Your Notre Dame Fighting Irish love has overcome slow starts and yesterday’s game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets was no exception. After a three-and-out, a Riley Leonard interception and a Tech touchdown, the Irish stepped up a gear and played three quarters of dominant football in Atlanta. While the Irish offense was smooth and efficient for much of the game, it was the defense that set the tone and established Notre Dame’s dominance. Here we’ll focus on three ways they achieved it.
Drake Bowen “A Threat to Society”
The number 34 has featured for Ireland in recent weeks as his hustle and hard hitting have made it impossible to keep him off the field, but on Saturday he was free to torment white-clad ball carriers all over the field. was given. Bowen led the Irish with nine tackles, each of which appeared to be an attempt to punish an opponent who dared to steal the ball. Bowen, who was effective against both the run and pass, recorded a PBU, multiple pressures on Zach Pylon, and a key tackle to deny Eric Singleton a first down, with the game tied at 7-7. He was forced to punt.
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From that point on, Bowen created an atmosphere of physical discomfort that was picked up by the rest of the Irish defense (which was also frequently noted by the ESPN broadcast crew). Combining the build and downhill hitting of a traditional middle linebacker with the athleticism expected of a modern position, Bowen brings a unique skill set to the Irish linebacker corps. If he can continue to fly around and hit like he did Saturday, he could become the alpha in Notre Dame’s strongest position group.
Moore shows his mettle
True freshman Leonard Moore, forced into perhaps the biggest shoes on Notre Dame’s football team, had an impressive performance at corner Saturday. Brent Key and Co. Moore almost certainly think they’re a matchup they can take advantage of, denying them all afternoon, with two of their three wins in coverage on third down. Recorded a pass breakup. Moore wasn’t afraid to make contact either, recording seven tackles, including a TFL.
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Moore’s proficiency on the edge also helps keep the Yellow Jackets from relying on their receivers on third down, with zero third-and-long conversions on the day, helping keep the Irish defense off the field. I did. Moore may not be able to replace Benjamin Morrison, but he’s playing at a high enough level that the rest of Notre Dame’s talented pass defense can perform well without him.
very dangerous safety device
Thanks in part to Moore’s effective coverage, Notre Dame’s safeties were free to do what they do best. He was roaming around the secondary, looking for an opportunity to wreak havoc. result? There were two shocking interceptions in the second half by Xavier Watts and Adon Shuler, the latter of which Shuler brought home to end the entire game. Always close to the ball and always ready to cause havoc, Notre Dame’s back-end pair haunted Georgia Tech’s play-callers like ghosts throughout the game.
Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images
Physicality up front, solid coverage on the perimeter, and a game-destroying threat in the midfield. Combine all of this and you have a Notre Dame defense that plays with a mean attitude and allows opponents to gain every yard. This should give Irish fans a lot of confidence heading into the final stretch of the schedule, even if things have been shaky at times on the offensive side of the ball.
