(Photo: Chad Ryan)
Don’t give up yards and don’t give up points. Two goals of every defense and a mantra imprinted on the brains of defensive coordinators everywhere. Notre Dame football 2024 is playing fierce and unrelenting defense, and they are excelling in both areas. In fact Notre Dame on track to have a historically good season in both categories.
Through nine games the Irish are giving up an average of just 274.6 yards per game. That is the 7th best mark in the nation. If it stands it would be the best mark for a Notre Dame defense since 1996. The 1996 team, led by Renaldo Wynn, Kory Minor and Allen Rossum was coordinated by Bob Davie. The ’96 team notched a school record 41.5 sacks and held teams to just 270 yards per game.
The 2024 Irish are limiting their opponents to just 11.1 points per game, the 3rd best number in the nation. That is a level of defensive prowess not seen around South Bend since 1980 when ND allowed just 10.1 points per game. That defense was led by the incomparable Bob Crable who is Notre Dame’s all time career leader in tackles. The 1980 defense was coordinated by the legendary Joe Yonto.
Notre Dame’s defensive prowess was on full display this past weekend against Florida State. On a day that saw the Irish tie a Notre Dame Stadium record by recording eight sacks, the Seminoles were limited to just a field goal and a mere 208 yards of total offense.
The Irish defense also picked off two passes. One of those ended in a a 79 yard touchdown return by sophomore safety Luke Talich. FSU’s passing attack was anemic, 10-24 for 88 yards.
It’s all par for the course for defensive coordinator Al Golden’s troops this season.
When asked post game about how completely ND’s defense shut down the Seminole passing attack, safety Jordan Clark, who notched the other interception, credited a combination of excellent coverage by the back seven but also a relentless pass rush, “yeah the boy’s up front were hunting all night.” He also had words of praise for his defensive coordinator’s ability to adjust as the game goes on, “when you have a guy at the helm like Al Golden it’s not going to take him too long to figure things out.”
Senior defensive tackle Rylie Mills had three sacks all by himself and has been terrorizing offenses the last few weeks. After being asked about his favorite sack celebrations, he pretty well summed up what the Irish defense has been doing to opponents in 2024. “As a defense we are bringing the boom”.
Pass rush, instinctual and punishing linebackers and a lockdown secondary,the Irish seemingly are a complete and well coached group. its a formula that is getting the Irish noticed nationally as they ascend in the polls. To be certain, ND’s defense is performing at as high a level as it has in many years.
Certainly it is just a little cliche to say that “defense wins championships”. None the less for this season’s Irish, mark defense off your list of what the Irish need to finish as an elite team in 2024.