Elite Notre Dame defense has to be ready for absolute chaos against a perplexing Virginia team
It’s hard to adequately put into words just what Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has done since arriving in South Bend. During his first year in 2022, there were many Irish fans that were skeptical. It appeared to be an overcomplicated system that took the players a while to get a feel for, and […]
It’s hard to adequately put into words just what Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has done since arriving in South Bend. During his first year in 2022, there were many Irish fans that were skeptical. It appeared to be an overcomplicated system that took the players a while to get a feel for, and his recruiting wasn’t on par.
We saw a huge ascension last season, and that has continued in 2024. Just less than two years after a lot of fans wanted to move on from Coach Golden, he has an argument as the best defensive coordinator in all of college football. They are the No. 3 scoring defense in college football this year, allowing just 11.1 points per game. The pass defense is elite, and the rush defense has been improving as well.
The next challenge for this dominant unit is a Virginia offense on Saturday that has some talent, but has been quite inconsistent. A big reason for that is their starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who is the definition of a wildcard in this football game.
On the season, the sophomore has thrown for 1,948 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding another 259 yards and two scores on the ground. When Colandrea is making big plays, the offense has a chance to be a very formidable challenge.
The problem is that Colandrea isn’t anything close to consistent. On top of the good productions he’s had, the talented signal caller has also made a ton of mistakes. So far this season, he has thrown eight interceptions, fumbled four times, and taken 30 quarterback sacks. The latter could be put on the offensive line mostly, but Colandrea has taken some really bad sacks while trying to make plays.
That makes Colandrea a massive challenge. A play is never over with him, which means this Notre Dame defense needs to have some quick wins while staying disciplined. If they are able to pressure and confuse Colandrea, he is going to put the football in harm's way.
On the other side, Colandrea is also the only way this football game stays close. If he is playing his best football, then they can stay in this game for a while. Coach Golden and this defense have a chance to end this game early, and it will come down to whether they harass No. 10 for the Cavaliers.
