Strength Vs. Strength: Notre Dame Defense Will Challenge Potent Indiana Offense

Notre Dame has no obvious weaknesses in its defensive front, and its secondary might be the best Indiana has faced.

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (0) waits for the snao during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend. / Michael Clubb / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – One of the fun things about the Indiana-Notre Dame College Football Playoff matchup is how it matches so many strengths against strengths.

For example, Indiana is ranked second nationally in scoring offense at 43.3 points. Notre Dame ranks ninth in scoring defense at 13.58.

As part of the immovable object vs. irresistible force vibe, the Fighting Irish rank third nationally in pass defense at 157.9 yards. Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke is the nation’s leader in pass efficiency with a rating of 181.3.

In a serendipitous coincidence, Indiana (11-1) ranks 51st in rushing offense at 173.6 yards per game. Notre Dame ranks 51st in run defense at 138.8 yards per game.

The numbers aligning are interesting, but it merely spells out the obvious: Notre Dame’s defense is very good. The Hoosiers will have to find a way to solve it when they face the Fighting Irish at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at Notre Dame Stadium.

“They get 11 guys doing their job pretty consistently. They play fast. They're physical. They're good tacklers, and they get a lot of hats to the ball. They adjust well during the course of the game. They haven't given up many points because they've got good coaches and they've got good players,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said.

Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills hypes up the crowd during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Starting up front, defensive tackle Rylie Mills leads the Fighting Irish with 6.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus rates Mills as their best graded pass rusher with a score of 82.6. Anything above 80 is considered very good.

But it’s run defense where the Fighting Irish really excel up front. Linebacker Jack Kiser is rated as an 83.7 run stopper by PFF.com. Linebacker Jaiden Ausberry has an average score of 78.3.

Notre Dame’s run-stopping is a team-wide endeavor. Cornerback Leonard Moore is rated as Notre Dame’s best run defender with a score of 83.7.

“We've got to do a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage in the run game and in protections. Obviously protecting the football is a key every single week, and then we've got to find a way to create some explosive plays,” Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said.

Notre Dame (11-1) will also get a boost as preseason All-American Howard Cross III returns to the interior of the Fighting Irish defensive line. He missed three games with an ankle injury.

“We'll be very aware of when he's on the field and making sure that we're calling in that situation our up front, if we're able to get some double-teams on him, we'll take advantage of that if we can,” Shanahan said.

“He's a proven guy. He's very active for a bigger guy with his size. He moves very well. He's quick,” Shanahan said. “He reminds me of some of the D-linemen that we have here on our team, and he's very disruptive. We'll have to do a good job of getting double-teams on him.”

Shanahan said it will be important for Indiana to win the battle in the trenches, to impose their will instead of having it imposed on them.

“It starts up front – being efficient whenever we are running the football, keeping us in positive down distance scenarios. We're going to have our one-on-ones on the outside at some point or the other. They like to play a lot of man coverage,” Haines said.

The heart of Notre Dame’s defense is its secondary, and Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts is the straw that stirs the Fighting Irish drink as pass defense is concerned. He ranks 34th nationally among all defensive players with a pass coverage rating of 89.3. His rating is sixth-best among College Football Playoff defenders.

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore (15) blocks Florida State linebacker DJ Lundy (10) during a NCAA college football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Besides Watts, cornerbacks Moore and Jordan Clark and safety Luke Talich all rank among the six best Notre Dame defenders by PFF.

“They play really fast. They keep you off balance. They don't make anything easy for you. They challenge you on the perimeter. They're physical,” Shanahan said.

Combined with the pass rush, it’s a formidable combination. It will help Indiana a lot if it can run the ball and open things up for the passing game.

“They make you be accurate with the football. They make you have to be great with releases, top of the routes, things down the field to be able to create separation and get open,” Shanahan explained.

“So relying on that run game, because the thing about playing a lot of man to man is sometimes, when you can break through that first and second level, there's opportunities for explosive passes, explosive runs there as well,” Shanahan continued. “Being able to stay ahead of the sticks will be really big as far as just our whole operation on offense will go.”

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• HOW DOES INDIANA STACK UP? How the Hoosiers stack up statistically against the rest of the College Football Playoff field. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT CIGNETTI SAID: What Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti said during his pre-Notre Dame press conference on Monday. CLICK HERE.

• FREEMAN HAS PRAISE FOR INDIANA: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was complimentary of what Indiana has accomplished this season. CLICK HERE.