Navy’s triple option is sandwiched between three high-scoring, pass-first offenses on Notre Dame’s schedule. That game wasn’t just a departure from the norm. It was a swerve at a tricky time.
The No. 9 Irish (8-1) stuffed Navy in a straitjacket last weekend, holding the Mids to 3.2 yards per play. It was a get-right game following two substandard performances vs. USC and North Carolina. The Trojans averaged 6.1 yards per play vs. Notre Dame, while the Tar Heels hummed along at 7.7. Those are two of the three worst yards per play figures the Irish defense has allowed this year.
Meanwhile, this week’s opponent, Virginia, has cleared 7.0 yards per play five times in eight games against Power Five competition (plus BYU) this year. Its lowest is 5.7 yards per play Sept. 30 vs. Miami. Cavaliers quarterback Brennan Armstrong leads the country in total offense and is second in passing yards per game. He’s a game-time decision with a rib injury, but the offense is more than just him.
There’s no safer guess in college football than to assume Notre Dame won’t roll out the de facto 5-2 defense it used to stop Navy when it takes on Virginia’s pass-happy offense Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
A starker contrast of offensive identities does not exist. The Irish might go from a base defense with five men on the defensive line to five defensive backs in consecutive weeks.
That begs a natural follow-up question. What can Notre Dame take from its shutdown of Navy and apply to the rest of the season, given that it all came in a unique scheme built only for defending the Mids’ offense? The week of preparation for Navy was different too.
I asked defensive tackle Jacob Lacey the same question.
“From a defensive line standpoint, it was really the way we block destructed and got off blocks,” Lacey said. “Navy did cutting, but they also did double teams. When they did pass the ball, you have to pass rush. Carrying over that motor you have to have is going to be huge.”
Notre Dame had 15 tackles for loss, no gain or a one-yard gain vs. Navy. It pressured Navy’s quarterbacks on four of their eight dropbacks, notching two sacks. It was the best game of the year for the defensive line after two unremarkable ones. That ought to travel beyond Navy week. The Irish need it to. The more they chase the hobbled-but-dynamic Armstrong, the better Notre Dame’s chances of slowing the Cavaliers down.
You can also assume Notre Dame’s starting cornerbacks will be targeted more than once apiece. Cam Hart and Clarence Lewis will have their hands full with dynamic Virginia receivers Dontayvion Wicks and Ra’Shaun Henry, who rank No. 1 and No. 2 nationally in average depth of target (19.9 and 19.7 yards).
Notre Dame isn’t going to shut down Armstrong if he plays. It just has to keep him at bay. Despite middling coverage numbers vs. USC and North Carolina and big days from those teams’ top receivers, the Irish mitigated their damage enough to win both games. Wicks, though, is arguably the nation’s premier deep threat. Hart and Lewis have allowed some leaks downfield this year. They have to keep that to a minimum this week.
2. An open slot
Notre Dame might experiment with some new slot receiver looks to help replace Avery Davis. Perhaps that means more time for running backs Chris Tyree or Kyren Williams out there, or more 12 personnel with tight end Michael Mayer in the slot.
They’re all worth a look. But Notre Dame has the easy replacement in freshman receiver Lorenzo Styles, who will start in the slot this week. The Irish now have a wide-open path to get him on the field. He was already forging one before Davis’ injury. That sounds like a player worth giving a larger role and seeing what he can do.
Whatever the other slot plans are, they ought to be occasional complements to Styles rather than options 1B and 1C. Styles might not play quite as often as Davis did – his 497 snaps are second among Notre Dame skill players – so there will be some room for Williams, Tyree and even Mayer to run a few more routes from the slot.
Styles, though, prevents the need for full-on position switches. Notre Dame should unleash him.
3. Brian Kelly on Kyle Hamilton
Notre Dame’s head coach offered a strong rebuttal to the speculation that safety Kyle Hamilton might end his season now and declare for the NFL Draft.
“Let me be really clear on this because I think there are a bunch of narratives out there about Kyle,” Kelly said Thursday. “Kyle is not cleared medically to play. Once he's cleared medically to play, he has every intention of playing. He just hasn’t been cleared yet.”
Hamilton (knee) will not play at Virginia this week. It’s not yet clear when he will return to practice. And while Kelly did put Hamilton’s intentions to return this year out in the open, it’s worth noting in the wake of his denunciation his prior comments on the injury left the door slightly ajar for interpretation.
A sampling:
• From Nov. 1: “It’s his decision. Those aren’t easy decisions. He will lean on his family…We’re assuming everything goes right with his knee. If that’s the case, he will have all the information in front of him. We’ll support him 100 percent, whatever it is.”
• From Monday: “The family wants to get complete information, as does Kyle, before any decisions are made.”
Kelly isn’t in the wrong at all for clearing it up. Things change. New information becomes available. Him delivering a knockout blow to the nonsensical “Hamilton is being selfish if he sits out” idea is a coach looking out for his player. His distaste for it is well-considered.
Hamilton, of course, is under no obligation to say anything himself. He owes nobody an explanation or defense of how he approaches an important time in his life and the millions of dollars likely in his future.
It seems possible, though, returning has been his desire all along when considering the assurance with which Kelly broadcasted it. We know it is now. Is there much that would have changed his mind between suffering the injury and now?
Either way, Kelly confirmed we can put the speculation to bed. But one wonders if he could have helped ensure it never awoke.
4. Splash plays
Time for the updated standings in splash play, which are havoc plays with my own twist. A splash play is a sack, tackle for loss or no gain, pass breakup, interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery, third- or fourth-down stop or a goal line-stop. Here are the leaders through nine games:
• Defensive end Isaiah Foskey (21)
• Defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola (18)
• Linebacker Drew White (16)
• Defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (15)
• Linebacker J.D. Bertrand, safety Kyle Hamilton (13)
• Cornerback Cam Hart (12)
• Defensive end Justin Ademilola, linebacker Bo Bauer, nose tackle Kurt Hinish (11)
Foskey has registered multiple splash plays in every game except one (Wisconsin). Hamilton made all of his in essentially six games. Bertrand had two vs. Navy after recording one in the prior five games. Five of Hinish’s 11 came against Navy.
5. Men’s basketball opener
Notre Dame men’s basketball spent Tuesday and Wednesday securing its future. Now, onto the present and pressing task: make the NCAA tournament. It starts Saturday against Cal State Northridge (Noon ET, ACC Network Extra).
The Matadors don’t present an on-paper challenge. They’re 293rd at KenPom and have finished 230th or worse in seven straight years. They’re under the leadership of an interim coach after the university put Mark Gottfried on leave this summer amid NCAA violations. (It hired Gottfried amid an investigation into his involvement in a scandal at North Carolina State, his former employer).
Notre Dame won’t cement itself as a tournament contender by winning paycheck games and exhibitions against Division III teams. But it can offer evidence it might be a pretender if Saturday is a close call.
Last year, Notre Dame played two buy games and found itself in unwanted tussles both times. It was a sign of things to come. The Irish went 11-15 and were nowhere near the tournament discussion.
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