The day after: Lasting thoughts on Notre Dame’s epic comeback over South Carolina

How nice was it to wake up knowing that the Irish were winners of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl? Really nice, right?

As we all continue to watch the remaining bowl games, we can now look back on what happened yesterday and what could happen in the future with Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame program. It’s going to be a very interesting off-season in South Bend, one which could very well give us an idea of what to expect going forward.

There were plenty of those thoughts that popped into my head since yesterday and here they are on plenty of Irish topics.

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Is Buchner the answer?

There was plenty of good and bad from Tyler Buchner, and I outlined that in my 5-stars right after the game. What mattered yesterday was getting a win, which Buchner did despite throwing for two pick-sixes and three total interceptions. Could the game against South Carolina been will less drama? It certainly could have, but the sophomore quarterback accounted for 335 total yards and the team scored 45 points. The knock on him is his passing, which had its moments against USC but his completed just 54.5% of his attempts. Which leads us to….

The future of the position

There are plenty of rumors floating around that Wake Forest graduate transfer Sam Hartman is heading to South Bend. It makes sense in my eyes, as Freeman has to create more depth at the position given Drew Pyne’s transfer and Buchner’s injury history. You’d hate to see Hartman entering the program and forcing another quarterbacks hand but that is the college football world we live in now. Stability at the position would be nice, but with the portal, there is always an answer if you can find one. A longer term starter might not come until CJ Carr takes the reins which could be two years away.

Can’t really dig too deep into this

We can celebrate the win but the way I view bowl games are that they are exhibition contests. The Irish were without their best two players, missing a total of four defensive starters and played a good amount of players who weren’t integral parts of the team during the regular season. What you can take away is the fact that the team was able to overcome those missing players and get a bowl victory, but these games are never really like what you would see during the regular season.

Loved seeing the team not quit

It would have been easy for this team to throw in the towel after the first quarter, but they kept battling and it payed off. This is the kind of attitude you want to see from the Irish, a no quit, play a full 60 minutes and never get too high or low throughout the course of a game. It obviously wasn’t all pretty but a bowl win, is a bowl win.

Ben Morrison is a star

Who would have thought that when Morrison was being recruited he would have burst onto the scene like this? He was viewed as a solid prospect but I’m sure if they re-ranked his class, Morrison would be among the top players in the country. You have to credit Freeman and his coaching staff for identifying his immense talent and getting him ready to contribute early. Over the next two years, you’re going to hear Morrison’s name come up when they are talking about the best defensive backs in the country.

Need more from the wide receivers

Braden Lenzy could very well have had a fantastic send off as he caught 4 balls for 89 yards and a score. The next highest pass catcher was running back Logan Diggs with 81 yards on two catches. Jayden Thomas chipped in 5 receptions for 67 yards and that was it from the receivers. Deion Colzie, Lorenzo Styles Jr., and Brandon Merriweather were all non-factors despite getting plenty of snaps. This group his to grow up quickly.

(Update: Lenzy has retired and will move away from football)

The Irish should be a top 5-10 team in pre-season polls entering next year

The Irish return plenty of star power and could add on some of that via the portal (see Hartman, Sam) and the impressive group of incoming freshman. They most likely will not be given the high ranking they were heading into this year, but that shouldn’t matter. Expect the Irish to be ranked in the 5-10 range and maybe on the higher end than that as long as they land the quarterback that is being linked to them.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire