Pyne Stayed Prepared To Shine

By John Brice
Special Contributor

Drew Pyne was walking into Notre Dame Stadium Saturday, hours before kickoff against Marshall and before anyone knew just how important Pyne would become to the Fighting Irish’s season mere hours later.

Yet here was Notre Dame’s third-year backup signal-caller, nattily attired with a classic newsboy-cap atop his crown, bouncing, swaying and feeding off the fans’ energy as he sauntered through the iron gates.

Pyne’s belief was evident then; it has been now for time.

Coaches have openly marveled at Pyne’s disposition, second-nature leadership skills and overarching belief in both himself and his teammates around him.

Notre Dame is going to need all of that and more, now, as Pyne has become the Irish’s starting quarterback in the wake of Tyler Buchner’s season-ending shoulder injury on Buchner’s left, non-throwing arm.

Notre Dame hosts California Saturday (2:30 p.m., NBC) inside Notre Dame Stadium.

“You’re thrust into a leadership position when you’re a quarterback,” ND coach Marcus Freeman said Monday, “and you want people to be able to follow you not just through your actions, but maybe through your words and who you are as a leader.

“He’s a natural leader, has a lot of the natural QB traits that you’re looking for. I don’t see the offense changing extreme amounts.”

Long before any of this season’s early events necessitated this switch to Pyne, Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees heaped praise on the 5-foot-11.5-inch, 198-pound third-year quarterback.

“This program needs Drew Pyne,” Rees said in mid-August, when Notre Dame announced Buchner had won the starting nod. “I don’t know when, how, why or where, but this program needs him right now and is going to need him in the future.

“I cannot give him enough credit for the way (Pyne) has practiced, prepared and put himself in position to be the best version that he can be.”

Notre Dame listed true freshman quarterback Steve Angeli, a midyear-enrollee who arrived on campus in January, as Pyne’s backup; Freeman said it would be a 60:40 split between first- and second-team reps for Pyne and Angeli.

Freeman recounted how when Pyne had learned he had not won the starting quarterback that Freeman knew then Pyne was a player the Irish could trust.

“It’s what I’ve seen from the minute that I told him he wasn’t going to be QB1,” Freeman said. “I remember that conversation in my office and told him that we made a decision, but I’ve never been a part of a program where you haven’t used more than one quarterback. You don’t know when his time is going to go, but I knew it was going to come at some point. Here it is.”

A year ago Pyne helped jump-start Notre Dame’s come-from-behind win against Wisconsin at Chicago’s Soldier Field; he also nearly rallied the Irish past Cincinnati in what would become the team’s only regular-season loss.

In seven career appearances, Pyne has completed 20 of 39 passes for 256 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

“He’s always prepared like the starter; he’s prepared like a pro,” Freeman said. “That’s who Drew Pyne is and he went out (at practice Sunday) and Drew Pyne doesn’t need to be any different than who he’s always been, no matter if he was QB1 or QB2.

“He was a leader, he came out with great energy, just now he has to continue to put the execution elements to that persona that he has.”