Back on Track: How the Notre Dame Defense has Been Reinvigorated
- Brenden Duffy
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Following back-to-back losses against the current third and ninth-ranked teams in the country, Notre Dame fans, myself included, raised questions about the Irish defense under first-year Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash.
In the five games since the home loss against Texas A&M, the Notre Dame defense has been flying around the field for the most part. This past week, we saw them hold the top offense in the country to a season-low 24 points. Late last month, the Irish defense traveled down to Arkansas and held the Razorbacks' offense to just 13 points, an offense that has scored at least 31 in every other game. Below is a comparison of the key defensive stats after two games and after seven games, with their respective national ranking:
Points per game allowed: 34 (tied-118th) → 21.3 (tied-45th)
Total yards per game allowed: 413.5 (108th) → 357.9 (62nd)
Pass yards per game allowed: 282.5 (126th) → 257.1 (tied-119th)
Rush yards per game allowed: 131 (68th) → 100.71 (21st)  Â
Keys to Defensive Success Across the Past Five Games:
Against the Run
The most consistent producers against the run have been LBs Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Jaiden Ausberry. S Adon Shuler has come along recently after a brutal showing at Miami. DE Boubacar Traore has been fairly consistent, with his worst outing coming against the strong Texas A&M front. In my opinion, the next two guys have been the unsung heroes in this defensive phase. After combining for just nine snaps in the Irish’s first two games, DL Elijah Hughes has consistently been a factor against the run while other interior linemen have maybe struggled. If Hughes keeps performing as a backup, he may force Ash’s hand at some point to start the USC transfer. Finally, DE Jordan Botelho has also been pretty consistent over the past few games. He somewhat struggled against USC, but having the edge rusher back after multiple serious injuries has been a welcome sight.
Pass Rush
Maybe the most drastic improvement has come in this facet after tallying just one sack in the Irish losses. In the five games since then, this group has compiled 16 sacks, including four sacks against both Boise and NC State. Traore has led the way with 5.5 sacks in the past five games, putting him over an impressive sack per game average. In addition to Traore, I would say the most consistent pass rush producers have been Bryce Young, Donovan Hinish, Viliamu-Asa, Botelho, and Jared Dawson. DE Junior Tuihalamaka has performed in his limited playing time after struggling at Miami. LB Drayk Bowen has also been able to make an impact on his limited pass rush snaps after struggling in this area the first three games this year.
Coverage
Thanks to an improved pass rush, Notre Dame’s coverage has reaped the benefits with 12 interceptions across the past five games after coming up with just one against Miami and Texas A&M. The Irish came away with four picks against Boise State and three against NC State. S Luke Talich leads the team during this span with three interceptions, while CB Leonard Moore has two after missing the Purdue and Arkansas games with an injury. CB Christian Gray is Christian Gray. It is truly a 50/50 chance on whether he will give up a big gain or come down with a clutch interception or pass breakup every time he is targeted. I think the Irish defense has learned to live with the highs and lows that come with the junior CB. Freshman nickelback Dallas Golden has really impressed after not playing in the first two games. Arguably, he just had his best game of the season against the number one pass offense in the country, a great sign for the future. Moore is him, not much else needs to be said. Bowen has been locking down the middle the past three games, with three receptions allowed for just nine yards across six targets and a pass breakup against USC. Shuler has done well in coverage this season, outside of the corner touchdown allowed to the Trojans' TE last week. Another freshman who has come out this season is S Tae Johnson, who has started each week after Texas A&M. He did not play great against USC, but he held his own enough to start envisioning an elite Notre Dame secondary coming soon with the amount of young talent.
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