Notre Dame football entered the playoffs with one major defensive question mark, and they may have found an answer against Indiana
Like every team in the college football playoffs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have some major flaws as a team. There is no perfect team in the county, which is why the field is so wide open. Several teams will have a chance to win a championship as a part of the most wide open […]
Like every team in the college football playoffs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have some major flaws as a team. There is no perfect team in the county, which is why the field is so wide open. Several teams will have a chance to win a championship as a part of the most wide open field of teams we have seen in several years.
It is very hard to nitpick the Notre Dame defense. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has helped to build one of the best units in all of college football, putting good structure around an extremely talented roster. This group is long, fast, and super aggressive.
Coming into the playoffs, one question mark centered around the pass rush. You knew Notre Dame was going to be able to create some interior pressure from the likes of Rylie Mills, Howard Cross, and Donovan Hinish. But, could the outside pass rush do enough?
While the question wasn't completely erased, the Irish did see some signs of growth against the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday night. Those answers came from a pair of freshmen, seeing Bryce Young and Loghan Thomas combine for two of the three sacks during the contest.
There may not be a more impressive physical talent on the roster than Young. At 6-7 and 258 pounds, he is incredibly young, very explosive, and has almost unbelievable upside. Young was able to record a sack on Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, a rep where he won the outside track against the right tackle. The flexibility and closing speed is rare for a defensive end this size.
Then there's Thomas, who physically is still developing. He's a skinny player but there's no questioning how athletic he is. During a pass rush in the second half, Rourke broke the pocket and was racing to hit the corner as a runner. Thomas was able to finish with a sack working in pursuit, showcasing his absurd range as an athlete.
With Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa expected back in the next round potentially, he will also buoy the outside pass rush as well on some subpackage reps. Add in linebacker Jaylen Sneed and the Irish should have enough juice coming off the edge to create some havoc. Both Young and Thomas could be instrumental for this defense during this playoff stretch.
Hopefully this performance against the Hoosiers was a sign of things to come. That young group needs to make these flash plays even more consistent.
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