Notre Dame Defense Continues Ascent, But Must Now Readapt

How much better is Notre Dame’s defense since its 1-3 start that prompted the firing of third-year coordinator Brian VanGorder?

From a purely statistical standpoint, the Fighting Irish have risen from 103rd nationally in total defense among 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams to No. 39 after the 44-6 victory this weekend versus Army.

That’s even better than the No. 45 final ranking last season with a much more veteran crew that was led by Butkus Award winner Jaylon Smith and lineman Sheldon Day. However, the numbers themselves aren’t much different:

• In 2015, Notre Dame allowed 372.7 yards per game to rank 45th, and this season at No. 39 it’s 371.5.

• In 2015, the Irish permitted 24.1 points per game to finish 39th, and so far this year it is No. 47 at 25.5.

• The 2015 unit finished 72nd against the run with a 175.6 average, and this year it is No. 77 at 183.0. That’s what can happen when you play a couple of triple option teams. Even if you hold them nearly 100 yards under their average, they can still pile up 229 yards on the ground like Army did against the Irish, despite it resulting in only six points.

Conversely, Notre Dame is tied for 15th nationally in passing yards allowed per game (185.5), but that too is the result of playing triple-option teams that prefer not to pass. Navy was 5-of-8 for 48 yards against the Irish, while Army was 2-of-8 for 13 yards. That never hurts the passing stat line, which is why reality can’t always be defined by just the data.

The next two weeks against Virginia Tech and USC should tell a better story. The Hokies possess one of the nation’s best dual threat quarterbacks in JC transfer Jerod Evans (2,525 yards passing, 608 rushing) and they rival USC for best skill position athletes the Irish will encounter in 2016.

And speaking of the Trojans, they have been on a tear after a 1-3 start, winning their past six games, highlighted by the 26-13 upset at No. 4 Washington this weekend.

Plus, preparing for option football the past two weeks has taken away “normal” practice time for the Notre Dame team versus more traditional or conventional offenses.

“Our practice schedule is going to be a lot different in terms of our preparation, and we have to squeeze in a lot more into our practice to pick up for the loss of those types of reps that you would normally get over the last couple weeks,” said Irish head coach Brian Kelly during Sunday’s teleconference. “The practice schedule will look a lot different from what they're used to over the couple few weeks and require a lot more attention to detail.”

The defensive staff that is led by interim coordinator Greg Hudson and linebackers coach Mike Elston has not been evaluated so much by raw stats but in the upgrade of preparation, morale and execution. It has kept everything a little more streamlined, but also has game-planned to specific scheme, such as shifting freshman cornerback Julian Love to free safety against Army. He was a specific fit for that alignment, but will be back at corner this week.

“First and foremost, a very detailed, organized plan, well-coached during the week of practice, a focus on the fundamentals, and in-game adjustments that have been followed through by the players,” said Kelly of what the current defensive regime is providing.

“So I think just a coordinated effort that has seen this defense get better and better. I think the utilization of some more of the freshmen that have really matured and have gotten better … they've gotten more and more playing time. But I think all of that has come together through really good preparation, great morale, and at the end of the day, kids executing the game plan.”

News & Notes

• Kelly is relieved that beyond the normal bumps and bruises, Notre Dame’s physical health after playing triple-option teams in back-to-back weeks is such that “there’s nobody that won’t be able to play against Virginia Tech.”

Meanwhile, junior nose guard Daniel Cage, who suffered a concussion during the Oct. 29 win against Miami and has been unable to suit up the past two weeks against Navy and Army, was examined on Friday by Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, a renowned specialist who is the National Director of The Sports Neurology Clinic at The CORE Institute in Brighton, Mich.

“Don't feel like there's anything that we're missing,” said Kelly of the response to the evaluation on Cage. “We'll monitor his progress from a day-to-day standpoint and see how he continues to feel. It's really now just a matter of him feeling good and comfortable to the point where we can progress him.

“…I think he feels much better that there's nothing more there than him just feeling better each day.”

• The stat sheet from the Army game showed “Jones” with three solo tackles. However, they were credited not to projected high NFL pick and fifth-year senior nose guard Jarron Jones (who had a solo and assist in limited snaps), but freshman brother and outside linebacker Jamir Jones.

“His physical traits are ones that we have been very impressed with,” said Kelly of the younger Jones. “We think he's going to come on quite quickly for us in the spring and over the summer where he can be a very valuable player for us. He played very, very physical for us — some big hits on our special teams. He's just a young man that's going to continue to grow and be a big part of what we do."

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