A big reason for Notre Dame’s struggles on defense was the process of adjusting to new defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Notre Dame needed time to get comfortable in the new scheme. Miami dominated the Irish’s defense, and so did a great Texas A&M offense. The first two opponents for the Irish scored when they needed to. The Irish’s defense looked out of place consistently. Notre Dame could not stop a nosebleed in the first two weeks.
Michael Chen of Fighting Irish Wire provided his thoughts on whether the Irish are more comfortable in their scheme now defensively. Here are his thoughts on Notre Dame’s recent change in mindset on defense:
“What’s different now is the comfort that the players have gained in playing in the new system. While Al Golden looked like he left his former unit ready to be an elite group, you could tell they were thinking too much early on. Now it’s all about reaction, swarming to the ball, and much better tackling. It took a few weeks before they gelled, but they look like a unit that could carry the Irish if the offense struggles.”
After Texas A&M, Notre Dame’s defense played with more confidence, and it made their performance more successful. North Carolina State scored 33 points in 4 of their 7 games this season, and against Notre Dame, they were held to just 7 points. In fact, the last two games, the Irish have only given up 14 total points.
Notre Dame’s offense will be the main focus for this game, but this defense can not be overlooked, and they are getting back some pivotal players from injury. USC will have its hands full with a well-balanced football team this Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Notre Dame’s defense is playing with confidence
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
