Game Prep: Irish Defense Looks To Bring Pressure
When people think of Notre Dame football, most people think of the Irish as a disciplined team full of fighting spirit and rarely puts themselves out of position during a play.
To better understand what the Fighting Irish looks to accomplish against their opponents, I went back and watched a couple of their games and noticed a few particular trends from the blue and gold.
Variety In Formations
Notre Dame is a team who schematically adapts to their opponent based on the looks they're given. For example, when they played Boston College, who ran multiple under center and condensed packages, the Irish employed more 3-3 and 3-4 looks in the box to avoid being at a numerical and alignment disadvantage.
When playing against the BYU Cougars, who implement more of a spread offense, the Irish utilized their nickel defense more often to try and get more speed on the field. In essence, the Irish aren't a team who'll be stubborn in terms of scheme and will make changes when necessary.
A Desire To Blitz
The other facet of this defense that was quite obvious was how much this unit wanted to get to the quarterback. For Notre Dame, who seemed to lack game wreckers this season outside of defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey, this means frequent blitzes will be executed to try and test South Carolina's offensive line and quarterback Spencer Rattler.
The Irish will use 6-man blitzes, twists and stunts, disguised blitzes from the second level, and unbalanced looks to try and make the offense second guess themselves before the snap and during the play. This could be a challenge for South Carolina, who will have only one scholarship tight end in the Gator Bowl and a new starter at right tackle.
The Fighting Irish will also run much more man coverage than the Gamecocks have seen for most of the season, so Rattler must be on point when he's allowed to pass from the pocket.
It's not a unit that strikes fear on the surface level, but Notre Dame's defensive play style creates the potential for a boom or bust result for the Gamecocks' offense.
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