SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame’s standing as the No. 103 FBS team nationally in sacks, out of 132, would suggest its pass rush a quarter of the way through its 2023 season is close to being non-existent.
Its status as the nation’s No. 4 team in pass-efficiency defense and its vast improvement in turnovers gained from last season (98th to 14th) would argue otherwise.
“If it generates interceptions and great pass-efficiency defense, I’m great with it,” Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman said during his weekly Monday press conference, looking ahead to Saturday’s home game with Central Michigan (2:30 EDT; Peacock streaming).
“I had to talk to [defensive line coach Al Washington]: ‘Don’t get frustrated with the numbers.’ We can sometimes be outcome-driven. What is the number of sacks? Let’s look at how many times we hit the quarterback, how we affected him with our coverages and really look at the interceptions that are a result of the pressure you got on him.”
The Irish (3-0) did pressure a sixth-year collegian and fourth-year starter, Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong, into a 47% completion rate and a career-high three-interceptions in a 45-24 road win at soggy NC State, Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
They also limited Armstrong, a player who’s led his team in rushing the past three seasons, to a benign 26 yards on 12 carries.
But the Irish, ranked ninth after handing the Wolfpack (1-1) its first non-conference home loss in 10 years, only accrued one sack — its fourth of the season. That puts Notre Dame on pace to amass 17 over a 13-game season. That would be down 21 from last season as well as the lowest total since the 2016 team generated just 14 and the third-lowest total in the past 35 seasons.
“We were very strategic in how we wanted to rush this quarterback,” Freeman said. “We could not be out of control and just free-rush this guy. We wanted to create pass-rush lanes that forced him to do certain things.
“I’m really pleased with the execution and the outcome of what happened. I know the sack numbers weren’t what we all aspire to have, but the outcome in terms of the interceptions, in terms of the pass efficiency was exactly what we needed.”
Central Michigan presents another dual-threat starting QB, technically the fourth in four games to start the season to face ND, with plenty more of them on the Irish schedule beyond Saturday — including reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of USC.
Redshirt freshman Bert Emanuel Jr. is this week’s challenge. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound redshirt freshman and the son of former NFL wide receiver Bert Emanuel, leads the Chippewas (1-1) in rushing attempts (38), rushing yardage (142) and rushing TDs (2).
Notre Dame’s strategy has been to come at its opponents with waves of fresh defensive lineman. Saturday’s sack against the Wolfpack came from third-stringer Donovan Hinish. Another of the remaining three this season has come from another third-teamer, sophomore vyper end Josh Burnham.
Eventually Notre Dame’s linebackers figure to get into the act. The Irish scheme, much of which has yet to be fully deployed, uses those players to blitz and in some packages just simply lines them up on the line of scrimmage to bring pressure.
“I think we have to,” Freeman said. “I have full confidence in our pass rush with four [defensive linemen]. But that’s who we are — being able to keep offenses off balance by bringing second-level linebackers but also defensive backs in terms of the pressure package, and being able to be multiple in our coverages behind it.
“That all comes into factor. Our defense has done a really good job. … The sacks will come. Just continuing to buy into what we’re trying to do defensively, because the results defensively, as a big picture, have been exactly what we wanted.”
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Remembering, honoring the past
Freeman started his press conference Monday with a nod to the 9/11 tragedies that unfolded 22 years ago. He vowed to start Monday’s team meeting with the Irish players later in the day with a history lesson.
“Because it's 22 years ago, maybe [24-year-old QB] Sam [Hartman] would be the only one [who might remember],” Freeman said. “Sam, maybe he won’t remember, being 2 years old [at the time], but I want to educate them on, really, the impact of that day.”
It certainly impacted Freeman this past summer when he visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York when in town for a run of media appearances.
“To go and see those names and to see, obviously, the place where the old World Trade Centers were located, that really had an impact on me,” he said. “And so, on this day, I want to make sure I opened up with that and really pay respect to all those that have been impacted by 9/11.”
Building toughness
There was a stretch Saturday at NC State late in the third quarter and early into the fourth in which the Wolfpack trailed 24-17 and had the ball twice with a chance to tie — one of those possessions starting on the ND 17-yard line.
The Irish ended that Wolfpack possession by coaxing a field goal, which was missed, then intercepting Amstrong on the next two times NC State had the ball. Then, the ND defense forced a turnover on downs, all while the ND offense was building a 45-17 command.
“We really did a good job in that fourth quarter of saying, ‘This is going to be who we are,’” Freeman said.
And Freeman and former director of football performance Matt Balis did an intentional job this summer of funneling the Irish toward that identity.
“I think you always try to put your players in difficult situations and see how they respond,” Freeman said.
So when Balis presided over the team runs this summer, he didn’t tell them how many “gassers” they were going to do. And if he did, and told them they were going to do, say 10?
“It [would be] ‘OK, I'm going to coast and try to get the 10.’” Freeman speculated. “Instead, just say, ‘Hey, get on the line. We'll stop when we're done.’ I think it gives them the ability to just stay locked in, in the moment, and truly not look at the finish line.
“Because when things get really, really tough, and you're just looking at the finish line, that's where you see guys tap out, guys that say, ‘Man, this is too difficult.’ But if you just stay in the moment, I think that's where you'll see a resilient bunch of guys.”
Spreading the wealth
Does Notre Dame have a go-to receiver? Does it need one?
Junior Jayden Thomas and freshman Jaden Greathouse are tied for the team lead in receptions, with eight apiece, through three games. Sixteen different players have caught at least one pass and eight of them have at least one TD reception.
“I love what we're doing, the ability to spread the ball out,” Freeman said. “You know, last year if you look at it, it was almost the Michael Mayer effect. It was if Michael Mayer’s in single coverage, you’re going to Michael Mayer.”
Mayer is now a rookie tight end with the Las Vegas Raiders after having reset virtually every career, single-season and single-game tight end receiving record at Notre Dame.
“I think the ability for us to really go through a progression, it really puts the defense at a disadvantage, because you can't just double-cover one guy,” Freeman said. “And that's the great thing about the weapons we have at tight end, at wide receiver, in the backfield. We throw to our backs too in the pass game.
“We're able to go through a progression and not just say, ‘This is the go-to guy.’ … And I think that's the beautiful part about how we're playing offensively right now, is that everybody and anybody on any play has a chance to have the ball going their way.”
Scout’s honor
Every week Freeman announces not only players of the week but scout team players on the week, the latter the player most instrumental in getting the starters ready to play their next opponent.
This week’s offensive and defensive award winners were notable. On defense it was freshman interior defensive lineman Devan Houstan, notable because it’s already the second time he’s won the award in four weeks.
On offense it’s freshman walk-on wide receiver Jordan Faison, whose primary sports is lacrosse with the intention of playing on coach Kevin Corrigan’s squad when they defend their national championship in the spring.
“Man, he's going to be a good football player for us,” Freeman said. “I keep talking to coach Corrigan. I said, ‘He's looking really good. I know he's going to play lacrosse here, but he's a good football player.’”
Leo Scheidler was scout team special teams player of the week. Tight end Holden Staes (offense), safety DJ Brown (defense) and kicker Spencer Shrader (special teams), with a school-record 54-yard field goal, were the non-scout team winners.
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