NOTRE DAME, Indiana — The University of Notre Dame offensive line unit has been selected as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, a distinction that annually honors the “toughest, most physical offensive line in the country.” Notre Dame won the award in 2017, and the Irish were semifinalists in 2018. The Notre Dame unit joins a group of three finalists.
The Fighting Irish lead the ACC and rank eighth in the FBS in time of possession, controlling the ball for 33:57 minutes of game time. Behind its powerful offensive line, Notre Dame won the time of possession battle in 10-of-11 games this season. The 33:57 time of possession average leads the ACC by more than two minutes per game.
On the game’s biggest downs, the Notre Dame offensive line shines its brightest, helping move the chains at a high level on third down. The Irish lead the ACC and rank ninth in the FBS in third down conversion percentage with a remarkable 49.3 success rate.
Four different Notre Dame offensive lineman have been rewarded for their stellar play by picking up ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors (RT Robert Hainsey, LT Liam Eichenberg, RG Aaron Banks, LG Tommy Kraemer), while left tackle Liam Eichenberg has been honored twice. Out of 10 regular season games, the Irish offensive line has been honored following five games. In addition to his two ACC weekly honors, Eichenberg has been named a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, while right tackle Robert Hainsey is a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.
The Notre Dame offensive line has paved the way for a 1,000 yard rusher in redshirt freshman Kyren Williams, who has collected 1,061 rushing yards through 11 games. Additionally, Notre Dame had two other players rush for 400+ yards in freshman running back Chris Tyree with 480 yards and graduate student quarterback Ian Book with 430 yards. As a unit, the Irish rank third in the ACC and 21st nationally in rushing offense (217.6 ypg).
The Irish offensive line has managed to stay a cohesive unit despite losing Preseason All-ACC First Team, Outland Watch List and Rimington Award Watch List honoree center Jarrett Patterson for the final three games of the season.