What Bengals fans should be looking for when watching Al Golden's defense for Notre Dame against Ohio State
Cincinnati Bengals fans will have an important purpose for watching tonight's College Football Playoff National Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame.Yes, many fans have allegiances to either program and will already be watching with intensity this evening, but for those who don't have fandom on the line, tonight is about watching how Al Golden's […]
Cincinnati Bengals fans will have an important purpose for watching tonight's College Football Playoff National Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Yes, many fans have allegiances to either program and will already be watching with intensity this evening, but for those who don't have fandom on the line, tonight is about watching how Al Golden's defense handles its toughest test of the season.
Golden, who coached Cincinnati's linebackers from 2020-21, is the heavy favorite to become the new defensive coordinator for the Bengals. If he's truly in line for the job, the only reason why he hasn't been hired yet is because of the Fighting Irish's run in the CFP. The defense Golden and head coach Marcus Freeman built is arguably the main reason why Notre Dame is playing to win its first title since 1988.
Fans can now watch Golden coach one last time underneath the brightest of spotlights before he comes back to Cincinnati. Here's what they should be looking for.
Third down calls
One of Golden's main tasks during his previous stint with the Bengals was game-planning third down and helping the play-calling process there. Notre Dame opponents had the fourth-lowest third down conversion percentage this season and Golden's unit has allowed the sixth-lowest since he took over in 2022. Ohio State, for as dominant as the Buckeyes' offense can be, ranks 50th in third down conversion rate.
Watch for simulated pressures, delayed blitzers, and disguised coverages on the backend. Do they make Will Howard's process speed up? In what ways are the pass rush boosted with the help of scheme?
These are all things that reflect Golden's specialty when he was with the Bengals. If the Irish can force third downs against the Bucks' high-powered passing game, these scenarios will be crucial.
Man vs Zone split
Cornerbacks in Golden's defense play man coverage most of the time. Will that change even slightly against the likes of Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka? It doesn't sound like it from freshman corner Leonard Moore, who's played 61% of his snaps in man according to Pro Football Focus.
“Going into this game we’re not going to change who we are,” Moore said this last week. “We’re going to play man coverage like we do every week. We’re going to go out there and challenge their receivers.”
You absolutely need an identity as a unit and there's no questioning what defines Notre Dame. There's also value to adapting when the time calls for it, and if OSU's athletes in the passing game are causing major problems for Golden's secondary, he may have to pivot.
Cam Taylor-Britt played the most snaps out of any Bengals cornerback this season and was in man coverage only 25.5% of the time, per PFF. The most man-heavy scheme in the NFL belonged to the Detroit Lions, who called it nearly 50% of the time. Golden may have to shift his coverage schemes dramatically in the NFL, or find new personnel entirely.
Overall communication
Perhaps the best attribute of Golden's defense is how in sync everyone is before and after the snap. Rules appear to be very clear, and very rarely do you find players out of position.
How often have you found yourself baffled at the Bengals giving up big plays due to coverage busts? This hasn't happened often in South Bend.
It's also yet another thing that athletic mismatches could disrupt, but the Irish have been able to stifle virtually every offense they've faced this season. If this is Golden's final test, it will certainly be the most challenging.
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