Solutions Needed for Notre Dame's Defensive Struggles

On Saturday afternoon, North Carolina's up-tempo offense took the air out of the high-flying Notre Dame defense. Literally. After being on the field for 91 plays, the Irish defense could've used a respirator. 

Seizing on a hot start, Larry Fedora's offense laid the blueprint for beating the Irish defense. Utilizing a hurry-up, no-huddle system, Fedora had the Irish on their heels all afternoon, mixing a herculean effort by quarterback Marquise Williams with a rock-solid game plan, nearly pulling off the upset in a 50-43 loss.

"I just left a team whose guts are ripped out of 'em right now," Fedora said after the game.

The pain the Tar Heels felt on Saturday evening likely works to the benefit of future Notre Dame opponents. And after watching Williams play like Superman on Saturday—passing for two touchdowns, while running and catching two more—Brian VanGorder and his defensive coaches have to be grinding hard as they prepare for Jameis Winston, the defending Heisman Trophy winner. 

After five games of confusing and shutting down opposing offensive coordinators, VanGorder and the Irish defensive staff seemed to get one-upped by Fedora and the Tar Heels offense. Expect Jimbo Fisher and co-offensive coordinators Lawrence Dawsey and Randy Sanders to take notice. 

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Saying last Saturday exposed a few weaknesses in the Irish defense isn't exactly fair. They've been there all along, but Fedora and the Tar Heels reminded us that the young Irish defense is still a work in progress.

That progress was halted when VanGorder wasn't able to substitute in his third-down packages, something he's done effectively this year. And with the Tar Heels able to convert nine of 17 third downs, it kept the Irish on the field and allowed North Carolina to pile up the points, something Kelly alluded to earlier in the week. 

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Look, we're inexperienced in a number of areas, and if the circumstances played out, we could be put into that kind of situation," Kelly said, when asked about his shootout prediction. "Here are the ingredients for that. A team that runs an up‑tempo offense that can run up to 100 plays. I think they had 91 [84 official and seven penalties].

We're very thin on the back end, as evidenced late in the game. We were tired and tackled poorly. That's something that concerns us. Playing very fast with some young kids, not being able to get off the field on third down with our base personnel. We weren't able to situational substitute, so we weren't as good on third down, another key ingredient with playing a team like North Carolina. And then turning the football over on offense, which happens.

"

The Irish offense should take its share of the blame as well. This football game isn't all that close if Everett Golson doesn't essentially spot North Carolina 14 early points. The quarterback's three turnovers are a huge concern heading into Florida State and will need to be addressed immediately. 

"We gave them three touchdowns on offense," Kelly said. "If you take the three touchdowns that we gave them off the board, it's 50‑20 whatever, and everyone is going, 'Wow, that's a pretty nice game, wow, nice job.' North Carolina has got a pretty good offense."

Situations aside, the checklist for Notre Dame's defense this week is fairly simple. And it starts on the back end of the defense, where Elijah Shumate and Max Redfield are again without senior captain Austin Collinsworth. That duo has played solid football, but it's also struggled with communication, something that'll be critical in Doak Campbell Stadium against an offense with quite a bit of firepower. 

Depth in the secondary is also teetering on the edge. Senior cornerback Cody Riggs missed some time with an ankle sprain, and the Tar Heels hit backup Devin Butler on a trick-play touchdown pass that got behind him. After opening the season with better depth than probably any other spot on the roster, the numbers at cornerback are thin, and the depth at safety is even worse. Without Collinsworth, Nicky Baratti and the suspended Eilar Hardy, it's freshman Drue Tranquill or bust as the third man in. 

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Heading into the North Carolina game, the Irish hadn't faced more than 68 plays on a Saturday, a number matched by Syracuse and Stanford. While the Seminoles have the ability to move with pace, they're averaging 70 plays a game, a number only marginally quicker than the Irish's other opponents. 

That should help with the relative lack of depth. But it won't help make tackles, something the Irish defense didn't do very well last Saturday. 

Against Winston, the Irish will face another electric athlete who can beat you with his feet. He's also an incredibly accurate thrower, completing 68 percent of his throws over two seasons. Armed with personnel better than any Notre Dame has faced thus far, it's a rather obvious statement to say that the Irish will need to play their best to win. 

Rattling Winston will be key. A week after the Irish let Williams escape any time they came close to getting a sack, capitalizing on those opportunities will be critical. Close won't cut it for Sheldon Day, especially with Seminoles center Austin Barron out with a broken arm. 

The Irish head to Tallahassee nearly two-touchdown underdogs, a number that's inching down as the game gets closer. After not looking their best in their last three victories, the Irish's first true road test of the season makes their margin for error even thinner. 

But Kelly believes his defense will be ready. But they'll need to learn from their mistakes against North Carolina first. 

*Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.