Analyzing a key statistic for the Notre Dame defense under Marcus Freeman
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It took Notre Dame three full seasons from 2018-20 to amass five games with 5 or more sacks. It took less than a season and a half to reach that mark since the arrival of Marcus Freeman in 2021.
Freeman, Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator last season and current head coach, guided the Irish to four games with 5 or more sacks in 2021. They finished with 41 for the year, which tied the program record for the most in a single season. Notre Dame did not register four games with 5 or more sacks during the entire Brian Kelly era until Freeman arrived.
Freeman technically isn’t the Irish defensive coordinator anymore. That’s Al Golden. But elements of Freeman’s defense are still all over, and that has shown up early in 2022. Notre Dame had 10 sacks through three games after a 6-sack performance in the Week 3 win over Cal. The math is easy: The Irish were on a 40-sack regular season pace through the first quarter of the year.
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Notre Dame fell just off that pace after totaling 3 sacks against North Carolina in Week 4. The Irish have 13 for the year now and are on pace for 39 in the regular season. Another 40-sack season is well within reach if the Irish break out another 5-plus sack game. They’ve shown they can do it, and there are some not-so-great opponents coming up on the schedule.
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Notre Dame averaged 25.6 sacks per season in the 11 seasons Kelly was the head coach without Freeman. The Irish should steamroll that figure in each of the two seasons for which Freeman has been in South Bend even if they don’t hit 40 again.
Sacks don’t always equate to stout defenses. There were still issues with Notre Dame’s defense in the first three games, like allowing two 90-plus yard drives in the fourth quarter in the two losses. There were even issues against North Carolina, like giving up touchdowns of 80 and 64 yards in the second half.
But it is not a coincidence that the only game Notre Dame won in the first three was the one in which the Irish sacked the opposing quarterback 6 times. Getting to UNC’s Drake Maye three times was crucial too. Big sacks are drive killers.
Notre Dame games with 5-plus sacks since Marcus Freeman arrived in 2021
| Date | Opponent | Sacks | Result |
| Sept. 5, 2021 | at Florida State | 5 | W, 41-38 |
| Sept. 11, 2021 | Toledo | 5 | W, 32-29 |
| Nov. 13, 2021 | at Virginia | 7 | @, 28-3 |
| Nov. 20, 2021 | Georgia Tech | 6 | W, 55-0 |
| Sept. 17, 2022 | California | 6 | W, 24-17 |
