Notre Dame Football: 2019 Defense Was The Best Yet

A strong case could be made that the 2019 defense was the best of the Brian Kelly era

Notre Dame has had a pair of 12-0 regular seasons in the Brian Kelly era, and in each season it was the defense that fueled those perfect seasons.

The Irish did not go 12-0 this season, but it certainly wasn’t because of the defense. An argument could be made that the defense Clark Lea put on the field this season was the best of the last decade. When you look at it based on numbers and the quality of the competition, it’s certainly a strong case.

Yellow = best stat / FEI and Top 25, Top 50 refer to Fremeau Efficiency Index

Before diving too deep into the numbers, it’s important to appreciate just how good the Irish were on defense this season, especially when one considers what the unit lost.

Notre Dame lost three All-Americans from the 2018 defense; cornerback Julian Love, defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and linebacker Te’von Coney. The Irish also lost team captain and fourth-round NFL Draft pick Drue Tranquill at linebacker.

To make matters worse, at least from a personnel standpoint, defensive end Daelin Hayes went down with a season-ending injury in game four and elite edge rusher Julian Okwara went down for the season in game nine.

Despite that, Notre Dame was better in 2019 in almost every major statistical category than it was in 2018. When you compare the 2019, 2018 and 2012 seasons it is the 2012 defense that has the better overall numbers. The 2012 defense has the best stat in eight categories and it has the highest rank in the Fremeau Efficiency Defense. The 2019 defense had the best stat in six categories while the 2018 defense had the best stat in five categories, all related to the pass game.

Only by looking at the competition each team faced can you truly appreciate how good the 2019 defense was. The 2012 defense faced three Top 25 offenses (FEI) and just four Top 50 offenses. The 2018 defense faced two Top 25 offenses and four Top 50 offenses. The 2019 defense, however, faced five Top 25 offenses and eight Top 50 offenses.

In games against the Top 50 offenses, the 2019 unit allowed the fewest yards per game and fewest yards per play.

2019 - 343.3 yards per game / 5.02 yards per play
2018 - 373.0 yards per game / 5.56 yards per play
2012 - 373.5 yards per game / 5.57 yards per play

All three of the defenses had that one bad game, but the 2019 defense had more truly elite games, especially against top opponents. The Irish defense was especially good in the second half of the season. Despite playing three Top 40 defenses during that stretch, Notre Dame gave up just 13.3 points per game, 274.8 yards per game and 4.12 yards per play in its final six contests, including yesterday’s bowl matchup against Iowa State.

Even more impressive is that Notre Dame did what it did in 2019 without the star power of previous defenses.

The 2012 defense was led by Heisman Trophy runner-up and unanimous All-American Manti Te’o at linebacker, second-team All-American defensive end Stephon Tuitt and third-team All-American nose guard Louis Nix. I already mentioned the three All-Americans from the 2018 unit. Notre Dame’s 2019 defense did not have a single player on a first, second or third-team All-American squad.

A case could be made for 2012 being the better defense, but there should be no debate about which squad had the better all-around group. That is clearly the 2019 defense, which thrived on all three levels. The lack of star power against a much tougher schedule adds to just how good of a coaching job we saw this season.

One thing that should not be debated is this, Notre Dame needs to make Clark Lea one of the highest paid defensive coordinators in the country, and it needs to happen quickly. Throwing some more money in the direction of Mike Elston, who has quietly built one of the best defensive lines in the country, also wouldn’t be a bad idea.

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