Possible ‘turning point’ for Notre Dame defense comes at the right time
SOUTH BEND — Kyle Hamilton drew the curtains on a takedown of Purdue as he barrel-rolled in Notre Dame Stadium’s south end zone, the football cradled in his arms after snatching it out the air for an interception.
All in one motion, the junior safety rose, faced the crowd, pantomimed a pouring motion in one hand and threw his arms upward as teammates greeted him.
A 27-13 victory over Purdue, punctuated. A weight lifted off the shoulders. And not just his.
“There were a bunch of question marks around our defense this past week,” Hamilton said. “It was a little annoying, seeing the work we put in throughout the summer and understanding it’s the first two games with a new defensive coordinator and that we were 2-0.”
Public angst was indeed prevalent, though not unwarranted. The Irish’s defense allowed four plays of 60-plus yards – one more than they surrendered in the prior four seasons – in wins over Florida State and Toledo where they couldn’t protect fourth-quarter leads. There were coverages busts and missed tackles. Pressure vanished at times. Havoc plays did too.
All told, it was uncharacteristic. A pair of claustrophobic wins with defensive lapses and blocking concerns didn’t provide much reason to think the Irish could get through the late September and October meat of their schedule without severe dents in the armor.
It’s not that Notre Dame’s defense lacked self-belief, even after two bumpy wins. But it was missing something. Like attention to detail, fifth-year senior defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa volunteered postgame. And urgency, head coach Brian Kelly admitted after a 32-29 escape vs. Toledo last week.
“We were still in a good spot, but we just had to come out and let everybody know what we’re about,” Hamilton said. “Not just to prove to everyone else, but to ourselves.”
This victory, while still showcasing many of the Irish’s flaws, demonstrated some growth too. Notre Dame might not have a consistent offense yet, but it took a step toward being a stout defense. And with the next three opponents not known for their offensive firepower either, that could be enough for surviving a difficult stretch of the schedule.
With the exception of a 75-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter, Notre Dame threw a butterfly net on Purdue’s offense. The Boilermakers averaged just 4.4 yards per play, were 4-for-16 on third down and had no interest in pushing the ball down the field.
Notre Dame broke up seven passes, intercepted two more, recorded three sacks and had eight quarterback hurries. Outside of that one touchdown drive, the Irish allowed only four plays longer than 10 yards.
“We’re going to give up big plays at times because of how aggressive we are,” Hamilton said. “It’s a plus-minus defense, and we’ll have a lot of pluses as we get more comfortable with it.”
Unlike the first two weeks, that trade-off was easier to notice and to appreciate. Especially late in the game, when the defense authored a different script than it did in its prior two wins.
“Our focus was on making sure we close out in the third and fourth quarters,” Tagovailoa-Amosa said.
Instead of wilting down the stretch, Notre Dame appeared more energized. Purdue didn’t score in the final 22 minutes and converted zero third downs in that span. After the Boilermakers’ lone touchdown march sliced Notre Dame’s lead to four midway through the third quarter, their next three drives totaled 40 yards on 15 plays. Their last two possessions ended with interceptions.
The Irish rotated more often in the secondary and on the defensive line, hoping to keep starters fresh for 60 minutes. The second-team defensive line was active in its opportunities. Notre Dame’s third-down dime package (six defensive backs) blanketed Purdue’s passing attack. The Irish simply having six defensive backs they trust in those spots is a sign of growth.
“This was an improvement, and there were going to be some growing pains, but we did it through some wins,” Kelly said. “We've got an ACC win, a win against a really good MAC team, and we got a Big Ten win as we continue to grow and develop.”
Notre Dame’s offense has more growth to do if it wants to put up points against its next two opponents, Wisconsin and Cincinnati, and their strong defenses. Run blocking was better, but still not a positive. Its passing offense was boom-or-bust, with more of the latter.
The Irish’s defense, though, demonstrated enough progress against Purdue to usher in optimism it can win low-scoring bouts against the Badgers and Bearcats. If that has to be Notre Dame’s identity for now, so be it. Better than another game without offering a clear blueprint for beating the best teams on the schedule.
“Guys are really buying in at this point,” Hamilton said. “It’s a good turning point for the rest of the season.”
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