Notre Dame Football: Power Ranking the Defenses the Irish Will Battle in 2012

The difficulty of Notre Dame's 2012 schedule has been well-documented leading up to the season which kicks off in less than three weeks. The Irish face traditional powers, bitter rivals and lesser-known programs on the rise during its gauntlet.

Offenses like USC, Oklahoma and Michigan will be challenging, but Notre Dame will do battle with some of the best defenses in the country this season. How do the 12 defenses stack up against one another?

Let's take a look at what each defense has to offer, from worst to first.

12. Navy

The Irish had little trouble with the Midshipmen last season in South Bend, gashing the Navy defense repeatedly in a 56-14 rout, ending a head-scratching two-game losing streak to a team that it beat 43 straight times from 1964-2006.

Head coach Ken Niumatalolo does bring back seven starters, but none are on the defensive line. That’s a great sign for Notre Dame, who opens its season against the Mids in Ireland next month. The Irish offensive line against the Navy defensive line should be a major mismatch, allowing for plenty of holes for running backs Cierre Wood, Theo Riddick and George Atkinson III.

With all four starters back in the secondary and the Irish debuting a new starting quarterback, Notre Dame might be wise to limit its air time to just the transatlantic flight to Dublin. The Irish only needed to throw 25 passes in last year’s meeting, and there should be little reason to have to go over that number this time around.

11. Pittsburgh

Notre Dame’s offense was expected to handle the Panthers defense with relative ease last year at Heinz Field after a strong performance against a sound Michigan State defense a week earlier. That certainly was not the case on the field, as Pitt defensive coordinator Keith Patterson dialed up a Dick LeBeau-esque game plan that almost allowed his team to upset the Irish.

Fortunately for Notre Dame, Patterson is now with West Virginia, and many of his former players have also moved on. The Panthers front seven is full of holes, with only two starters returning in addition to a new coordinator.

The secondary is by far the strongest unit on the team, with veteran free safety Jarred Holley leading the group after forgoing the NFL Draft. Cornerback K’Waun Williams and strong safety Andrew Taglianetti join Holley as returning starters.

10. Wake Forest

Head coach Jim Grobe did a remarkable job last year getting the Demon Deacons to a bowl game and upsetting ACC Atlantic Division powers N.C. State and Florida State. The Deacons have a tough act to follow, and with only four starters back on offense, will need their defense to make plays.

Nikita Whitlock is a bull at nose guard. He’s not tall, but is extremely strong at the point of attack. Notre Dame’s interior linemen will have their hands full with Whitlock.

The secondary is the biggest question mark, as both safeties, Cyhl Quarles and Josh Bush, the team’s two leading tacklers, must be replaced. One plus is the return of cornerback Kenny Okoro, but he’ll have much less help behind him than he did a year go without Quarles and Bush.

9. Miami (FL)

The Hurricanes remain a program in flux thanks to a number of early defections to the NFL and the dark cloud hanging over the team until the NCAA completes its investigation of the Nevin Shapiro scandal. Should a young Miami team even reach six wins, it is expected to sit out the postseason for a second straight year.

As for the players, sophomore middle linebacker Denzel Perryman is a budding star. He's on the short side (6'0" on a good day), but packs a powerful punch (think Ray Lewis). The combination of Perryman and Ramon Buchanan on the outside make the linebackers the strength of the defense.

The tumultuous Ray-Ray Armstrong era finally ended last month, as the safety was dismissed from the team. Safety Vaughn Telemaque and cornerback Brandon McGee are a good duo, but there's little experience after them.

8. Boston College

The Eagles have struggled to move the ball under Frank Spaziani, but their defense has continued to be at minimum efficient and at times dominant. That task gets even tougher this year with the loss of Butkus Award-winning linebacker Luke Kuechly, who left early for the NFL.

Second-team All-ACC weakside linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis could move inside to take over Kuechly's role. Up front, tackle Kaleb Ramsey returns after being one of a number of Eagles forced to take a medical redshirt last season. The line should be much improved from a year ago.

The secondary offers little to be excited about. Seven players who have started at least one game are back, but there isn't a true playmaker in the bunch.

7. BYU

The Cougars were off the radar for much of last season thanks to a relatively soft schedule as an independent. The road is a much tougher one this year for Bronco Mendenhall’s team, but they’ll go to battle with an experienced defense thanks to seven starters returning. 

Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy is one of the country’s more underrated players despite having seven sacks last season. The Cougars are all set on the inside as well, with returning starters Brandon Ogletree and Uona Kaveinga.

After getting run over by Utah and Utah State early in the season, the Cougars only allowed two of its final eight opponents to top 100 yards on the ground. Notre Dame expects to run the ball this year more so than in Brian Kelly’s first two seasons, so production on the ground will be key to avoiding the upset when BYU comes to South Bend.

The secondary isn’t overly athletic, but is more experienced than a year ago. The numbers may not show it, however, with pass-happy Washington State and Boise State rolling onto the schedule in addition to the Irish. This defense won’t force a ton of big plays, but if Notre Dame is again in a giving mood this season, the Cougars will capitalize.

6. Purdue

The Boilermakers' defense is by far the best it has been in Danny Hope’s four years in West Lafayette. The surprise return of Kawann Short at defensive tackle was a major coup, as he’ll team with Bruce Gaston for a great 1-2 punch up the middle.

After settling some off-field issues, middle linebacker Dwayne Beckford returns to anchor the second line of defense. His 91 tackles last year were the most of any returning Boilermaker.

Ricardo Allen has All-Big Ten potential at cornerback. He’ll be joined by senior Josh Johnson, who has 23 career starts. Opposing quarterbacks’ completion percentage dropped almost 10% from 2010 to 2011, and the Purdue pass defense should only get better this year.

5. Michigan

Perhaps no defense in the nation made greater strides last season than Michigan. The players were virtually the same, but the upgrade in coaching from Greg Robinson to Greg Mattison made all the difference. This unit won’t dominate games, but should again be a steady group.

Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen are gone from the defensive line. Tackle William Campbell has underachieved in his time in Ann Arbor, but now will be asked to be the major force up front. His production is the major key to the success of the defense.

While not extremely talented, the linebackers are solid, with all three starters returning. Jordan Kovacs is the heart and soul of the defense at safety, and JT Floyd is a physical, veteran cornerback. He struggled against Michael Floyd last season, but most college cornerbacks did as well. Spot starter Blake Countess steps in opposite Floyd for the departed Troy Woolfolk.

4. Stanford

The loss of Andrew Luck doesn’t mean the Cardinal will simply fade away from the national radar, partially due to a strong defense that returns six of seven starters up front. Shayne Skov and Chase Thomas will be the Pac-12’s top linebacker duo as Skov returns from a season-ending injury last September.

Like Notre Dame, Stanford plays a base 3-4 defense. Junior end Ben Gardner is the strength of the unit, with Terrence Stephens a quality space-clogging nose guard in the middle of the line.

The back end of the defense does have some questions. It was only average a year ago, and now must replace its leader, Delano Howell, at strong safety. This is a game where Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert truly should be able to shine against a defense lacking a player with both the size and speed to match up with the All-American.

3. Oklahoma

A familiar face returns to Norman this fall to run the Sooners' defense, as Mike Stoops reunites with brother and head coach Bob after eight years at Arizona. The younger Stoops will bring a more aggressive scheme to the Oklahoma defense, one which helped lead the program to the national title in 2000.

Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis must be replaced at defensive end, but the Sooners are strong up the middle with Stacy McGee, JaMarkus McFarland and Casey Walker. Tom Wort and Corey Nelson anchor a strong linebacking corps.

The secondary will benefit from the shift of Aaron Colvin back to cornerback to team with the steady Demontre Hurst. Safety Tony Jefferson could be the biggest beneficiary of Mike Stoops’ return, as his physical, aggressive style blends well with what Stoops likes to do.

2. USC

While the Trojans are loaded at almost every position, its downfall could come from a wealth of inexperience along the defensive line. The lone returning starter, defensive end Devon Kennard, was lost for the season with a pectoral injury last month.

The linebacking corps, however, is fantastic, led by redshirt sophomore Dion Bailey, who garnered freshman All-American honors last season. Fellow sophomores Hayes Pullard, who tied Bailey for the team lead in tackles, and Lamar Dawson complete a young but extremely talented unit.

The back end is the strength. Cornerback Nickell Robey’s pick-six of Andrew Luck flew a bit under the radar since USC eventually lost the game, but Robey is a true shutdown cornerback. Veteran T.J. McDonald is a rock at safety, and Jawanza Starling, last seen by Irish fans returning a Dayne Crist fumble for a touchdown, is steady as well.

1. Michigan State

This is the best defense in the Big Ten, and is at minimum a top-10 defense nationally.  All-American candidate William Gholston, at 6’7” and 275 pounds, is the most disruptive lineman the Irish will see all year. He’s bookended by the aptly named Marcus Rush, a second-team freshman All-American last season.

The Spartans also have two excellent linebackers in Denicos Allen and Max Bullough, the team’s top two tacklers a year ago. Their third linebacker, Chris Norman, would be the star of most Big Ten linebacking corps.

The back end may be the biggest strength of the unit. Johnny Adams is an All-Big Ten cornerback, while junior Darqueze Dennard isn’t far behind him. Safety Isaiah Lewis tied for the team lead with four interceptions during a second-team All-Big Ten 2011 season.

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