When it mattered most, Notre Dame could count on Jonathan Doerer in 2020. Without the senior kicker, the Irish would not have beaten No. 1 Clemson in November, needing at least 16 of his 17 total points that night to pull off the upset. But when it didn’t matter as much, Notre Dame could not necessarily count on Doerer, otherwise going 11-of-18 (61.1 percent), a precipitous drop for someone who was once on track to become the most accurate kicker in Irish history.
But like just about everything, the coronavirus pandemic may have played a role in Doerer’s struggles, less an excuse than a reason for optimism for Notre Dame that the now-fifth-year kicker will return to form in the gift of an extra year of eligibility in 2021.