Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 APRIL 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED N otre Dame will field its third full-time defensive coordina- tor in three years next fall, with linebackers coach Clark Lea taking the reigns. His predecessor, Mike Elko, took over the na- tion's No. 63 defense ac- cording to the Fremeau E ff i c i e n c y I n d e x a n d turned it into the No. 20 unit in the land. Lea is now expected to build on that success and turn a defense that returns 10 starters into a unit that can carry the team for an entire season. Notre Dame returns an experienced and talented defensive roster. The anticipated 2018 defensive rotation contains 13 recruits graded as four-star prospects by Rivals, and another graded out as a five-star recruit. Ten of those play- ers were Rivals250 players. It's not just a highly skills and more veteran assembly, this is also arguably the deepest defensive unit that head coach Brian Kelly has had. With so many questions on offense, Notre Dame needs its defense to play at a championship level, and for that to happen there are several crucial issues that must be addressed begin- ning this spring. 1. Defend The Run Better: Notre Dame improved its rush defense last fall, trimming off 27.9 yards per game from its horrible 2016 perfor- mance — but giving up 154.5 yards per game isn't championship-caliber run defense. Notre Dame last won a national title in 1988, a year in which the defense gave up just 112.4 rush- ing yards per game. Since that season, only three na- tional champions gave up more than 130 yards per game on the ground, with Ohio State's 141.3 yards allowed per contest in 2014 the highest mark. Only seven of those 32 national champions (including co-champi- ons) gave up more than 120 yards per game on the ground. Simply put, if Notre Dame wants to get back to contending for na- tional titles its defense must get bet- ter against the run. 2. More Pressure Needed: Dur- ing Notre Dame's first eight games last fall, it played borderline cham- pionship defense, giving up just 15.3 points and 349.1 yards per game and 4.8 yards per play. A primary reason for Notre Dame's success was its abil- ity to disrupt offenses. The Irish sur- rendered only 133.3 yards per contest on the ground while averaging 2.71 sacks, 4.71 passes broken up and 6.6 quarterback hurries per game. The ability to pressure the back- field and create ball disruptions re- sulted in the Irish defense forcing 18 turnovers in the first eight games. Beginning with its 48-37 victory over Wake Forest, the defense folded in the final five games, giving up 27.2 points and 401.2 yards per contest and 5.4 yards per play. Opponents also av- eraged 215.0 rushing yards per game. The defense averaged just 1.0 sack, 3.8 passes broken up and 3.4 quarterback hurries per tilt, and did not force a single fumble in those five outings. To the surprise of no one, the de- fense forced merely two turnovers during that final five-game period. Notre Dame's inability to pressure the backfield down the stretch allowed opponents to run the ball more ef- fectively and pass the ball more effi- ciently. Opposing quarterbacks had an efficiency rating of 114.24 during the 7-1 start to the season, but had a 139.41 rating during Notre Dame's 3-2 finish. 3. Improved Safety Play Is A Must: Not get- ting after the quarterback and not being as disrup- tive in the final five games allowed opponents to ex- ploit Notre Dame's most glaring defensive weak- ness: safety play. National champion Al- abama's starting safeties combined for 11 passes de- fended (five interceptions and six broken up) in 2017. Clemson won the title in 2016, when its starting safeties combined for 16 passes defended (seven interceptions and nine broken up). Notre Dame's entire safety depth chart combined for just five passes defended in 2017, and it did not in- tercept a single pass all season. It wasn't just the pass game where the Irish safeties faltered. Notre Dame was a good tackling team in the front seven and its cornerbacks were strong in the run game. Notre Dame's safeties were far too erratic when it came to bringing down ball carriers in space. It is up to Lea and new safeties coach Terry Joseph to correct this is- sue in 2018. Step one was addressed above; better run defense and more consistent pressure on the backfield will make life easier for the Notre Dame safeties. Beyond that, the unit must start making more plays. Getting Navy transfer Alohi Gil- man eligible this season will help. Gilman had five passes broken up as a freshman starter in 2016. A year of development for starters Jalen El- liott and Nick Coleman should prove beneficial, but if they don't improve they will be challenged by Gilman, rising sophomore Jordan Genmark Heath, rising junior Devin Studstill and perhaps even incoming fresh- man Derrik Allen. ✦ Improvement Needed For Veteran Irish Defense CLOSER LOOK BRYAN DRISKELL Bryan Driskell has been a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated since April 2015. He can be reached at bdriskell@blueandgold.com. If the Irish want to play for the national title — like Georgia did this year — they will need to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA