How Notre Dame shows trust in its secondary in 2023
Notre Dame graduate cornerback Cam Hart remembers times when defensive coordinator Al Golden’s play call surprised him and his defensive back teammates.
The surprising call was usually Cover 0, otherwise known as a zero blitz. Madden players can go to the “man blitz” section for a variety of options, but the concept is always the same: Five defensive backs find their man and stick to him, while everyone else hunts the quarterback.
“There have been some tough moments where we’re like, ‘Oh, Coach is gonna call Cover 0 here?’” Hart said after practice Tuesday.
Irish graduate safety DJ Brown estimated Sept. 12 that in Week 2 against North Carolina State, Golden called man coverage 60-70 percent of the time. The data, on a whole-season basis, supports it — especially on passing downs.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Notre Dame has played man coverage 21 times on third down or fourth down in 2023, the third-highest total in the country.
While the Irish have played one more game than most other teams, SIS dictates did not play man coverage on third or fourth down at all in Week 0 against Navy. Given that a defensive strategy against Navy will be wildly different than against any other team, that game can be thrown out in this discussion.
With the way Notre Dame played that afternoon Brown referenced against the Wolfpack, and the way its pass defense has played this season, it’s hard to argue with the strategy.
On a rainy day in Raleigh, N.C., NC State graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw 47 times for 260 yards, an average of 5.5 yards per attempt. Armstrong tossed 2 passing touchdowns — one with 2:03 to play in a 45-17 game — and 3 interceptions, grabbed by three different Notre Dame players.
Brown was one of them, along with sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison and senior safety Xavier Watts. They lead a pass defense that ranks 12th in the country in opponent yards per attempt.
Brown said all that man coverage gives the secondary even more confidence than it already had.
“It shows that the coaches are confident in us,” Brown said. “We work on that. We go against our offense every day and play man. We have good DBs, good corners, good safeties and good nickels. It just shows how confident Coach Golden is in us to be able to lock down when the game is on the line.”
Another sign Golden trusts his defensive backs: the Irish are blitzing a lot on passing downs.
Also according to SIS, Notre Dame has blitzed 22 times on third or fourth down this season, second-most in the country behind San Diego State. Prorated down to three games, the number becomes 16.5.
That would be No. 6 on the list, just behind Clemson at 17 and just ahead of Vanderbilt (also played four games), Georgia State, Missouri, Southern Miss and Ole Miss.
“Knowing that [Golden is] trusting us, that’s huge,” Hart said. “That opens up a lot for the front seven that he can trust us to do what we have to do on the outside and the back end, and allow those boys to earn the right to rush the quarterback.”
This week, Notre Dame’s commitment to blitzing and playing man will be put to the test. Star junior receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka — arguably the two best in the country — are coming to South Bend. The need to get pressure on Ohio State junior quarterback Kyle McCord in his fourth career start is real, but so is the possibility of Harrison and Egbuka winning those one-on-one matchups.
“The length, the catch radius, the ability to adjust to the ball in flight,” Golden said. “[The] competitive nature of them. Lateral quickness at the top. There’s a lot of elements there that make them really good. And each has his own individual strengths. In terms of Marvin, you’re dealing with speed, length, catch radius, the ability to win a one-on-one. So, those are all challenging on game day.”
It might depend on how much Notre Dame trusts its pass rushers to rattle McCord with only four rushers. But regardless, the Irish could choose to put all their faith in their DBs once again, regardless.
If the move is more Cover 0, Hart believes his group can do it.
“We look at it as a challenge, but a challenge that we’re going to embrace,” Hart said. “We believe that we have great players, and we’re very confident in ourselves right now.”
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