Brian Kelly botched the quarterback decision from the jump

Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans realized that maybe head coach Brian Kelly was wrong and that Drew Pyne should have started at quarterback from the get-go.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s chances of making it to the College Football Playoff just became much more difficult. On Saturday, the Fighting Irish were shut out in the first half 17-0 and ended up losing 24-13 to the Cincinnati Bearcats at Notre Dame Stadium.

Head coach Brian Kelly has a conundrum on his hands when it comes to the quarterback position. Jack Coan and Tyler Buchner threw brutal interceptions in the first half. Once Drew Pyne came off the bench in the second half, the Fighting Irish offense came to life.

Kelly may have learned that Pyne should have been the starter from the get-go.

Drew Pyne helps Notre Dame come to life in second half

Pyne’s first drive of the second half lasted for nine plays, but they were unable to convert on fourth-and-five on Cincinnati’s 30-yard line. From there, Pyne got into a groove. Following a Cincinnati fumble, the quarterback needed four plays to help the Fighting Irish get on the board, courtesy of a three-yard touchdown run by Kyren Williams.

In the fourth quarter Pyne threw a beautiful 32-yard touchdown pass to Braden Lenzy in the end zone to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 17-14.

Unfortunately for Notre Dame, it was too late, as the Bearcats scored a touchdown immediately to clinch the victory.

In a limited amount of playing time, Pyne has shown that he has the tools to eventually lead the Fighting Irish offense. Just last week, the signal caller completed 6-of-8 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in the 41-13 win over the Wisconsin Badgers.

Notre Dame will look to get back in the win column next Saturday when they play the Virginia Tech Hokies. If Kelly wants to win out for the remainder of the season, then he must consider making a change at quarterback.

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