Notre Dame Defense to Focus on Limiting DeVonta Smith in Rose Bowl

If you are a fan of Notre Dame football but weren’t familiar with the name DeVonta Smith, you certainly are now after Tuesday morning’s media availability.

Tuesday was the Fighting Irish defense’s turn with the media, with defensive coordinator Clark Lea and several players taking turns to speak about No. 4 Notre Dame’s upcoming College Football Playoff Semifinal meeting with No. 1 Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

Smith was a hot topic of conversation among the defenders. The Crimson Tide senior wide receiver has developed quite a reputation for giving even the toughest of defenses troubles with his quickness, agility and pass-catching ability.

According to Lea, Smith provides one of the toughest matchups that his team has faced all season.

“He's tough,” Lea said. “He's very tough. He's just a football player. He plays on teams. He does so much for that team, and I've got a ton of respect for him.”

Lea went on to describe what he thinks makes Smith such a threat to defenses around the country.

“I think the one thing that stands out is he's got another gear,” Lea said. “When he hits his accelerator, he has a chance to separate. And the number of times you see that on film, you understand pretty quickly that every snap there's an opportunity for them to score. And so we have to be leveraged properly. We have to have awareness of where he is all the time. And, you know, we're going to have to win to have a chance to be successful at the level we want to be successful at.

“And I think, again, when you talk about one person, that's -- we've defended teams that have one or two pieces, we've done that, talented players. I think the compliment I'd give Alabama, it's a really strong unit. It's a strong team.”

On Tuesday, both the Associated Press and Sporting News named Smith their Player of the Year. On top of that, Smith is also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, with many members of the media and fans alike believing that he is the favorite to win the award.

Shaun Crawford, a grad-student linebacker for the Fighting Irish, gave a lists of dos and don’ts that his team will need to focus on if it wants to limit Smith in any capacity.

“I guess try to limit the one-on-one matchups, I guess,” Crawford said. “He's a great receiver. You can watch on film that Mac Jones and the Alabama offense trusts him to go out there and make a play. So they're going to put the ball up there. We've got to try to do a great job of holding our shells and trying to disguise things and make it tough for Mac Jones to know that he doesn't have that one-on-one matchup early or trying to take him away post snap in the way we rotate and things of that nature.

“So those are the don'ts. But the dos is just try to be physical. Try to get hands on him. He's an elusive, fast, slippery guy, so that will be tough. I think if we're able to get hands on him, try to slow him down, slow him down before he can get into his route, get into his stride, I think that will help us out tremendously.”

Against the three top-10 opponents that Alabama has faced this year, Smith has combined for 414 yards on 32 receptions with five touchdowns. Against Florida alone in the Crimson Tide’s most recent game, Smith accounted for 15 receptions for 184 yards and two scores.

This season, Notre Dame ranks 20th in the nation in total defense, allowing an average of 335.1 yards per game. Among teams that have played 11 games or more this season, the Fighting Irish ranks eight in the country.

That being said, the only team that the Fighting Irish have faced with an offense comparatively close to that of Alabama’s is Clemson, who Notre Dame allowed to score a combined 74 points in their two meetings this season. With threats like Smith, quarterback Mac Jones and running back Najee Harris along with an offensive line that ranks as one of the best in the country, the Fighting Irish have a difficult challenge awaiting them in Dallas.

The secret to limiting the Alabama offense could lie in defending Smith. If Notre Dame is able to limit Smith’s production, that would force Jones to look elsewhere as well as turn to running the football. The Fighting Irish have been stout against the run in 2020, so that would be an alternative that Notre Dame would gladly take.

Nick McCloud, a grad-student corner for Notre Dame, noted that Smith has all the intangibles that make a great wide receiver.

“For me personally, just playing in (indiscernible) as I do, just seeing how guys get off the ball on the releases, their quickness, speed, all that,” McCloud said. “But as far as DeVonta Smith, like you said, when you put on the tape, you can tell he has all the intangibles — release of speed, ability to go get the ball, run after the catch, everything.

“I think that's what kind of puts them into the category that he's in as an elite guy, is for the fact that he has all those intangibles, because a lot of guys they may have one or two but they don't have them all. But he definitely has them all.”