Angela Driskell
Keys To Victory For The Notre Dame Defense vs. Iowa State
The 15th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2) squad will look to finish off the 2019 season with a bang when they take on the 7-5 Iowa State Cyclones in the Camping World Bowl tomorrow afternoon.
A victory would give Notre Dame at least 11 wins for just the third time in the last 26 seasons.
To do so it will have to beat an Iowa State team that went 0-4 against Top 25 opponents this season, albeit by just 11 combined points.
Here are the keys to the Irish defense helping to earn a victory:
1. Dominate The Line Of Scrimmage — Iowa State has a lot of weapons for quarterback Brock Purdy to go to, and if he gets time the Cyclones will have a chance to score a lot of points. The same is true of the Cyclone run game. In games where Iowa State has rushed for at least 150 yards it has averaged 45 points. A balanced Iowa State offense is a dangerous Iowa State offense.
Where Notre Dame has the most significant talent advantage is up front. The Cyclones are experienced, tough and well-coached up front, but they aren’t overly powerful or talented. If Notre Dame can control the action up front it should be able to slow down the Iowa State offense. When Purdy is forced to get rid of the ball quickly due to pressure the offense isn’t nearly as effective.
When Purdy has been pressured this season his completion rate is just 41.8-percent. That means players like Khalid Kareem, Ade Ogundeji and Jamir Jones could have a big impact on the outcome.
2. Take Away Quick Game — Almost fifty-five percent of Purdy’s passes were less than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, and 84.5-percent of his throws traveled less than 20 yards down the field. Purdy is a smart, accurate and effective quarterback but he’s not someone that pushes the ball down the field much. If you can pressure him and limit his effectiveness with the short to intermediate throws the offense will have a hard time putting up points.
Part of this is about key number one, getting pressure on the quarterback, but part two is the linebackers and secondary playing well. That means tackling well in space and limiting yards after contact. That means handling the crossing routes and having a plan for the high-low concepts. That means playing with good angles and forcing Purdy to hang onto the ball a bit longer.
If the Irish have a game plan to handle that and the game plan is executed the Irish will shut Iowa State down. A player to watch in this regards is senior safety Alohi Gilman, who could have a big day jumping pass lanes and getting downhill against the run and screens.
3. Win On Early Downs — Iowa State ranks 26th in scoring offense, 9th in passing offense, 8th in red zone offense, 27th in fewest turnovers lost, 29th in touchdown passes and 14th in fewest sacks allowed.
One area where Iowa State has struggled is on third-down, with the Cyclones ranking 80th in the country with just a 38.6-percent conversion rate. If Notre Dame can perform well in keys one and two it will lead to them putting Iowa State in a lot of third-down situations. If that happens the Irish defense, which ranked 20th nationally in third-down defense, should have a lot of success.
4. Finish — I wrote about this in the offensive keys to victory as well, and it holds true here. Iowa State was down 20 points to Baylor and 21 points to Oklahoma heading into the fourth quarter, and in each game the Cyclones had a chance to win it late in the game. This team will not quit, which means the Irish must be prepared for a 60-minute battle no matter what the score is.
If Notre Dame is able to get an early lead the Irish defense cannot let up, cannot keep attacking and must keep playing like its a close game.
Bowl Prep: Iowa State Cyclones
Bowl Prep: Breaking Down The Iowa State Offense
Bowl Prep: Breaking Down The Iowa State Defense
Stacking Up: Notre Dame Offense vs. Iowa State Defense
Stacking Up: Notre Dame Defense vs. Iowa State Offense
Key Matchups: Notre Dame Defense vs. Iowa State Offense
Key Matchups: Notre Dame Offense vs. Iowa State Defense
Notre Dame vs. Iowa State: Recruiting Comparison
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/IrishMaven/
