Notre Dame football: Week 5 defensive grades vs. Cincinnati
By Toby Brown
Notre Dame football: Week 5 defensive grades vs. Cincinnati
Defensive Line
As we watched Saturday, I thought the defensive line had a pretty decent day. They were able to create some havoc on the running game. The Bearcats only averaged three yards a carry and their longest run of the game was only 16 yards.
They were able to get penetration and slow down the downhill running attack of Jerome Ford who averages 5.5 yards a carry and has 367 total yards this year.
However, they were not able to put a lot of pressure on Desmond Ridder. He was able to stand in the pocket when he wanted to and deliver on time passes down the field. The line only hurried him five times and combined for only one sack.
As time goes on this season, this unit should get better, but for the Irish, to be successful they have to find a way to get to the quarterback more often without bringing extra guys.
Overall, the ability to slow down the running attack should have given the rest of the defense the chance to make plays against the air attack. However, their inability to get to Ridder allowed for some big plays throughout the game.