Notre Dame enters Saturday’s Senior Day matchup with Syracuse still searching for its first made field goal in 42 days a drought spanning more than 16 quarters and over four hours of game time. The last successful kick came when Noah Burnette hit a 48-yarder in a win over NC State on Oct. 11.
Since then, even extra points have become unreliable. The struggles peaked on Nov. 1 at Boston College, when all three kickers Burnette, freshman walk-on Erik Schmidt, and walk-on Marcello Diomede missed attempts. Burnette has been dealing with a lingering right-hip injury, Schmidt is still chasing his first career field goal, and Diomede has filled in sporadically.
Despite the chaos, first-year holder Tyler Buchner has drawn praise. Special teams coordinator Marty Biagi says Buchner’s execution and leadership have been steady, even after his costly muffed hold in the one-point loss to Texas A&M. Long snapper Joseph Vinci, a redshirt freshman, has also been consistent throughout the season.
Last season’s specialist trio kicker Mitch Jeter, holder Chris Salerno, and snapper Rino Monteforte, also had their ups and downs, but Jeter still delivered big kicks in the College Football Playoff, going 7-for-8 before hip problems caught up to him.
Biagi says there are no plans to replace Buchner as holder, noting his responsibilities go far beyond simply placing the ball. He acts as “the quarterback of the play,” setting alignments and communicating with the kicker just before the snap.
With the ninth-ranked Irish nearing the postseason the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff begins Dec. 19, getting the kicking unit back on track is a priority. Biagi remains hopeful that a healthier Burnette can return to early-season form, when he opened 5-for-5 on field goals and was perfect on PATs.
Across his career, Burnette has converted nearly 80% of his field-goal attempts, while Schmidt, despite having the bigger leg, remains 0-for-3 in college.
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