Notre Dame vs. Ohio State: Defensive Grades

How bad was the defensive performance by Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish looked completely overmatched in a 44-28 Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State, as the attrition of a season full of injuries and a couple last-minute suspensions took its toll on the ND squad. The offense played okay, scoring 28 points, but definitely did not bring its A-game. Unfortunately, that is what the Irish needed to compete against the overwhelmingly talented Buckeyes, as the ND defense simply got demolished by Urban Meyer’s offense.

Let’s take a look at how each individual unit of the defense performed in that embarrassing demolition of what originally (at the beginning of the season) looked to be a strong, experienced defensive unit under the tutelage of coordinator Brian VanGorder, and let’s dole out some grades to the individual parts of said defense. Spoiler alert: they will not be good grades.

Defensive Line: D+

The defensive line took a hit before the game even began, as freshman sensation DT Jerry “Terry Jillery” Tillery was suspended for a violation of team rules. Although Tillery was not slated to start at defensive tackle with the return of senior DT Jarron Jones and DT Daniel Cage also able to play, he would certainly have been in the rotation to spell those two, considering their injuries and how limited they might be. Thus, losing Terry Jillery was a tough blow for the front seven, and led to various unproven players like Jonathan Bonner and Doug Randolph seeing time on the line, as well as the movement of Isaac Rochell to the inside on some plays, where he is less effective than on the outside.

Despite the loss of Tillery, there were a few bright spots for the defensive front. Senior captain Sheldon Day, despite a foot injury, played as well as always in his final game for the Irish, making 4 tackles (1 for a loss), forcing a fumble, and batting down two passes while always being a player that the Buckeyes struggled to keep from wreaking havoc in the backfield. Rochell was also tough to block, as he made 5 tackles and made it very tough for the Buckeyes to block him. Sophomore Andrew Trumbetti, who had been mostly silent in his contributions this season, made a few big plays against OSU, including making 4 tackles (2 for loss), picking up one of the team’s two sacks, and also having two QB hurries. Jones was limited in his play due to not having played all season, but he did manage to bat the pass that was intercepted by senior captain Joe Schmidt, a huge turnover for a defense that caused too few of them throughout the season.

Senior Romeo Okwara made 5 tackles but was unable to get much pressure on the QB, Cage had one tackle for a loss, and Randolph and Bonner looked mostly lost out there, combining for two tackles. Thus, overall, the defensive line was very average. Day, Rochell, and Trumbetti made some excellent-to-solid contributions, but overall there was little pressure on OSU QB J.T. Barrett, there were huge running lanes for OSU RB Ezekiel Elliott, and there just was not enough tenacity on display from the worn-down ND defensive line, as Ohio State ran for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Linebackers: D-

The linebackers have been the same story all season. Junior captain and All-American and Butkus Award winner Jaylon Smith has been sensational, and the rest of the group has been somewhere between horrible and okay.  So, obviously, it was pretty devastating to the unit and to the defense as a whole when Smith went down with a serious, significant knee injury in the first quarter. Smith was the team’s leading tackler and arguably its most important player on either side of the ball (Kizer would probably be the other candidate for that title), and so it was to the dismay of, and lack of surprise from, Notre Dame fans when Elliott and Barrett and the rest of the Buckeyes defense proceeded to absolutely gash the Irish defense for huge chunks of yards, essentially doing whatever they wanted on long drives to the end zone.

In Smith’s absence, someone has to pick up the brunt of the tackles, and that player against OSU was senior captain Joe Schmidt. Schmidt has been criticized all year, and for the most part it has been warranted, if only because more production is needed from his position and not necessarily that Schmidt wasn’t giving his absolute best at all times, as it appears he always leaves it all on the field. Schmidt finished the Fiesta Bowl with 13 tackles (1 for a loss) and even made an interception on a pass batted into the air by Jones. However, in actually watching Schmidt during the game, he had many of the same issues he had all year, lacking the size and speed to fight off blockers and make plays. However, he played his final game in an Irish uniform displaying the same determination and strong work ethic that he has always displayed, and the team is certainly losing a good leader and great representative in Schmidt.

Senior Jarrett Grace played most of the minutes vacated by Smith when he was injured, and was much like Schmidt in that he clearly played as hard as he could, and even made a few big plays (9 tackles, 1 of them for a loss, and 1 QB hurry), but ultimately was just not fast enough to compete at this level. Junior James Onwualu had 2 tackles and a big sack in the second half, but otherwise contributed very little. Freshman Te’von Coney was the original replacement for Smith, but quickly injured his shoulder after making just one tackle.

Overall, the unit just didn’t make enough plays to warrant even a decent grade. Elliott ran for 149 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and 4 touchdowns, Barrett added 96 (4.2 yards per carry), and that gashing of the middle of the defense can certainly be attributed mostly to the linebackers being unable to fight off blocks at the second level of the defense, allowing Elliott and Barrett to run rampant for first downs. In coverage, the linebackers did not acquit themselves well, as Barrett’s 211 passing yards were mostly gained on short and intermediate routes that often involved the ND LBs getting burned in coverage.

Secondary: D

Much like the defensive line, the secondary suffered major losses before even beginning the game on New Year’s Day. Junior cornerback Devin Butler broke his foot in practice while taking reps as a starter (in place of injured former starter KeiVarae Russell), and junior safety Max Redfield was sent home from Phoenix for a violation of team rules. So, sophomore cornerback Nick Watkins and senior safety and captain Matthias Farley were forced to start in their places, leaving the secondary vulnerable and weaker.

Senior Elijah Shumate co-led the team in tackles (with Schmidt) with 13, and was decent in run support, often having to bring down Elliott as he threatened to break off long runs. Farley made 8 tackles himself, but his lack of speed showed a number of times when Buckeyes receivers or Elliott were able to beat him to a spot. Junior cornerback Cole Luke played decently, making 6 tackles and contributing 1 pass break-up, and sophomore Nick Watkins held his own for the most part, making 3 tackles and 1 pass break-up. He was beat multiple times, though, as Ohio State made it a point to target him considering his inexperience at cornerback.

The unit as a whole simply failed to make very many positive, significant plays during the game. Barrett was able to pick up first downs through the air almost at-will, and Ohio State WR Michael Thomas was allowed to run rampant into the secondary, collecting 7 catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Elliott broke off a few long runs that were exacerbated by defensive backs taking poor angles or missing tackles, and so the secondary just didn’t do enough to earn anything higher than a D grade.

Overall: D

There’s not much else to say about Brian VanGorder’s unit, except to ask if he will be around to lead it next year. VanGorder’s defense underperformed in every way this season. His complex system is supposed to be aggressive, and thus, although it risks giving up big plays, it also should force many turnovers. All it did all year, however, was give up big plays. Brian Kelly needs to look at this side of the ball and really consider bringing someone new in to shake things up, as another year laboring under VanGorder’s too-complicated scheme, along with the likely or guaranteed losses of Day, Okwara, Smith, Russell, and various others could mean an even more inept defense for the Irish next season. Considering the immense amount of talent ready to go on the offensive side of things, it would be a shame to ruin another possible playoff-caliber team with a defense that can’t stop anyone and is constantly embarrassed by strong offenses.

Here’s to hoping the Notre Dame defense gets things figured out, and for a much more successful (and healthy) season next year. Get well soon, Jaylon!