Cole Luke Becoming Cornerstone Of Notre Dame Defense
It takes a lot of rock to build a cornerstone. In the case of the 2016 Notre Dame defense, its cornerstone, literally and figuratively, is senior cornerback Cole Luke.
Other than Luke, the back end of the Fighting Irish defense is replete with myriad question marks.
Will senior safety Max Redfield actualize his vast skills in his fourth season the way previous safeties such as Harrison Smith (2012 first-round pick) and Zeke Motta (2012 MVP on defense) did after being tagged as “inconsistent” their first three years?
Can junior strong safety Drue Tranquill have a full season of health after undergoing ACL surgery each of the past two seasons on different knees?
With junior Nick Watkins sidelined for a month with an arm injury, can sophomores Shaun Crawford (mainly the nickel) and Nick Coleman — along with a bevy of seven true freshmen at safety and corner — provide necessary and quality reinforcements despite their youth?
And then there is Luke, the lone figure on offense and defense to start all 26 games the past two years (defensive lineman Isaac Rochell has started 25 and played extensively in the 26th). Luke’s 826 snaps taken in 2015 (63.5 per game) were the second-most among all returning Irish players, behind only All-America left tackle Mike McGlinchey’s 839 on offense.
The left side of McGlinchey and guard Quenton Nelson is expected to be the No. 1 strength on the 2016 team, while the presence of Luke on defense might vie for the runner-up spot. In one-on-one and team drills against a relatively young Irish receiving corps, Luke has been dominant with his footwork, coverage and timing.
Head coach Brian Kelly and his staff have three player categories on the roster: those that are in development, those that can play “winning” football, and those who reach “championship” level. Luke has been closing the gap on the latter this August.
“He’s mastered his technique,” Kelly said. “He’s always been one of our smartest defensive players, but he’s never translated the smarts with his technique… He’s not a blazer, he’s got good speed, but now he’s translated that really sound technique and he just puts himself in really good position to break on the ball, stay on top of it and he’s playing physical. We expect him to have a really big year.”
Second-year defensive backs coach Todd Lyght — a two-time consensus All-American at Notre Dame (1989-90) and a Pro Bowl player on a Super Bowl champion — expected it after watching Luke the first time in the spring of 2015, referring to him as “tremendous” with his instincts and one who can “make seven-plus interceptions in a season.”
That’s because as a sophomore Luke’s 11 passes broken up were the third best in one season at Notre Dame, and he added four interceptions. The 15 passes Luke defensed were the most at Notre Dame in 36 years while holding his own, and then some, against five receivers who would be drafted in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft.
Yet last year, when Luke and eventual third-round pick KeiVarae Russell were rated among the top-5 corner tandems in the country by various outlets, his numbers fell by double to two interceptions, five passes broken up and seven passes defensed. Each category paced the team … but more was expected.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you,” said Luke of his drop in production despite the return of Russell from suspension “I get that question a lot and all it comes down to is how much I want it, I guess. I don’t want to say I didn’t want it last year … we had the same amount of opportunities, I just capitalized on them more (in 2014).
“Last year there were a few situations I was in position — I just didn’t finish on the ball well. It’s all about me wanting it. I think in my sophomore year I went and got stuff a lot more than I did last year. It’s not something in the moment where I’m going to let this play go … It’s just looking back on film and seeing, ‘I actually could have made a play here.’ ”
One theory Luke has had was that in game 2 at Virginia, a hard fought 34-27 Irish win, Notre Dame gave up several huge completions (42, 38 and 34 yards), plus lost several jump-balls, that might have created some crisis of confidence. Yielding 83- and 75-yard TD passes to USC in an Irish win several weeks later exacerbated it and subconsciously might have created some tentativeness.
“That could be a part of it,” Luke admitted. “I know halfway through the season we did give up a lot of explosive plays, so that could have been a reason why we were not as aggressive. One thing I learned— it’s going to happen. That’s football, so I can’t really let my aggressiveness slip.
“You have to stay aggressive no matter what, that’s just your position. That’s what corners do. D-linemen mess up, [it’s a] first down maybe. Linebackers mess up, 15-yard gain. But if you mess up as a defensive back, it’s a touchdown. That’s just something we have to understand.”
Maintaining poise is a cornerstone of any top corner, and that’s another attribute Luke said he is trying to improve because giving up completions in college or pro football is as much in the job description as the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball failing seven times out of 10 at bats.
“I get extremely pissed,” he said of getting beat. “If you don’t get pissed I feel like you’re not taking your job seriously. I try to let it go as much as I can and move on to the next play because it will affect you later [in the game]. After the game, I will be heated for sure. During the game I have to keep my composure.”
Crawford’s presence at nickel could aid the overall defense’s ability to play stronger in man coverage, according to Luke.
“The good thing is Shaun can cover but he’s also a physical player,” Luke said. “Personally, I think we can play nickel every single down regardless of the down and distance. He’s definitely adding another aspect to our defense.”
While Luke or anyone else in the defensive backfield will not match the chatterbox personality of Russell, he has taken on a more vocal role, especially because of the youth movement on the back end.
“I don’t want to talk too much,” Luke said. “I need to say what’s effective and make it clear so they’re not always just hearing me blah, blah, blah. If you talk too much … be clear, concise, to the point so they know what they need to know and we can move forward. So they know that when I’m talking to them, it’s actually important.”
Defensive backs are often popular scapegoats when it comes to breakdowns, which is why one must be a rock with mental toughness.
“It’s not an easy job, but when you do well at it, you really feel good,” Luke said.
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