Notre Dame Pass Game Will Have A Different Look In 2023
Notre Dame will look a lot differently on offense in 2023, there is no doubt about that. The Fighting Irish will have a new coordinator, a new quarterbacks coach, a new offensive line coach, a new quarterback and All-American tight end Michael Mayer is one of four starters that have departed.
Beyond the personnel, the Irish offense will have some wrinkles that look quite different, and the emphasis on offense will change in 2023. Make no mistake, a team coached by Marcus Freeman is going to look to run the football, but Freeman knows that his offense must be far more balanced than it was in his first season.
While the run game will be at the foundation of the offense, the pass game must not only serve as a better complement to the ground attack, it must become a more dangerous part of the offense.
Changes are being made to the pass game under new coordinator Gerad Parker in order to better complement the run game and give defenses a lot more to worry about.
"At some point (you have to) start doing some RPOS," Freeman told Irish Breakdown when asked about improving the pass game. "Instead of just saying, 'Hey, we're going to run the ball when we want, we're going to put the defense in a run-pass conflict. That's something that we've really implemented in the spring saying, 'Okay, let's stop trying to block this extra defender and let's just read them."
Notre Dame has some some RPOs in the past, even going back to former coordinators Chip Long and Mike Denbrock. They have not, however, been an overly featured part of the offense, especially in 2022. The staff changes and the addition of Sam Hartman at quarterback give Notre Dame plenty of additions that know what it takes to have a successful RPO game.
"That's something that a couple of our coaches have had experience doing, and it's good man. It really puts the defense in a conflict in terms of how aggressive we're going to play the run versus we have to bounce, which creates run lanes," Freeman explained. "If you're not triggering and running through gaps, you're just going to create some type of a lane for an offensive guy to run through.
"That's been the biggest enhancement of taking the free access that the defense has given us as an offense," continued the Irish head coach. "Implementing some RPOs, but also being able to say, 'Okay, hey, if we need to get the big people to run the ball let's run the ball. That's who we are."
Freeman noted that if the defense wants to continue giving the offense the free access throws (RPOs) in an attempt to stop the run game, the offense will keep taking it. Like most coaches, Freeman views the RPO game as much as an extension of the run game as it is a part of the pass offense.
It's about putting defenses in difficult decision making situations.
Of course, the addition of Hartman has helped with this transition. Hartman ran a lot of RPO concepts at Wake Forest, and after needing time to adjust to the offense and his new teammates, the veteran finished the spring on a strong note.
"The best two practices he had was the Jersey scrimmage and then the spring game," Freeman said of his veteran quarterback. "He was throwing the ball around to whoever was open, and I just think he's gained confidence in our offensive scheme, in our players and even himself in terms of having confidence that we're going to make the plays that he produces up there."
On top of the RPO game, expect the Irish offense to also have a strong play-action pass game that will serve as a great complement to the ground attack as well. No quarterback in college football attempted or completed more passes of 20 yards or more past the line of scrimmage than did Hartman. Notre Dame lacked the last two seasons, and it should serve as a great complement to the run game and RPO game.
It will be fun for Notre Dame fans to watch.
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