The statistics show No. 6 Notre Dame appears to be an average football team from a defensive standpoint.
The Irish, who will visit No. 10 Clemson on Oct. 3 in Death Valley, are ranked 29th nationally in total defense (305.3 ypg), 29th in scoring defense (17.3 ppg), 31st in passing defense (171.0 ypg) and 42nd in rushing defense (134.3 ypg.)
But stats do not tell the whole story.
The Irish (3-0) held a Texas team that has scored 40-plus points in each of the last two games to three points in the season-opener, and last week shut down Georgia Tech’s aggravating triple-option offense through three quarters while the offense built a 23-point lead.
“Defensively, they all impress me. There is not really a weakness,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said on Wednesday.
Notre Dame’s identity on defense starts with its defensive coordinator. Brian Vangorder is in his third season under head coach Brian Kelly after coaching the linebackers for the New York Jets in 2013. Before that he spent one season as the defensive coordinator for Auburn and five years running the defense for the Atlanta Falcons.
Clemson (3-0) has experience going up against a Vangorder defense, but not much. The Tigers beat Vangorder and Auburn, 26-19, in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic. Clemson totaled 528 yards against Vangorder’s defense in that game, including 320 on the ground.
Clemson rallied to score the game’s last 10 points to earn the victory.
“There is not a lot familiarity with Vangorder,” Swinney said. “I think he was down there at Auburn one year, but he has a great reputation as a heck of a football coach, has been in the pros and has been very successful in the college ranks for years.
“I know a lot about him just from his reputation of being a great coach, but I don’t know him personally. I have a lot of respect for what he has done in his career.”
Swinney has a lot of respect for Notre Dame’s defense altogether, especially its personnel. The Irish are led by linebacker Jaylon Smith (6-4, 240), who Swinney says will be as good of a player as they will see all year. He is also impressed with how big and thick the defensive line is, which is led by seniors Romeo Okwara (6-3, 270) and Sheldon Day (6-2, 285), and junior Isaac Rochell (6-3, 287).
“They have 16 guys that all have starts under their belt in their depth. This is a good looking group … good looking football team,” Swinney said. “Defensively, they look a lot like us to be honest with you. When I watch them play, they play hard, they play fast and they play physical.”
In the secondary, strong safety Elijah Shumate (6-0, 224) leads the way.
“They have good coverage skills. They are big, athletic guys in the secondary. There are not a lot of weaknesses at all and they all stand out to me to be honest with you so it is a big, big challenge for us,” Swinney said.