What does the Tyler Buchner ankle injury mean for Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne?
Next man up.
It’s one of the most cliche catchphrases in sports at any level. It’s taking on new meaning at Notre Dame this week. Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game was supposed to pit sophomore Tyler Buchner against junior Drew Pyne in a public exhibit of the quarterback competition that has been brewing on the practice field for over a month now. But Buchner is sidelined with an unfortunate ankle injury, so it’ll simply be Pyne pandemonium instead.
Early enrollee freshman Steve Angeli and sophomore Ron Powlus III are going to get opportunities to run the offense. Angeli is quarterbacking the Gold Team and Powlus III is working with the Blue. But they’re both going to have to wait until Pyne’s time is through. He’s going to start for both teams.
What does that mean? The junior who has waited over two years to have a chance to earn the designation of starting quarterback at the University of Notre Dame has an unfettered chance to show why he deserves such a title. He’s not going to be looking over his shoulder for a surging Buchner. He’s not looking forward at an elder statesman like Ian Book or Jack Coan, either.
If only for one day, Pyne is going to be the guy. And this is his shot to show he can be the guy beyond then too.
To listen to a WSBT SportsBeat AM reaction to the Tyler Buchner injury news, click play below.
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The Notre Dame roster is split in two for Saturday’s scrimmage. Buchner’s injury opens up a plethora of possibilities for Pyne, who would have been stuck on one side or the other. Now he gets to work with Notre Dame’s full array of offensive weapons. He can toss deep balls to sophomore wide receiver Deion Colzie on the Blue Team and throw darts to junior tight end Michael Mayer on the Gold Team. He’ll benefit from the protection of Blake Fisher on the Blue Team and Joe Alt on the Gold Team.
He can attack Blue Team cornerbacks Clarence Lewis and Ryan Barnes and go after Gold Team corners Jaden Mickey and Philip Riley. The world is at Pyne’s fingertips in this game. Even if he only gets to play one half, Pyne is going to be featured in a way no other player on either roster will be. Will it be a blessing, or a curse? Pyne controls much of that narrative. If he lights it up, the summer months and fall camp just got a whole lot more interesting. If he flops, fans are going to be hoping Buchner doesn’t run into any more ankle-biting sets of stairs.
It’s a bummer for everyone involved that the Buchner-Pyne battle isn’t going to occur. But one of the two in that pairing can make the most of the circumstances. Now it’s just time to see if he does.
