Kyren Williams led the Irish with 45 yards on 13 carries with a long of 16 yards.

The offensive line continues to be the clear weakness on the offensive side of the ball, a major problem with an immobile quarterback under center.

One of the top tight ends in the country, Michael Mayer, led the Irish offense with eight receptions for 93 yards. After limping off the field in the fourth quarter, Mayer went to the medical tent. He came back into the game for a fourth down conversion, and limped off the field again.

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder went 19-for-32 with 297 yards and three total touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground. Receiver Alec Pierce led the Bearcats attack with six receptions for 144 yards. Cincinnati’s touchdown catches came from Leonard Taylor and Tre Tucker.