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Expectations Overshadowed Tyler Buchner's Impact This Season

Unreasonable expectations created a narrative around Tyler Buchner that masked his true impact

Watching the narrative and discussion surrounding freshman quarterback Tyler Buchner change over the last few months has been quite interesting, which shouldn't be a surprise considering the position he plays and the talent he possesses.

When a program like Notre Dame lands a quarterback with Buchner's talent and recruiting ranking (No. 41 overall player in the 2021 class according to ESPN), it's natural that expectations would be incredibly high. Buchner's talent should excite Notre Dame fans, and his ceiling is incredibly high.

The problem, however, were the expectations.

After Buchner impressed during the spring, whether it was with big plays in the practice highlights or when he led the offense to its only touchdown drives of the Blue-Gold Game, the majority of the comments I received at Irish Breakdown were that Buchner needed to be the starter in 2021.

Buchner only fueled that fire when he ran for 26 yards and 11 yards on the first two plays of his career. He led the Irish 96 yards for a touchdown on the first drive of his career, and the hype reached an all-time high.

Expectations for Buchner skyrocketed, but what many forgot was that Buchner is a true freshman who played just one season of football in the three previous years. Buchner was brilliant during his junior season in high school, passing for 4,474 yards, rushing for 1,610 yards and accounting for 81 total touchdowns.

The issue is Buchner didn't play as a senior in high school due to California canceling the 2020 fall season due to Covid-19 fears, and played less than one game of his sophomore season due to a knee injury.

No matter how talented Buchner is, and he definitely is, that lack of experience cannot be discounted, but it appears with some it has.

At times this season Buchner showed off his elite talent, but he also showed an obvious lack of game experience. There were some head-scratching throws that proved damaging, like his interception against Cincinnati and another against Virginia Tech. They were youthful mistakes, but since Buchner forced himself onto the field so early they were also made in pivotal moments, making the reaction to them even stronger.

His most extensive action of the season perfectly encapsulated where Buchner is right now. Incredibly talented, capable of highlight reel throws and runs while at the same time very young, very inexperienced and still learning the position.

Buchner was brilliant in the first half against Virginia Tech, helping the Irish overcome a 10-0 deficit to take a 14-10 lead at the break. He completed 5-8 passes for 101 yards and rushed for 26 more yards and accounted for both first half touchdowns in the second quarter. His downfield shots to Kevin Austin Jr. and Avery Davis were things of beauty.

It seemed the Buchner era had arrived.

In the second half, after Virginia Tech had time to adjust their defensive game plan to what the offense looked like with Buchner at the helm, the talented freshman struggled and often looked confused going through his reads. He went just 1-6 for 12 yards and threw two costly interceptions. Veteran Jack Coan had to come off the bench and rally the team to victory in the fourth quarter.

Buchner's interceptions were ugly, and he had a few other really off target throws this season that led to a puzzling narrative about his inability to throw the football.

"He can't throw" is not an uncommon response I get in discussions about Buchner, even with people whose opinions I otherwise seek and respect.

Far more people than I expected began to dismiss Buchner's production, talent and good plays while focusing on his missed reads, off target throws and mistakes.

The issue isn't Buchner's arm, his mind or his talent, the problem with these takes were expectations. Buchner is already being written off by some, to the point that some actually wanted Notre Dame to pursue former USC quarterback Kedon Slovis, a player who has thrown 15 interceptions in his last 15 games. 

That would have been a disaster for Notre Dame. Coan is the present, but Buchner is the future at quarterback.

How you view his 2021 season will likely depend on what you expected from him coming into the season. If you thought he was going to win the starting job you will likely be disappointed. if you were concerned about his lack of experience in high school you might be more optimistic about his future.

That is where I am. I hoped Buchner would force his way onto the field this season, and that's exactly what he did. Talking to sources close to the program this summer and fall camp, the word that was often used was "dynamic." Not just as a runner, I think everyone believes that, but also as a passer. 

When Buchner is on in practice, according to the sources I spoke with throughout the summer and season, he's brilliant. Again, I'm talking about as a passer, not a runner. He has impressed many within the program with his ability to throw, and if that ever combines with his already game proven running ability he could be the dynamic player many hoped he would be.

Head coach Marcus Freeman confirmed that this week.

"What I see is a dude that can throw the ball. He has a great release and he can put the ball in places that I haven’t seen many people do," Freeman said of his freshman quarterback. "Then obviously we know he can escape. He has the ability to extend plays with his legs, but you just watch a freshman just grow. The decision-making, that’s the most part. When I hear Tommy [Rees] talking to Tyler or Tommy talking to any of the quarterbacks, I just listened for, hey, is it a physical thing or is it a decision-making thing? You just want to continue to see that growth in the decision-making. But he’s a talent. He’s a real talent.”

Expectations were the problem for Buchner this season, and it was highly, highly unlikely he had the experience needed to thrive as more than a change of pace player in year one, especially considering how poor the offensive line was during the first half of the season.

Despite his lack of experience, Buchner completed 60% of his passes, threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns, and averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt. He also rushed for 336 yards and three more scores, giving him 634 yards of offense (7.8 yards per play) and six touchdowns.

Compare that to Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young, who as a freshman in 2020 completed 59.1% of his passes, threw for 156 yards and one touchdown, and averaged 7.1 yards per attempt. He also had minus-23 yards rushing, which means he accounted for 133 yards of offense and one touchdown as a freshman.

As a sophomore, Young passed for 4,322 yards, completed 68% of his passes and had 43 touchdown passes while leading the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff.

Imagine that, a talented player can make a huge jump as a sophomore after getting some experience in his first season.

Buchner still has much to prove, and he will still need to beat out another talented quarterback simply to earn a starting job (Drew Pyne), but what he showed this year is that he has game changing talent to be the dynamic quarterback Notre Dame needs to take that final step as a program.

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