How Does The 2019 Irish Defense Compare To Previous Iterations Under Kelly?
In 2012, Notre Dame gave up just 12.8 points per game, which ranked second in the nation, and the team made its first and only trip to the BCS National Championship game.
Of course, that resulted in a 42-14 loss to Alabama in the Orange Bowl, but that defense, led by senior linebacker and Heisman Trophy runner-up Manti Te'o, is still remembered fondly by Fighting Irish faithful.
But, for as great as that Notre Dame defense was, the 2019 iteration was may have been even better.
By looking at ESPN's Team Defense Efficiency rankings for each of the 10 seasons under Brian Kelly, the 2019 defense reigns supreme, finishing No. 5 overall.
It's the only Notre Dame defense during that time span to have a single-digit ranking and has the highest rating of 84.3. The Irish have finished 10th twice under Kelly in both 2012 and 2017, but the former actually had a higher defensive rating of 81.2.
It's worth noting that the team efficiencies are based on "the point contributions of each unit to the team's scoring margin, on a per-play basis." Its also weighted based on a team's strength of schedule and adjusts for garbage time.
Notre Dame's Defensive Ranking Under Kelly According To ESPN Team Efficiencies
• 2010 - Defensive Rating: 71.2 - Overall Ranking: 19th
• 2011 - Defensive Rating: 70.0 - Overall Ranking: 23rd
• 2012 - Defensive Rating: 81.2 - Overall Ranking: 10th
• 2013 - Defensive Rating: 58.6 - Overall Ranking: 49th
• 2014 - Defensive Rating: 50.3 - Overall Ranking: 61st
• 2015 - Defensive Rating: 54.1 - Overall Ranking: 61st
• 2016 - Defensive Rating: 57.5 - Overall Ranking: 46th
• 2017 - Defensive Rating: 79.9 - Overall Ranking: 10th
• 2018 - Defensive Rating: 80.3 - Overall Ranking: 11th
• 2019 - Defensive Rating: 84.3 - Overall Ranking: 5th
While ESPN's Team Defense Efficiency rankings may have the 2019 defense as the best Notre Dame had to offer over the past decade, it also shows how far the Fighting Irish are from joining truly elite defenses.
With their defensive rating of 84.3, Notre Dame is actually closer to No. 17 South Carolina (73.9) than they are to current No. 1 Clemson (95.3). Behind the Tigers is No. 2 Georgia (88.8), No. 3 Auburn (88.3) and No. 4 Ohio State (88.0). Meanwhile, Notre Dame is barely ahead of No. 6 Utah (84.3 compared to 84.2).
The good news is that this is not the only advanced metric to view the Irish defense favorably.
Football Outsiders 2019 DFEI Defense Ratings, which represents "the per-possession scoring advantage a team's defense would be expected to have on a neutral field against an average offense," also rated the Notre Dame defense fifth overall behind the same four teams: Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Auburn.
But based on this metric, the 2012 defense actually looks slightly better than 2019. 2012 has a higher DFEI (1.01 to a .92). It also ranked higher overall, at No. 4 in the FBS behind Alabama, Florida and Michigan State.
2010 was the only other time in the Kelly era that the Notre Dame defense finished in the top 10 DFEI Defensive Rating.
Notre Dame's DFEI Defense Ratings Under Kelly According To Football Outsiders
• 2010 - DFEI: .84 - Overall Ranking: 9th
• 2011 - DFEI: .72 - Overall Ranking: 15th
• 2012 - DFEI: 1.01 - Overall Ranking: 4th
• 2013 - DFEI: .27 - Overall Ranking: 45th
• 2014 - DFEI: -.07 - Overall Ranking: 65th
• 2015 - DFEI: .08 - Overall Ranking: 58th
• 2016 - DFEI: -.07 - Overall Ranking: 54th
• 2017 - DFEI: .70 - Overall Ranking: 11th
• 2018 - DFEI: .64 - Overall Ranking: 16th
• 2019 - DFEI: .92 - Overall Ranking: 5th
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