Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 MAY 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED N otre Dame posted some superb data when defending the pass in 2018, but according to head coach Brian Kelly there will be some changes made in 2019 that the staff hopes can make the defense even better. The Fighting Irish finished the 2018 season ranked second nationally in yards allowed per pass attempt (5.6), third in fewest passing touchdowns allowed (10), fifth in yards allowed per completion (9.8), sixth in pass ef- ficiency defense (105.57), and 10th in passes defended (76) and passes bro- ken up (64). In addition, Pro Football Focus ranked the Irish pass rush as the fourth best in the nation. Those numbers are outstanding — but Notre Dame also ranked only 40th in interceptions (12), 45th in opponent completion percentage (56.9) and 65th in third-down defense (38.9 percent). To take the defense to the next level, the Irish must become even more dis- ruptive and improve their ability to get off the field by forcing more turn- overs and third-down stops. Five of Notre Dame's opponents last season completed at least 60.5 per- cent of their passes against the Irish, and a sixth completed 59.6 percent. Just four of Notre Dame's 13 oppo- nents completed 50 percent or less of their throws. By comparison, national champion Clemson — which ranked sixth in third-down defense and 10th in completion percentage allowed — held eight of their opponents to 50 percent or lower (including the Irish). "We're spending a lot of time on press [coverage]," Kelly said April 6. "We gave up a lot of free access throws last year. We did some great things structurally defensively, which we're not changing, but some things we're adding to take away some free access throws. Press is go- ing to allow us to do that." Press coverage refers to instances when the cornerback comes up to the line prior to the snap and plays tight to the wide receiver. Free access refers to the defense lin- ing up in a manner where part of the design is to allow certain short-area throws. This is often the case when the cornerback lines up further away from the wide receiver, with the goal of giving up a short throw while pre- venting the deep ball. It is expected that the cornerback will read the quick throw, quickly close on the ball and tackle the wideout for a short gain. Allowing these types of throws is part of the reason the defense permit- ted such a high completion percent- age, which then puts the opposing offense in more manageable third- down situations. The diagram provided above is an example of an off coverage look in which the defense is giving up a free access throw. The cornerback is lined up seven yards off the ball and there is no de- fender in the "alley," which is the area between the end and the corner- back. This puts the cornerback on an island, and he would be tasked with protecting the deep throw first, and then quickly rallying and tackling the wide receiver on a short throw. Playing tighter coverage takes away the free access throws, especially when the cornerback properly pre- vents the inside release by the wide receiver. The cornerback's alignment then should prohibit the receiver from easily getting into the open alley or open on short routes. In fact, many offenses will teach their receivers to convert short routes into deeper routes when facing press coverage. Lining up tighter makes a defense more vulnerable to the deep ball, but it makes sense for Notre Dame in 2019 because it forces quarterbacks to hold onto the ball just a bit longer, which allows the pass rush to finish better. According to Pro Football Fo- cus, Notre Dame averaged 16.2 quar- terback pressures per game, which compares quite well to superpowers Clemson (16.5) and Alabama (15.3). Notre Dame, however, ended a pressure with a hit on the quar- terback on just 32.9 percent of the throws, while Clemson (40.5) and Alabama (40.4) fared much better. With the way Notre Dame rushed the quarterback last season, and with the talent it returns at end, forcing a quarterback to hold onto the ball just a split second longer — which press coverage does when executed properly — will result in even more hits on the quarterback, which could lead to more incompletions, possibly more turnovers and a higher volume of third-and-long situations. Forcing more turnovers and get- ting offenses into more third-and- longs are essential elements to Notre Dame becoming an even more effec- tive defense in 2019. ✦ Press Coverage Aids The Corners And Pass Rush 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. In an off-coverage scheme shown above, the primary purpose is to prevent getting burned deep. Notre Dame is seeking to play more press coverage in 2019 because of the pass-rushing talent it possesses. FILE PHOTO