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Bagpipe Monday: Can Notre Dame’s passing game improve over the next couple of weeks?

The weekly poll and pipes

notre dame vs louisville ACC Media

Welcome to another Bagpipe Monday on One Foot Down! Friends, last Saturday we spent a little less than 3 hours watching one of the strangest games in recent memory as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat the Louisville Cardinals 12-7. Strange — but also a win, so the whole thing just hits different.

Bagpipe Monday Notre Dame @phillykelly

I mean... the team played really well. The Irish defense held a dangerous Louisville tam to 219 yards and 7 points, while the Notre Dame ground attack racked up 232 yards and a touchdown.

Just good old fashioned football y’all.

If there was one thing the Irish MAYBE didn’t execute so well, it was in the passing game. Ian Book was 11-19, and... I can’t.

I tried — I really did. I was trying to have some fun in this post (and maybe see who was going to actually bite on the tone) but I just can’t do it. This is serious business, and there is something seriously wrong with Notre Dame’s passing game.

  • Is it Ian Book?
  • Is it a lack of playmaking receiver play?
  • Is it Tommy Rees and his playcalling?
  • Is it karma from back when Notre Dame couldn’t run the ball or play defense?

Or maybe it’s a combination of many things, which makes the prospect of improvement even more daunting. It means that perhaps it won’t come together all at once, but over the course of a few weeks (if at all).

Regardless of how Notre Dame fixes things, we can all agree that they are going to have to improve if there is to be a serious run at the college football playoff (which likely runs through Clemson — twice).

Can they begin to improve this week against the Pittsburgh Panthers? Is that a real possibility, and how can they go about accomplishing that improvement?

Will it even matter if Notre Dame only gives up 7 points to Pitt?

Poll

Can the Irish improve the passing game this week against Pitt?

This poll is closed

  • 56%
    Yep — can only go up!
    (187 votes)
  • 13%
    Nope — this is a much better defense
    (46 votes)
  • 16%
    I mean... will ND even try to mix things up?
    (55 votes)
  • 13%
    RUN THE T FORMATION RTDB
    (45 votes)
333 votes total Vote Now

Contemplate those questions and whatever else while you vibe out to one of my guilty pleasures this year.