Notre Dame was dealt a harsh reality over the weekend when it lost starting quarterback Tyler Buchner for 4 months in a 26-21 loss to Marshall.

Now, as the Irish look for their first win of the season on Saturday, they will do so with Drew Pyne under center.

Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees met with reporters on Tuesday night and said Pyne was the “perfect” player to lead Notre Dame through this challenge.

“He’s going to walk in the building and do everything in his power Saturday,” Rees said, via On3

. “That’s just who the kid is, and that’s why he’s here. He has that energy. He kind of has that respect of his teammates that can inject some life into our group right now, which we need. He has that, w

hich is tremendous.

“I told him Sunday, ‘You’re the perfect guy to help us through this right now. Perfect mentality, energy, all that stuff is great.’”

Pyne replaced Buchner in the final minutes of Notre Dame’s loss to Marshall on Saturday. He threw an interception and led a touchdown drive during his limited playing time.

For his career, Pyne has completed 20-of-39 passes for 256 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He’ll be making his first career start on Saturday vs. Cal.

Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. ET.