Notre Dame Defense Has Been Dominant Through The First Six Games

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has his unit rolling in his third season. Through the first five games the Irish defense has been one of the nation's best. The Notre Dame defense is only allowing 12.6 points per game, which ranks 9th in the country.

After watching the Irish defense so far, one thing is apparent, this is a very fast, long and athletic defense. The veterans on defense have had an up and down season but have turned it on when the lights have been the brightest in the wins against Texas A&M and Louisville. The freshman and sophomores have showcased their speed and athleticism and have done their part into maintaining Notre Dame’s reputation of having one of the best defenses in the country.

Here's a look at where Notre Dame ranks statistically on defense as we creep up on the midway point of the season.

Pass Defense

Yards PG : 161.0 - 16th
Yards Per Att : 5.3 - 7th
Yards Per Comp : 11.3 - 60th
Comp. % : 47.0 - 2nd
TD : 5 - 24th
INT : 7 - 13th
Rating : 93.46 - 6th
Pass Breakups : 27 - 6th
Sacks : 12-97 - 37th

Mike Mickens secondary has picked up where they left off last year. Despite losing a veteran presence in Cam Hart , the return of Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts has proven to be invaluable for the Irish defense. Add the contributions from sophomore corner Christian Gray , sophomore safety Adon Shuler , freshman corner Leonard Moore and grad transfers Jordan Clark and Rod Heard , Notre Dame’s secondary is again one of the best in the country.

Through their first five games, the Notre Dame defense has allowed 161 passing yards per game which ranks 16th nationally and tallied seven interceptions on the season so far, which places them 13th in the country. Add in the 34 passes defended this season, which ranks 4th in the country behind Alabama, this secondary is off to a dominant start. Areas of concern are minimal for Golden’s defense, but they are present, and it is something that will need addressed during the bye week moving forward.

Depth in the secondary is starting to become a concern for Notre Dame. Jaden Mickey ’s departure last week has the cornerback room looking a little thin, which was on display during the Louisville game. Last Saturday, Gray was ruled out a few hours prior to kickoff with an upper body injury, which led Moore earning his first start against a top 15 team. Later in the game, Morrison headed to the locker room for a few series which placed Clark at field corner. Despite the injuries at corner, the Irish still held the Cardinals to 7-17 on third down, 1-5 on fourth down, and a 58.5 percent completion percentage for the game.

The bye week could not be coming at a better time for the team, more specifically the cornerback room, allowing Mickens more time to develop Moore and fellow true freshman Karson Hobbs and rest and recovery for Morrison, Gray, Watts, and Shuler. Dominant play in the secondary is one of the major keys to success for Notre Dame’s defense, and it will have to remain healthy for the remainder of the season to maintain this level of dominance.

The one area where statistically the Irish need the most improvement is yards allowed per completion. Notre Dame has been prone to big plays more than last season, with the Irish ranking 60th in yards allowed per completion.

Rush Defense

Yards PG : 123.0 - 49th
Yards Per Att : 3.6 - 46th
TD Allowed : 1 - 2nd
Tackles For Loss : 23-121 - 107th

Golden has been very open since the beginning that being a top rush defense in the country is not top of the priority list for him and his defense. However, there are still a few aspects of the rush defense that need addressed if the Irish are wanting to compete with some of the top offenses in the country come playoff time. Notre Dame allows 123 rushing yards per game which ranks 49th nationally. Big picture, this is not a major area of concern especially when you factor in them only allowing 12.6 points per game, but there have been teams this season that have been able to move the ball effectively on the ground against the Irish, putting them behind the eight ball in terms of time of possession.

Northern Illinois rushed the ball for 190 yards and led time of possession by almost ten minutes. In the first half of the Miami (Ohio) game, the RedHawks rushed for 75 yards and finished the game with 110 on the ground. These totals might not be earth shattering, but Miami (Ohio) had one of the worst rushing offenses in the country, which causes some concern for Notre Dame’s defense if they want to compete with the Alabama’s and Ohio States of the world.

As a whole, Notre Dame allows 284 total yards per game which puts them 18th nationally. They have tallied seven interceptions, six forced fumbles, which ranks them tied for 14th nationally, and twelve sacks (2.4 sacks per game) which ranks 37th in the nation. Opponents only convert 28.6 percent on third down which is tied for 10th in the country and allow scores 72.7 percent of the time in the red zone, which is tied for 22nd nationally through five games. So, what does all of this mean? Notre Dame’s defense is good again, really good, but this is not a finished product yet by any means. This bye week is crucial for rest, recovery, and development of young players, and if the defense can maintain this level of dominance, points will be hard to come by for any opponent they face.

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