Five Thoughts: Notre Dame’s defense instilled fear in Indiana

It started on the first play of the game.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden called a heavy run blitz. By the time Indiana redshirt senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke handed the ball to senior running back Justice Ellison, sophomore Irish linebacker Drayk Bowen was three yards deep in the backfield. Ellison bounced around for a second, searching for a direction until junior Notre Dame defensive end Joshua Burnham decided his direction was backward.

The Irish attacked the Hoosiers from the jump. They allowed no breathing room until the final 5 minutes, when Notre Dame led 27-3 and the game was over.

“I just didn’t think continuing to show elaborate pressures in that situation was to our benefit, to be quite honest with you,” Golden said.

Throughout the rest of the game, Notre Dame’s pressures were as elaborate as they were ferocious. And to some extent, I think that influenced the way Indiana played and called the game.

The Hoosiers ran the ball up the middle on third-and-10 from the Notre Dame 48-yard line, losing a yard in the process. They did it again on third-and-5 deep in Irish territory, only to gain 1 again and settle for a field goal. They punted on Notre Dame’s side of the field with a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, which is akin to waving the white flag.

“We have an aggressive mindset,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said. “We called the game aggressively.”

Indiana was cautious on offense. Rourke was rattled. Quite frankly, the Hoosiers played scared. Notre Dame, on the other hand, stayed on the attack until the game was in hand.

2. A couple plays that will not get talked about enough

First, I’d like to highlight one of Watts’ tackles in the second quarter. Rourke tossed the ball to Ellison on one of those delayed tosses teams have run against Notre Dame a lot this year. They identify the field end as a weakness, either because they are inexperienced (freshman Bryce Young) or slow (graduate student RJ Oben). As a result, they think they can break contain.

Watts must have seen this on the self-scout, because Indiana tried that Friday night and he was there almost as soon as Ellison looked up. He was an animal when he drove downhill to make tackles, but that one stood out because it showed his intelligence.

Second, on a play that was actually nullified due to an offside penalty, Ellison ran left from the Hoosiers’ 9-yard line. It looked like he had some space, but out of nowhere, junior linebacker Jaylen Sneed flew in from the backside and made the play.

I almost gasped when I saw Sneed moving like he did on that rep. To me, that was the best example Friday night of Notre Dame’s elite sideline-to-sideline speed on defense. You can’t beat the Irish horizontally right now. You just can’t.

3. Notre Dame offense fights ‘grind-it-out’ battle against tough Indiana front

Aside from sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love’s 98-yard touchdown run, nothing came easy for Notre Dame’s run game.

Indiana’s defensive line is legit. It forced the Irish to dig in for a war of attrition that they hadn’t really had to fight since September. Removing the big play, Notre Dame averaged 2.7 yards per carry.

“You had to scratch and claw for every yard you got,” Freeman said. “They battled and they battled and they battled and they battled.”

The Hoosiers like to stunt and generally make life confusing for an offensive line. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock explained that Notre Dame tried to counter the stunts by mixing up formations (pistol vs. shotgun, etc.), but to no avail.

“That was a miscalculation, obviously, because they continued to do it anyway,” Denbrock said.

This was not going to be a game in which Notre Dame’s run game looked pretty. Indiana was going to win some of its battles, and it did. Ultimately, though, the Irish won the war. 

4. Hoosiers forced Leonard to dink and dunk, but Notre Dame QB responded

Notre Dame’s running backs were more involved in the passing game than ever against IU. Love, freshman Aneyas Williams and junior Jadarian Price combined for 7 receptions for 41 yards, and that was no accident.

Based on Indiana’s coverage scheme — which utilizes shell coverages designed to take away the deep ball — Denbrock knew Leonard would have to be content taking checkdowns often.

“They force you to be patient,” Denbrock said. “I thought we tried to really program in prep time that we had the idea that we were going to have to use the backs and tight ends.”

Leonard has talked at length this season about needing to take what the defense gives him. Friday night was a great example. And of course, when it was time to take a shot downfield, he did not miss.

5. How about Leonard Moore

He was targeted 7 times, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed 1 reception. One. Moore was phenomenal on the biggest stage of his career.

Rourke tested the freshman cornerback twice early on backshoulder attempts, which are Indiana’s specialty, and he passed both. On a similar play later in the game — the one sophomore safety Adon Shuler nearly intercepted — Moore basically ran the wide receiver’s route for him.

Junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison, a first-round pick if the medicals check out, said in fall camp that Moore will be as good or better than he was at Notre Dame. He might actually be right.