Notre Dame Guards Must Step Up In Jarrett Patterson's Absence
Notre Dame's offense suffered another blow this week as veteran guard Jarrett Patterson went down with a foot sprain that will cause him to miss at least the next 10 days, which makes him questionable for the season opener against Ohio State.
Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand certainly has his hands full to get his unit ready without Patterson, who was a team captain a year ago. This isn't the first time Notre Dame has had to play without Patterson, who missed four games with a foot injury in 2020 and missed the entire spring with a torn pectoral muscle.
Senior Andrew Kristofic and sophomore Rocco Spindler are the primary guards in contention to fill Patterson's void until the veteran returns to the lineup. Although head coach Marcus Freeman said he thinks it's possible for Patterson to return, the Notre Dame line must prepare to go into the matchup against Ohio State without him.
Kristofic started the final eight games of the 2021 season at left guard and played 593 snaps (PFF). Notre Dame rushed for 80.8 yards per game (2.4 YPC) in the five games Kristofic didn't start but went for 183.5 yards per game on the ground (5.2 YPC) in the eight games he started.
He wasn't the primary reason for that, but Kristofic provided a stabilizing presence in the starting lineup, which played a role in that level of success. Kristofic wasn't a dominant player, but he did his job with greater consistency than we saw from the previous guards. Kristofic didn't allow a sack and gave up just one quarterback hit in his eight starts. He has the length and athleticism to thrive in pass protection.
If Kristofic is going to be part of an offensive line that is dominant with him in the lineup, especially against Ohio State (should that be the case), he'll need to be much better in the run game than he was a season ago. Kristofic did his job in the run game, but the ground game needs him to be more forceful at the point of attack. Simply doing his job and getting a body on a body doesn't beat Ohio State, it doesn't survive against Clemson's great defensive line, and it won't get it done in the postseason.
Spindler played just 16 snaps last season as a true freshman, all of which came in the 55-0 victory over Georgia Tech. The Michigan native looked good in that performance, handling pass protection effectively and getting a solid push in the run game. That is the area where Spindler made a name for himself as a prep player. A consensus Top 100 recruit, Spindler was a mover in the run game, and if he's going to be able to push back Kristofic he'll need to thrive in that part of the game.
Both Kristofic and Spindler were top recruits, with Spindler ranking as high as No. 65 overall nationally (On3) and Kristofic ranking No. 120 in the country (No. 124). If either can live up to that standard when Patterson is out the Irish line should remain strong until the veteran returns.
The good news for the Irish is that the line has plenty of experience playing without Patterson. A torn pectoral muscle kept him out the entire spring, which allowed Kristofic and Spindler to get work between Joe Alt (left tackle) and Zeke Correll (center). That means there will be a smooth transition from a communication and timing standpoint, which should help the line at least limit some of the communication or assignment mistakes that you often see when a veteran is replaced in the lineup.
That must continue over the next two weeks, and the replacements need to be active, aggressive and productive. Notre Dame is going to need its line to be dominant, no matter who is in the lineup.
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