BCS Bowl Contenders: Is Notre Dame's Defense BCS Worthy?

Notre Dame’s first half of college football is in the books with the Irish chasing a BCS Bowl, streaking into the “bye” week with four straight wins. 

Stars like Manti Te’o and Robert Blanton have performed up to expectations, while former five-star recruits Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt have provided fans, and opposing quarterbacks, plenty of excitement.  The defense has had its miscues, but it’s also shut down opponents after being placed in precarious situations by the Irish offense.

Is this a defense that can lead the Irish to its next BCS Bowl Game?  How will a Notre Dame defense that’s given up 362 yards per game to six uniquely different offenses be graded for its performance?

Secondary/Defensive Backfield Grade: B

For Notre Dame fans, the mere mention of the Michigan game evokes vivid and sickening memories of a secondary that couldn’t defend the jump ball.  There is no doubt that Denard Robinson is an ineffective passer, but the inability to defend balls thrown up for grabs into double coverage allowed an average, and overrated, Wolverines team to escape defeat under the lights in Ann Arbor.

Despite the Michigan debacle, however, the Fighting Irish secondary has performed well against the pass.  With 23 pass deflections and six interceptions on the season so far, the defensive backfield has made all but Michigan’s passing attack ineffective, giving up only 225 passing yards per game.

Robert Blanton has been an absolute blanket in coverage and a sure tackler on the run, while his counterpart Gary Gray has uncharacteristically struggled in coverage at times.  Gray, though, remains one of Notre Dame’s best tacklers in the open field. 

Harrison Smith has lived up to preseason hype at safety, while Jamoris Slaughter has added his own contributions at safety, including a forced fumble on the first offensive play of the game for Air Force.

While the Michigan game continues to haunt this Irish secondary, its coverage is directly responsible for limiting Michigan State to 13 points and preventing the Pitt Panthers from surging late in the game. Gray’s interception on Purdue’s first play from scrimmage set the tone for a dominant evening in Lafayette, Ind., as well.

In all, the Irish secondary deserves a solid "B" for its efforts.  While an excellent unit on most days, the Michigan collapse is nearly unforgivable.

Linebackers Grade: A-

While the linebackers are anchored by all-stars, they also have their own personnel troubles.  Manti Te’o has unquestionably played as well as he ever has—excellent in the stopping the run and solid in pass coverage.  There is no doubt about this future first-round NFL pick’s abilities.

Problems exist at the other inside linebacker position, however, where a rotation of Dan Fox and Carlo Calabrese has become the norm, with neither being capable to truly handle the position. 

Fox often looks lost and takes bad angles on plays, but it appears the staff is happy to have somebody in the position who has a little more speed and agility.  Calabrese is a monster run-stopper who you’ll notice entering the game in short yardage situations, but he’s stiff and below average in pass coverage. 

The complement for Te’o at inside linebacker is truly a dilemma for the Irish.

Darius Fleming and Prince Shembo have played beyond expectations on the outside for Notre Dame, and are driving Notre Dame’s ability to get a solid pass rush from the second level of the Irish defense.  In fact, Shembo’s sack on Tino Sunseri late in the fourth quarter, effectively ending any chance for Pitt to win, is one of the top highlights of the season.

The combination of Te’o, Fleming and Shembo far outshine any deficiencies at the other inside linebacker position, especially with the upgraded lateral speed they’ve given this defense.  It’s difficult for any team to get outside this electric Irish defense due mostly to this excellent core of linebackers.

In the end, three out of the four positions are filled by stars, which earn this unit an "A-".

Defensive Line Grade: A

It’s been exciting to see how the combination of bulked-up experience and youthful talent can produce such tremendous results in the trenches.  The only game where Notre Dame’s dominance on the line has been questionable was Air Force, where the Irish struggled to stop the Falcons from gaining yards on the ground.  However, the Academy hardly, if ever, ran the ball up the middle against these stalwarts.

With two years in Brian Kelly’s strength and conditioning program, veterans Ethan Johnson, Louis Nix, Sean Cwynar and Kapron Lewis-Moore have added significant weight and stamina, making them capable of handling opposing offensive lines with ease.

The youth on the inside in highly-regarded freshmen Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt have provided an instant injection of speed and quickness as well.  When the defensive line isn’t opening holes for blitzing linebackers or making sacks themselves, they’re causing errant passes with intense pressure from these freshmen.

The defensive line isn’t without its problems, though, as Lynch is regularly penalized for mental errors typically made by freshmen.  Against Air Force, he needlessly jumped offside during a punt, allowing Air Force to continue its drive and score a touchdown.  His aggressiveness has led to other penalties as well, including a 15-yarder for illegal hands to the face.

The complete 180-degree turnaround of this unit from the one Irish fans watched two years ago is amazing.  It’s also exciting to see the motors on the line with defenders, especially Stephon Tuitt, pursuing plays sideline to sideline until the whistle blows.

Due to the complete dominance of this line against its opponents, and despite the freshman penalties, this unit gets an "A" for its first half performance.

First Half Game Ball

Robert Blanton gets the game ball for the first six games of the season.  Nobody has made fewer mistakes than the 6’1", 200-pound senior cornerback.  His versatility as a lockdown corner and excellent run-stopper on the edge is the best in the secondary.  He has 39 tackles, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery on the season.

Look for quarterbacks to continue avoiding Blanton’s side of the field, targeting Notre Dame’s weaker corner Gary Gray for the second half of the season.  If he continues this level of production, Blanton could upset Irish favorite Manti Te’o for Notre Dame’s 2011 Defensive MVP.  Will this Georgia native take an interception back for a touchdown in the second half of the season?

Overall Defensive Team Grade: A-

Notre Dame’s defense has been outstanding this season, and is capable of carrying a prolific, but inconsistent Irish offense into a BCS Bowl.  Despite the lapse at Michigan and freshmen mistakes, the Irish only have one consistent weak spot, which is the Dan Fox/Carlo Calabrese question at inside linebacker.

Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco has done well getting his unit prepared for a variety of challenges, and the defense has risen to the task when the offense has left it in dire straits. 

While Diaco could have employed a better strategy against Air Force, his defense only gave up 17 true points to the Falcons, some of which were the direct result of freshman mental errors on special teams.

The pass rush is constant and the secondary is amazingly strong in coverage.  If the Irish can eliminate the mistakes and compete for jump balls, like those heaved by a quarterback unable to find open receivers such as Denard Robinson, this defense can be elite.

Look for the Irish defense to show its true mettle when it faces its stiffest competition in Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal over Thanksgiving weekend.  If Notre Dame’s defense can withstand the offensive assault in Palo Alto, Diaco and this Irish unit will have earned its berth to a 2011 BCS Bowl.