Notre Dame Defense Wants To Unleash "60 Minutes of Hell" In 2020
The 2019 season was an up-and-down one for the Notre Dame run defense, but heading into the 2020 season that unit expects to unleash “60 minutes of hell” on its opponents. That’s what linebacker Drew White states as the goals for that unit next season.
“Something this year that we’ve been hitting on (as a defense) is we want to create 60 minutes of hell,” the senior linebacker said of the defense’s goals in 2020. “We want to be a fast, attacking defense that is relentless throughout four quarters, and that’s true of what we want to be in 2020.”
That wasn’t something we saw consistently in 2019, as the Irish defense had to replace three All-Americans and another two-time captain at linebacker that ended up being picked in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
There were new faces in the lineup, and some old faces in new places, which meant the unit needed time to gel.
“You had a lot of guys in new positions,” White explained. “… We had veteran guys, but in new positions which was unique.”
The defense showed flashes in the early going, but the consistency that made the 2018 unit so effective was not present. This was especially true of the run defense, which looked brilliant in holding Georgia and Virginia to a combined 156 yards rushing in back-to-back games, but also gave up 249 yards on the ground to Louisville and 212 to New Mexico.
Clark Lea’s defense hit rock bottom in the 45-14 loss to Michigan, giving up 303 rushing yards on a rain-soaked field. The loss dropped Notre Dame out of playoff contention, but it also served as a catalyst to the embarrassed defense turning the moments of strong play into a stretch of over a month where the unit dominated.
“As a defense after the tough Michigan loss, our defense was born in a sense that the second half of the season we played great football,” White stated. “I think everybody on every level really clicked together. I think we definitely found momentum … I would say after the Michigan loss the defense really found itself.”
During the first seven games of the season, which concluded with the loss to the Wolverines, the Irish run defense allowed 172.7 yards per game and 4.2 yards per attempt. In the final six games the unit allowed just 127.2 yards per game, 3.3 yards per rush and 13.5 defensive points per game.
When you remove the 281 yards allowed to Navy - which was 79.5 yards below the Midshipmen’s season rushing average - Notre Dame allowed just 96.4 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry against non-option offense.
“Towards that part of the season, everyone was really comfortable,” explained White. “Secondly, just through a communication standpoint, between (the first and second levels), just everybody trusting each other. The bond between the defense increased as well through the season.
“I think that happens naturally when a group of 11 guys are with each other, day in and day out.,” he continued. “But I think just just the bond increase in it kind of just really, it just changed."
White was a key component of the success of the Irish run defense, tying rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for the team lead with 80 tackles to go with eight tackles for loss. He made more stops behind the line early in the season, but it wasn’t until the stretch run that he started showing the consistency needed to be an impact inside linebacker.
White racked up 40 tackles in the final six games, and he cleaned up his game, much like the rest of the unit. It’s not surprising considering he was a first-year starter, and was a player that had to battle through injuries during his first two years on campus.
But despite a lack of playing time his first two seasons as he recovered from injuries and learned the defense, White felt comfortable as soon as he stepped into the starting lineup.
“The week of Louisville I felt prepared, I felt ready,” stated the Boca Raton, Fla. native. “It's funny, I watched it back now, the first play of the Louisville game, I kind of battled through the the tackle trying to reach me and ended up making a play. Like my first play, being a starter and you could see it right after I'm just pumped in like it just kind of ignites that I belong here. This is what it's all came to be.”
Putting in mental work and learning from veterans like Drug Tranquill during his first two seasons was a key component of White feeling so comfortable.
“The best thing was knowing how important film study is,” White said of the valuable lessons he learned during his first two seasons. “The first phase is you knowing the playbook, knowing all the different coverages and knowing where everyone else is at, not just your job in the defense.
“The second phase (looking) through an offense perspective of what kind of plays are they going to run out of the formation sets they’re in, what do they think we’re doing that they’re trying to combat.”
“Just stepping up that game in the film room which, I think when I was hurt and on the sidelines I was forced to do, but I think that really benefited my game,” continued the rising senior backer. “I just noticed that when we're in this time, it really is reflected to everybody in the linebacker room. All the linebackers were spending extraordinary amount of time in the Gug just by ourselves, almost as running it going through plays out to practice.
“So it really helped the unit in general,” White explained. “I think, kind of just radiated throughout the room that spring and definitely Coach Nick (Lezynski) and and Coach Lea spark that kind of like firing between us.”
White knows that his job as the starting mike linebacker is to not only make plays, but also lead. That is a primary goal for him as he heads into his second season as a starter.
“My personal goals, going into this season to really be a leader of the defense,” White stated. “It’s going to be my senior year, so just being the senior, being the veteran, especially being the middle linebacker, definitely one of my goals is to lead the defense, improve on communication, having everyone playing together because that’s the middle linebacker’s job.”
If the end of the 2019 season is any indication of what White, Owusu-Koramoah and the rest of the defense plan to unleash on its opponents the Fighting Irish certainly could be in position to carry out the goal of the unit, which is to unleash hell.
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