Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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54 SEPT. 26, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED F or the new and improved Bryce Young, pass rushing is all in the game. Take the inside cross-chop move he worked several times throughout Notre Dame's win against Wisconsin Sept. 6. The setup is either a feint up-the-field move or a straight slant inside. The move is a swipe across both the offensive tackle's hands with his outside arm, hence the "cross- chop" moniker. The finish is a dip with his outside shoulder under his blocker's chest and into the B gap, where he can attack and hunt down the quarterback. It's something Young said he had in his bag in previous sea- sons, but Irish defensive line coach Charlie Partridge helped him hone the details. "When I'm selling it, it needs to be intent up the field first, and then a hard jab inside," Young said. "And then if I'm just going in, I just has to be with speed, and I have to redirect fast if they try to wash me down." Like a chess player using one move to set up the next, Young knows nothing happens in isolation. If he sees on film that an offensive tackle is vulnerable to the inside counter, he won't go to it on the first snap of the game (unless the scheme calls for it). He'll threaten his opposition's outside shoulder with his 6-foot-6 frame and freakish explosive- ness, prompting the tackle to set just a bit too far outside. When that happens, boom. Checkmate. "It's always a game," Young said. "That's what I've learned. If I beat him with speed on one rep, I know he might overset me, so now I'm going to sell him with speed and then come inside. As I've developed as a pass rusher, that's been cool to see." SOLVING THE 'PUZZLE' OF PASS RUSHING Partridge had Young doing pass-rush "labs" throughout the summer, while the junior defensive end worked on de- veloping his weekly plan of attack. The lab is basically a mock-game planning session. "Say there's a tackle in the NFL, or a tackle in college that I went against last year, I could go back and watch his reps and then mark what kind of puncher he is, how he uses his hands, what kind of setter he is, stuff like that," Young said. "And when I see a tendency, I know I can expect something when I'm out on the field." Young said he now approaches each week like the upcoming game is a "puz- zle" to be solved. His face lit up when he described his process, which he and Par- tridge workshopped to help Young pre- pare for his third season of college foot- ball. The Charlotte, N.C., native didn't want to give away all his secrets, but one could reasonably guess he thought Wis- consin senior left tackle PJ Wilkins had a tendency to overset to the outside. "I think it's just being intentional, like writing down what I see," Young said. "Patterns and statistics are impor- tant. If I see him do something multiple times, I know that's a tendency he has, and I can use that to my advantage." Through two games, per Pro Foot- ball Focus (PFF), Young was tied for the team lead in quarterback pressures with 4. He also picked up his first sack of the season against Rice Sept. 12, al- though that wasn't the result of his newfound pass rush prowess. The Owls, due to a protection mishap, chose not to block him. It's important to note, though, that neither of Notre Dame's first two games provided much op- portunity to get after the quar- terback. According to PFF, Wis- consin had just 15 true pass sets (i.e. not screens or play-action passes), of which Young was on the field for 12. Rice, an option team, did not run a single true pass set the entire game. That's why Young's pass-rush- ing numbers aren't as gaudy as they could be, despite his im- proved level of play. But as a run defender, Young has looked much better, too. Ac- cording to PFF, he leads all Notre Dame defensive linemen in stops (tackles that result in a failure for the offense) with 5. Young, who was essentially relegated to a situational pass rusher role late last year, said his "initial strike" at the point of attack is his most significant source of improvement. "If you have a good strike, it's a lot easier to manage things from there," Young said. "That has helped me make more plays." Young has developed an approach that works for him, both during the week and throughout each game. His physical transformation — Young dropped 10 pounds over the offseason, which increased his explosiveness — helps as well. If his process stays con- sistent, the results will continue to show up on Saturdays. However, that hasn't stopped his fa- ther, Notre Dame All-American and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Bryant Young, from pushing for more. "Just finishing my rushes is the big one," Young said of his dad's advice. "A pressure is cool, but sacks pay the bills." ✦ Junior defensive end Bryce Young refined his approach to rushing the passer, and it's turning him into the force Notre Dame believes he can be. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Plan Of Attack Staff writer Jack Soble has covered Notre Dame athletics for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2023. Contact him at Jack.Soble@on3.com. OFF THE DOME JACK SOBLE