Notre Dame's Elite Defense: How Far Can It Take the Irish This Season?

Notre Dame's defense has been a standout unit this season. How far the Irish can go with the elite play.

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (0) celebrates getting an interception during a NCAA college football game against Virginia at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Irish defense forces five first-half turnovers

Notre Dame's suffocating and relentless defense put on a show in front of the home crowd for one last time in the 2024 regular season, pitching a shutout for the first half while collecting five turnovers, three interceptions, a fumble on the opening kickoff from former Irish player Chris Tyree, and one forced by the defense as well.

This unit is playing magnificent football. It ranks as a truly elite top-five unit in the country and is missing multiple key pieces to the unit due to injury. Al Golden deserves a ton of credit for how his unit performs each week. They can always be counted on.

Rod Heard II 🤝 Xavier Watts#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/rDzZnYcXvu

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 16, 2024

This defense will keep Notre Dame in every game it plays, regular season & CFP

Notre Dame's defense will be able to play with any team it matches up with from now until whenever the season ends. Should the Irish win their final two games, this defense will carry Notre Dame into the CFP with confidence. The only question will be can the Irish offense do its part to support the winning cause in a CFP game against a top defense?

You can't coach confidence. You can't fake confidence. A unit either has it or it doesn't. Notre Dame's defense knows it's good, has a swagger about itself, and backs it up weekly. This defense plays with a winning attitude and it's palpable.

You can feel it. This is the energy all great Irish defenses of the past have possessed and it's a joy to watch. This unit will lead Notre Dame down the stretch and is built for postseason play.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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