If it doesn’t get any worse than this, Irish fans will be relieved. Losing starting quarterback Malik Zaire for the remainder of the season after breaking his ankle during Notre Dame’s 34-27 win over Virginia is not exactly how Brian Kelly planned his season would go. Insert DeShone Kizer, who rallied the team to a last-second victory after dropping a beautiful pass right into the lap of wide receiver Will Fuller.


Early in the game, Zaire looked uncomfortable in the pocket, the opposite of how he looked and performed against Texas in week 1. Zaire was rushing his throws, and forcing passes into bad or non-existent windows. Kelly continued to praise his quarterback even after the game, citing his patience and awareness of the aggressive Virginia defense.

Notre Dame struggled on third down against the Cavaliers, converting zero of 10 attempts in Charlottesville on Saturday. With a stout Georgia Tech defense coming to South Bend next weekend, the Irish are going to have to solidify their efficiency offensively in order to keep pace with the precision offense that head coach Paul Johnson and the triple option will bring.

Having lost both your starting quarterback and tailback in consecutive weeks would be considered damning to a number of programs across the country. However, Notre Dame has great depth at almost every position. CJ Prosise has looked solid in two performances thus far, and Kizer managed the game well for the Irish and kept his composure in tough situations, ultimately leading Notre Dame to a crucial road win.

The offensive line, which was expected to be the strength for the Irish during the season, was inefficient and lost at times against Virginia. Credit head coach Mike London for putting together a very thorough and effective defensive gameplan. Although his defense gave up 460 yards of total offense, he was able to keep the Irish scoreless in the second quarter, where the Cavaliers headed into halftime with a 14-12 lead against the 9th ranked team in the country.

Defensively, the Jaylon Smith show continues. Brian VanGorder is using him in a multitude of ways, allowing his skill set to truly shine in Notre Dame’s hybrid defense. The Irish gave Virginia multiple looks defensively, mixing in both 3-man and 4-man fronts during the game. Out of all three defensive units, the front seven looked the most efficient. Smith led the way with his explosiveness and great tackling, and Sheldon Day was efficient in shedding blocks and opening up holes for the linebackers. 

This is DeShone Kizer’s offense to run now, and he’s not without help all across the board. Wide receiver Will Fuller is the unquestioned premiere target in the passing game, but the offense has relied heavily on his talents quite a bit early on this season. Notre Dame could find themselves in trouble if Kizer can’t find ways to spread the ball to other receivers in the passing game more efficiently.

Running back CJ Prosise looked fantastic in week 2, rushing for 155 yards on 17 carries stepping in for the injured Taurean Falston, who’s lost for the season with a torn ACL. Prosise was expected to get a handful of touches per game this season, but has now been thrown into the fire due to injury. Head coach Brian Kelly has spoken highly about his play thus far, and a home game against a stingy Georgia Tech defense will surely be a big test for the young tailback.

Defensively, the Irish are coming into their own. A unit that has returned nine starters from their 2014 campaign, have looked efficient and relatively consistent. This isn’t the 2012 defense that led the Irish to a National Championship Game appearance by any means, but the talent level might be the best it’s been during the Kelly era, and Jaylon Smith is a world-class player in every area of the game.

Looking ahead, the Irish’s schedule doesn’t get any easier. A home game against Georgia Tech is yet another early test in a season that Notre Dame expects to end in a playoff berth. The Irish will get one more home game against Massachusetts before heading to South Carolina to play Clemson in what’s expected to be a pivotal game for both team’s seasons moving forward.

Injuries have hurt the Irish early on this season, much like 2014, but haven’t crippled them...yet. It’s still early, and both the offensive and defensive units are beginning to gel at the right times, but they’re not out of the fire yet. A tough schedule and a new quarterback under center is going to be a tough adjustment. The next three weeks will be the tell-all for what the 2015 season could end up as, it’s up to the Irish to define what that means.

 

You can follow Chris on Twitter @warontheweekend where he’ll keep you up to date with all the happenings regarding Notre Dame Football & Recruiting.  Chris is also a national recruiting expert for 247sports.com