Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 14, 2016 21 N otre Dame's rough start to the 2016 season resulted in head coach Brian Kelly firing third- year defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. The struggling Irish defense has improved dramatically since that decision was made. In the first four games under Van- Gorder, the Notre Dame defense gave up 33.5 points per game, 454.0 total yards per game, 201.0 rushing yards per game and 6.2 yards per play. Of- fenses also averaged 253.0 passing yards a game, 9.1 yards per pass at- tempt and 14.3 yards per completion. Opponents converted third downs at a 41.9 percent clip against Van- Gorder 's unit and converted 87.5 percent of its 16 red-zone opportuni- ties (68.8 percent touchdown rate). Notre Dame registered just one sack, 11 quarterback hurries and 11 passes broken up, and did not force a single fumble. In the four games after VanGorder was fired, Notre Dame's defense gave up just 18.3 points per game, 322.3 total yards per game, 119.3 rushing yards per game and 4.4 yards per play. Teams averaged just 2.9 yards per rush against the Irish defense dur- ing that stretch. In addition, offenses are passing for just 203.0 yards per game, 6.4 yards per attempt and 11.0 yards per completion. Opponents converted third downs at a 31.7 percent clip since VanGorder was fired, and converted just 75.0 percent of their 12 red-zone trips (58.3 percent touchdown rate). Notre Dame registered 10 sacks, 16 quar- terback hurries and 16 passes broken up, and forced seven fumbles. There are tangible reasons for the defense's improvements beyond just "simplifying the defense," which is the primary talking point during interviews with Kelly and Notre Dame's players. 1. Think Less, React More: Notre Dame's defenders are not being asked to do as much adjusting pre- snap, which is allowing them to be more confident in their post-snap as- signment. This improved confidence in what to do is resulting in Notre Dame's defenders being in better po- sition to make plays. They are playing more fundamen- tally sound defense, and combined with the scheme confidence the re- sult is a defense that makes fewer mistakes and gives up fewer big plays. In the season's first four games, the Notre Dame defense allowed 20 plays of 20 yards or more and 10 plays of 30 yards or more. In the four games following VanGorder 's dis- missal, Notre Dame gave up just 13 plays of 20 yards or more and two plays of 30 yards or more. 2. Turning The Line Loose: The first change Notre Dame made after VanGorder was fired was switching to a three-man defensive alignment. That switch better fits Notre Dame's bigger defensive line personnel. Notre Dame also installed a more aggressive philosophy, and no unit has benefited more than the line. Under VanGorder, the line was of- ten used to read and react, to take on blocks and free up the linebackers. Since his departure, Notre Dame's line has been used to attack oppos- ing offensive lines. That has resulted in fifth-year senior nose guard Jarron Jones becoming a dominant force. In the first four games, Jones had one tackle for loss. In games five through eight, Jones tallied 7.5 tackles for loss and was far more disruptive. 3. Getting Downhill: Being more aggressive with the front has made life easier on the Notre Dame line- backers. The defensive staff is also using the linebackers to play more aggressively, allowing them to attack downhill to a far greater degree than they did under VanGorder. The adjustments have allowed the linebackers to use their athleticism to beat offensive linemen to spots, to make more plays at or behind the line of scrimmage and to be more dis- ruptive against opposing run games. In the first four games the lineback- ers racked up seven tackles for loss and just one sack. The four following games resulted in 11 tackles for loss and six sacks for the linebackers. Playing downhill more and having a better feel for the scheme each week has also resulted in the linebackers being more assignment sound and more sound tacklers. 4. Coverage Adjustments: Notre Dame played a lot of man cover- age under VanGorder, and its zone schemes left the cornerbacks on an island for much of the game. Start- ing cornerbacks Cole Luke and Nick Coleman struggled mightily, to the point where Coleman was benched following Notre Dame's loss to Duke. Notre Dame now starts freshman cornerback Julian Love, and when it goes to its nickel package it has two corners in the starting lineup, with Love joined by either Donte Vaughn or Troy Pride Jr. In the four games since VanGorder was dismissed, Notre Dame has given up just two passes of more than 30 yards. The reason is an adjustment with its coverages. The Irish now employ more Cover 4 defensive looks that allow the corners to play off the ball. When it does play press, it now uses a safety to protect the corners over the top. ✦ Adjustments Key To Defensive Improvements CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL Bryan Driskell has been a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated since April 2015. He can be reached at bdriskell@blueandgold.com. Notre Dame's changes to its pass coverages have allowed freshman cornerbacks Julian Love (above), Donte Vaughn and Troy Pride Jr. to thrive. PHOTO BY RICK KIMBALL