SOUTH BEND, Ind. —The University of Notre Dame’s young, inexperienced offensive line did just fine handling the hostile environment in the season opener at Texas A&M, a Southeastern Conference program.
Then came the home opener everyone associated with the Fighting Irish wants to forget: last Saturday’s 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois, the first Mid-American Conference representative in 11 tries to beat college football’s most powerful independent.
Two weeks into the season, Notre Dame (1-1) is languishing at No. 104 in total offense among Football Bowl Subdivision teams, and while outsiders might want to point fingers at the linemen, coaches believe there’s plenty of blame to share.
“One play it’s a running back, one play it’s an offensive lineman, one play it’s a receiver, one play we’re not making the best decision with the football. We’re all taking turns,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said. “We have to get to the point where one by one, position group by position group, we eliminate ourselves from that equation.”
The attempt to reset begins Saturday, when No. 18 Notre Dame renews its longtime in-state rivalry with a trip to Big Ten member Purdue (1-0), which was off last week.