Drew Pyne comments on struggles to get Michael Mayer the ball vs. Stanford

Notre Dame (3-3) continued its uneven play on Saturday as they fell 16-14 at home to rival Stanford.

A major factor in the defeat was the inability to unleash tight end Michael Mayer. The 6-foot-4 junior finished with five catches for 60 yards. Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne targeted Mayer 10 times on his 27 pass attempts.

Afterwards, Pyne took accountability for not getting Mayer involved enough

in the offense. Without taking credit away from Stanford’s defense, Pyne lamented not being able to make the necessary plays.

“I don’t think it was anything special,” Pyne said. “I think I’ve just got to go out there and execute and deliver the football. We get in good looks, we get in spots where Mike is one on one. And we’ve just got to execute and convert and deliver the ball.”

Pyne reiterated that Mayer needs to be a focal point even while he spreads the ball around to other players.

“I think Mike is a great target,” Pyne said. “He’s a g

reat player, and defenses have a way to try to combat that. I think when they do, like you said, I’ve got to go and find other guys, and I think there were times that tonight where I could have done that. I’m just going to learn from it, come back and execute every day at practice this week and just come back with head down and work.”

The previous week, Mayer caught 11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a win vs. BYU. In total, Mayer has 38 receptions for 411 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Next up for Notre Dame is a home matchup vs. UNLV on Oct. 22 (2:30 p.m. ET/Peacock).