Jack Coan Gamble Ultimately Paid Off For Notre Dame
Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan left it all on the field on Saturday in a 37-35 loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.
He finished 38 for 68 passing for 509 yards and five touchdown passes with one interception.
Coan should rest his arm this week.
He shattered a Notre Dame bowl record for total yards. The old one was set by Jimmy Clausen, who threw for 401 yards in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl.
Coan set a Notre Dame single-game record for pass attempts and completions.
It was bookend finishes for Coan with one exception.
The Fighting Irish (11-2) pulled off a 41-38 overtime win against Florida State in the season opener. Coan was 26 of 35 for 366 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in that game. Notre Dame couldn’t run the ball effectively in either game. It’s one of the reasons why they almost lost the Florida State game and it's a big reason they couldn’t get it done against OSU.
The Fighting Irish ran for 65 yards against FSU and 42 yards against the Cowboys.
It was a strange quarterback year.
Coan was super effective in the second half of the season against a weak schedule.
He was also the biggest reason Notre Dame was able to jump out to a 28-7 lead against Oklahoma State, passing for 342 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
Because the Fighting Irish couldn’t effectively run the ball against good teams with Coan in the game, which wasn’t his fault, he was working at a disadvantage for much of the season.
He struggled in games against Toledo (until he led Notre Dame to the winning score), Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech (again, until he led the Irish to a game-winning scoring drive). Had Notre Dame recovered the onside kick against OSU, there is a good chance he would’ve led them to a score.
Coan was rejuvenated with the up-tempo offense that Notre Dame unveiled against USC. The Fighting Irish used it frequently over the last half of the season, and he played his best football.
The season-ending loss was rough, though.
Coan deserved a better send-off.
The fact that Notre Dame abandoned the running game against Oklahoma State and didn’t even try to bring in Tyler Buchner, which they had done in every game in the second of the season, didn’t put him in the best chance to succeed.
The low ebb of the season came before the Virginia Tech game when it looked there could be a change at quarterback.
Coan solidified his hold on the job when he led Notre Dame to two scoring drives in the final 3:55, helping them to a 32-29 victory.
Without Coan, Notre Dame doesn’t get to the Fiesta Bowl.
Overall, the gamble paid off for Notre Dame.
Taking Coan in the transfer portal helped them bridge a year where Drew Pyne, who saw mop-up action in four games in 2020, was their most experienced quarterback.
Coan isn’t on the NFL draft radar but he’d certainly be someone that would be worth looking at. He has a great arm, he makes quick reads, he’s accurate and he’s resilient.
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