Jacob Lacey Sets Defensive Tone for Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s defense hadn’t finished in the fourth quarter all year. 

Ohio State and Marshall had backbreaking fourth quarter drives of over 90 yards, which put Notre Dame in the 0-2 hole to start the year. 

Saturday was different.

Senior defensive lineman Jacob Lacey wasn’t going to sit by and Cal march down the field for the third week in a row. 

Notre Dame had just tied the score at 17 and on Cal’s first play of the final 15 minutes, Lacey set the tone as he got his second sack of the game on Golden Bears quarterback Jack Plummer. 

"My mindset was to put on for my brothers around me,” stated Lacey. “I knew I had a chance to make a play based on what they were doing. I could understand the things they were calling and I knew a pass was coming. I knew I had to make a play for my team. 

"I blanked out and did what I had to do." 

Head coach Marcus Freeman challenged his defensive line all week to stop the run, but also to create a dominant pass rush. The Irish battled and came through, especially after a small pep talk in the third quarter from Freeman. 

“I remember I said to the sideline after we gave up that touchdown drive, I think we were down three, and I said this isn't going to be a repeat,” Freeman said. “This isn't going to be ‘here we go again.’ We're going to change the outcome of this game and it's going to be by our offense going out there and doing what we have to do and executing and then our defense when we get the opportunity we're going to go out there and execute and that's what you saw.” 

Lacey, who finished the game with five tackles and two sacks, appreciated the reminder from his head coach and banked on his preparation during the week. 

"It was the refusal to lose,” explained Lacey. “We've been through so much. We probably go through the hardest weeks in the country. At some point, it has to pay off and today, it did. It's only going to keep paying off. We're just going to keep going." 

Cal entered the game with an inconsistent offensive line at best. There were moving pieces over the first two games and Notre Dame’s defensive line sense blood in the water early in the week. 

"We prepared all week for this,” Lacey stated. “We knew we had a chance to get after the quarterback. We emphasized it every day - an absurd amount sometimes, but as you can see, it paid off. 

"I wasn't the only one that benefitted from that. We had a crazy day on the defensive line. We're only going forward from here." 

The fourth quarter could serve as momentum for Notre Dame’s defense moving forward. Now, it wasn’t always pretty, but Lacey believes it will only increase the confidence of the unit. 

"It's everything we work for and one of our keys to victory,” said Lacey. “Finishing in the fourth quarter. We talk about it every week. We fell short a couple times, but now we're on the right track. We can still do even better. We had some mistakes." 

The final drive was one for the books. 

Notre Dame appeared to have forced an interception and a fumble for a touchdown, but both were reversed. Some teams would have folded, but Notre Dame dug deep. 

"It was a roller coaster,” said Lacey. “We got the interception and then the fumble recovery. You're up and down. We knew if we were on the field, the game was going to end regardless. We weren't worried about the next play. We weren't worried about them scoring. We just knew we had to execute and that's what we did." 

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