Analyzing a concerning stat for Notre Dame football in 2022
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Notre Dame found itself immersed in a statistical category it would have wanted to avoid through three weeks of the 2022 season. Last year, the Fighting Irish averaged 33.3 points per game in their first three games. This year, the Irish averaged 18.3 points per game through their first three games.
The drop-off of exactly 15 points per game was the seventh-worst FBS year-over-year decrease in a team’s first three games from 2021 to 2022. Several factors played into the slow start offensively.
The offensive line wasn’t what it was hyped to be in the preseason, so the overall rushing attacked has suffered. Also, starting quarterback Tyler Buchner was lost for the season to a shoulder injury after just two games. And he struggled mightily even in his two starts, completing just 56% of his passes for 378 yards with zero touchdown passes and two interceptions. He ran 24 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
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In its season-opening 21-10 loss at Ohio State, Notre Dame devised a milk-the-clock, limit possessions strategy. The Buckeyes averaged a nation-leading 565.3 yards per game in their first three games, but gained only 395 against the Irish largely due to the stout play of the defense but also due in part to the offensive game plan. Make no mistake, though, the offense wasn’t particularly good against Ohio State. The Irish ran just 48 plays rushed for only 76 yards and.
In the stunning 26-21 loss to Marshall in Week 2, Irish quarterbacks threw 3 interceptions. In the 24-17 win over Cal in Week 3, Notre Dame enacted a simplistic, conservative offense that led to backup quarterback turned starter Drew Pyne only throwing 3 of his 23 pass attempts more than 10 yards downfield. His average depth of target was 2.8 yards.
Week 4 was a different story.
Notre Dame racked up 576 yards and put 45 points on the board. The latter number upped the Irish’s scoring offense to 25.0 points per game, which ranks 94th nationally. The first three games weren’t picture perfect. But the last game gave Notre Dame reason to believe it will be much better offensively going forward, even if it came against one of the worst defenses in college football.
Worst drop offs in scoring from weeks 1-3 of 2021 to weeks 1-3 of 2022
| Rank | School | 2021 PPG | 2022 PPG | Difference |
| 1 | Utah State | 41.0 | 12.7 | -28.3 |
| 2 | Virginia | 41.3 | 17.7 | -23.6 |
| 3 | Auburn | 47.3 | 26.0 | -21.3 |
| 4 | Boston College | 41.3 | 23.0 | -18.3 |
| 5 | Iowa | 30.3 | 13.7 | -16.6 |
| 6 | Fresno State | 44.0 | 28.0 | -16.0 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 33.3 | 18.3 | -15.0 |
| 8 | Wyoming | 38.0 | 24.0 | -14.0 |
| 9 | UTEP | 27.0 | 14.0 | -13.0 |
| 10 | Louisville | 32.0 | 19.3 | -12.7 |
