ORLANDO, Fla. – Brandon Wimbush has one more chance to show progress this season.

Notre Dame’s first-year starting quarterback has been talking all year about leading his offense to another level. The game just needed to slow down for him a little, and then things would start to click.

He hasn’t gotten there just yet.

Wimbush completed 49.8 percent of his passes for 1,818 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 regular-season games. Though he’s struggled mightily with consistency and mechanics in the passing game, he’s found ways to win with his feet by being Notre Dame’s second-leading rusher with 765 total yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.

The Fighting Irish went 1-2 over their final three games with road losses to then-No. 7 Miami and then-No. 21 Stanford, and Wimbush committed five turnovers, including two interceptions and a fumble against the Hurricanes.

Notre Dame plays 14th-ranked LSU in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. How, and if, Wimbush has improved over the last month will dictate whether the 15th-ranked Irish can get to 10 wins.

“A lot more consistency in what he’s doing,” Brian Kelly told reporters this week. “(LSU) is gonna play man-to-man coverage and we know we’re going to have to win some matchups on the outside. We’ve got some length with (wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown) and Miles Boykin. We have to win some of those matchups and Brandon is gonna have to be effective putting the ball there.”

Wimbush has been hit or miss doing exactly that all year. In his last game against Stanford on Nov. 25, the Cardinal contained him in the pocket, forced him to pass and he completed just 39 percent of his throws.

Wimbush faced five of the top-50 pass defenses in his first year starting, and LSU ranks seventh nationally in pass efficiency defense, having only allowed nine touchdowns this season.

Not to mention, Wimbush won’t have as much help on the outside as he’d like with three of his top five targets out for this game: Chase Claypool is recovering from shoulder surgery while Kevin Stepherson and Alize Mack have been suspended.

Wimbush said after Stanford he was going “back to fundamentals” and needed to be able to be more “precise and do the little things that will affect our game and this offense in a positive manner.”

Offensive coordinator Chip Long explained further what specific kind of mechanics Wimbush has been working on leading up to the bowl game.

“It’s just with the way he grips the ball, the way he’s rotating his hips and shoulders and elbow, just all the little things that we were able to get back to in bowl prep,” Long said. “As the season goes on, you just don’t have time to get into the mechanics each week, you’re so busy preparing for the next opponent. It enabled us to step back and really work through those kinks. I think he’s done a great job with it and he expects to go out there and play well.”

The best-case scenario for Wimbush and the Irish offense would be to establish the running game early behind Josh Adams and an offensive line that was recently named best in the country. That way Wimbush would have time to get into a rhythm in the passing game.

“Having a year under your belt, that’s awesome,” Wimbush said. “You’re able to go into the bowl game with a little bit more relaxed demeanor when you’ve had that experience and you know what a college game feels like.

“You’ll see a more efficient passing game and balanced offense come January 1.”

And moving forward, Long only sees positives in the way Wimbush is progressing.

“The young man’s a winner,” Long said. “He had some rough, rough bouts but still found a way to win whether with his legs or arms. And I think he did a great job, just keeping his head into it and finding a way and learned on a lot of the great leadership we had on our offense.

“I still think his best football is ahead of him and it’s going to be fun watching him grow these next few years.”

Follow IndyStar Notre Dame Insider Laken Litman on Twitter and Instagram: @lakenlitman.

► INSIDER: Bowl offers Notre Dame chance at springboard into 2018

► MORE: 5 things to know about Citrus Bowl opponent LSU

► MORE: Irish look crisp in preparation for Citrus Bowl

NO. 15 NOTRE DAME VS. NO. 14 LSU

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Monday, Orlando, Fla.

TV: WRTV-6.