Notre Dame Blue-Gold Post-Game Analysis: Defense

Thoughts and analysis of the Notre Dame offense from the Blue-Gold Game

The Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game ended with the Blue winning by a 28-21 score. Here are my thoughts and analysis of the performance by the defense.

DEFENSIVE LINE

*** Overall, there was a lot to like about the play of the defensive line. It battled throughout the game, and it was overall better against the pass than the run. A lot of young depth players showed promise, and the edge rush had some impressive flash moments. Being more stout against the run is still an area where improvement is needed with younger players.

*** Junior Josh Burnham has really taken well to the defensive end position. I still like him more as a Vyper, but he was physical on the edge and his speed gave the offense some problems. He closed out well on the backside of runs, he sniffed out the reverse and he blew Pat Coogan up and drove him into the quarterback to force a miss on a seam route that was otherwise wide open. Burnham still needs to enhance his pass rush moves on the edge (and use his hands better) so he doesn't just have to win with speed, that's my one critique of his play yesterday. Overall, Burnham was really good yesterday, and I'm not even talking about caveats like "For a guy in his first spring at a new position." He was simply just good, and what you want at that position.

*** It was good to see transfer RJ Oben show some flashes in the game after a quiet spring. Oben is still learning to play the tighter techniques, but had multiple edge wins (including a strip sack) and was disruptive. Oben was solid on the edge in the run game, but continuing to be a bit more forceful would allow him to be even better. Freshman Bryce Young was what you'd expect, he had some really impressive, flashy moments, but he's also a guy still learning the position. Young's length and athleticism on the edge is special. His ability to force the give on a read zone, and then close so fast on the ball and strip it out shows his elite talent. As his pass rush moves improve he'll be able to be even more consistent as an edge rusher, but he showed a lot of promise in this game.

*** Vyper was a question mark coming into the spring and it remains one coming out, at least based on yesterday. Veteran Jordan Botelho had some quality edge rushes and he was solid on the edge as a run setter. He wasn't as impactful as a rusher as I'd hope, and he made two huge penalties that helped the offense get a touchdown. A fifth-year senior can't be that inconsistent and show that kind of lack of focus or attention to detail. Junior Tuihalamaka is solid as an edge setter, but he did little as a pass rusher outside of one late second quarter inside stunt that actually opened up a big run lane for the QB when he missed.

*** The Vyper who flashed yesterday was sophomore Boubacar Traore. He was the most impactful edge rusher of the day. He had multiple wins on the edge by using his elite explosiveness and length to dominate around the end. Traore's anticipation of the snap was good as well. He'll need to continue to improve as an edge run defender, but he was solid here for the most part. The issue is Traore really only has one move right now, which a speed-to-power edge rush. He'll need to develop some counter moves, and if he does look out!

*** Senior defensive tackle Jason Onye was excellent yesterday and was arguably the best defensive lineman in the game, for either team. He started things off extremely well and it continued throughout the game. On the first couple of drives he blew past Pat Coogan for a pressure (he needs to squeeze better on the QB), he split a double-team for a sack and he was stout against double teams. Later in the first half he again dominated Coogan for another pressure. Onye played with more purpose than I've ever seen, he was physical at the point of attack and he was a consistent playmaker. Excellent performance by Onye.

*** A young player I was really impressed by was sophomore Devan Houstan. He still needs to get stronger and there are technical improvements still needed (which is expected of a young player), but he showed me fight, he showed me quickness when he was asked to penetrate, and he showed some playmaking chops. He blew up a counter play from the backside, he showed some quick penetrations in the A Gap and he closed well on the ball. Really strong finish to the spring by Houstan.

*** Another sophomore - Brenan Vernon - also showed some flashy moments in the game. Vernon had a dominant win on a vertical pass rush that got to the quarterback. He had multiple vertical pushes against the run and pass, and he showed some power when he used his hands right. Vernon needs to be more consistent with his get off and how he uses his hands, but there is a lot to work with here. A good DL coach should be able to take a kid like this and turn him into something really good, so it gives Al Washington a really good young tool, along with Houstan.

*** Freshman Sean Sevillano had some flash moments as well. When he comes off with good pad level and charges up field he can be tough to handle, and that allowed him to be disruptive at times. The key for Sevillano is consistency, he needs to find it. When he's right he was impactful, but at times he'd just lift up and not move his feet, which allowed the line to push him off the line. It was a good finish to the spring overall, as it showed Sevillano can help this team right now. If he can build on this he gives the DL something it lacked last year, which is a super beefy interior presence.

LINEBACKER

*** Notre Dame's linebackers showed who they are in this game. What that means is Notre Dame fans got to see that this unit is loaded with long, athletic, smart football players that can make a ton of plays. It also showed they are a young group that is still learning and searching for consistency. A lot of exciting things happened with this position in the Blue-Gold Game.

*** Sophomore Drayk Bowen was strong overall, but being more consistent with his fits and reading the actions of the movement tight ends are two areas where he'll need to keep getting better. What I liked about Bowen is how much he flies around the field. He was constantly around the ball, showing downhill run stuffing ability and top notch sideline speed, which we saw when he sniffed out a pair of quick perimeter passes. What I was most encouraged by was his ability to get depth and look up routes in the pass game, something he rarely did in high school. He not only jumped deeper routes, but he jumped underneath a Y Stick route that forced an errant throw that was picked off by a safety. Bowen finished the spring off on a very strong note.

*** Freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa got off to a steady start, but outside of a couple of good pass drops he wasn't super impactful early on. But as the game continued to go on he got better and better. He's a smart football player and he crashes downhill well. Viliamu-Asa is stout at the ball and his block destruction is advanced for such a young player. His ability to close out on receivers in zone drops was outstanding for any age of player, and what you saw in this game was that he has the length, range and pass game ability to play both Mike and Will.

*** Sophomore Jaiden Ausberry showed a lot of range in the pass game. He will struggle a bit at times when chasing receivers across the field, but he was solid in this area. His ability to read routes and play with great range in the zone is impressive, and he closes on the ball very well. Junior Jaylen Sneed showed good range as well, but he has to be more physical when taking on blocks when he's playing in the box. But when he gets downhill he is impressive.

*** Sophomore Kahanu Kia was all over the field in the Blue-Gold Game. He's smart, he makes quick decisions and he flies to the football. His range was impressive, and a bit surprising if I'm being honest. I'm shocked at how quickly he has gotten up to speed after not playing football for two seasons. He sniffed out a screen, he was around the ball all game and he played with force. He'll need to be more consistent with block destruction (hands), but overall this was a strong performance. Sophomore Preston Zinter also needs to be more consistent with block destruction, but he was yet another young linebacker that impressed with his range and ability to close well on the football. Zinter was active and flowed well in the game.

SECONDARY

*** The secondary was a bit up-and-down in the game. There were some coverage mistakes that allowed big plays to happen, and the angles coming down to the ball was a bit inconsistent. There were also some impressive coverage moments as well on the outside, and while the safeties made a few too many mistakes, they also made a lot of impact plays as well.

*** Cornerbacks Christian Gray and Jaden Mickey were outstanding. Outside of a couple of balls being caught in front of them, they were very sticky and impactful in coverage. They gave up nothing vertically and were solid on the perimeter in the run game.

*** Sophomore corner Micah Bell had some quality moments in the game as well. He needs to get stronger and his footwork is still relatively elementary, especially outside. Those are two areas where he must improve the most. But I liked his competitiveness and his speed is elite. Bell battled on the outside in the pass game, and while he lost some battles down the field, overall he was sticky on vertical routes and showed the potential to be a top notch cover player as he gets more sound technically and continues to improve his feel for the game.

*** Safety Adon Shuler had a bit of an inconsistent game as well. He has to close better on the backside seam touchdown route. He read it and got his hands on, but if he reacts faster to his coverage responsibility he would have had a chance to completely break up the play. He also took a bad angle on the short-yardage run early that Jeremiyah Love took for big yards. Outside of a couple mistakes like that, Adon also showed the ability to be an impactful run defender.

*** Sophomores Luke Talich and Ben Minich had some good moments as well. Minich showed good range and speed. Talich was very active in the game. Not only was he right where he was supposed to be on the interception, he was also very active coming downhill into the box in run support. Talich finished the spring on a strong note.

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