Growing Confidence in Drayk Bowen, Spear Package Early Success for Notre Dame
Al Golden’s linebacker room could be missing a key piece on Saturday as No. 10 Notre Dame (3-0) hosts Central Michigan (1-1).
Graduate student JD Bertrand missed most of the second half last weekend against NC State as he suffered a head injury.
“He’s in concussion protocol,” stated Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on Monday. “He’ll be non-contact (Tuesday). I talked to him yesterday and he’s doing much better. He’s in concussion protocol, so to be determined right now.”
Bertrand has recorded over 200 career tackles and has been the mainstay at Mike linebacker dating back to 2021, so his presence would be significantly missed, but also a situation the Irish were in last fall as he missed the Navy game due to a minor injury.
The good news for Notre Dame is Central Michigan doesn’t run the triple-option, so it’s a much easier fix than a year ago.
Who could fill in if Bertrand is unable to go?
Fellow graduate student Jack Kiser would be the first option as the Indiana native has played inside backer more this fall and filled in for Bertrand’s absence on Saturday. It would also be significant for Kiser as he’d get more reps incase he was needed there long-term.
“We look at getting a bunch of guys ready. I thought (Jaylen) Sneed played really well. I thought Kiser came in and was really productive,” Golden said. “We’re getting Drayk (Bowen) ready too. We’ll see. We’re always concerned for the players health, but we’re not involved in the timeline. The timeline has to be done through the medical staff.
“All the other guys who have been repping there are ready to go.”
Now, Sneed wouldn’t necessarily be asked to play Mike and it’s hard to see Bowen get a starting nod as he hasn’t taken a defensive snap this season as he came out of concussion protocol last week.
Kiser provides much-needed experience (953 career snaps), but also the ability to make every check Golden would need from the Mike position. It would also avoid throwing Bowen to the wolves in his first game action and allow Sneed to get more snaps.
That said, Saturday could be a great opportunity for Bowen to get crucial reps, especially if the Irish can put Central Michigan away early.
A week ago, Bowen forced a fumble on kickoff coverage and it’s clear Golden has faith in the in-state product.
“I was really comfortable before he got injured, so it’s not going to take me long to get comfortable again,” stated Golden. “I think the kid is a winner. He’s tough and he’s a competitor. It means a lot to him and he studies.”
It’s evident Bowen has been productive on the practice field, but his work behind the scenes has not only caught the eye of Golden, it’s left a lasting impression.
“That’s usually the biggest hurdle for young guys,” explained Golden. “The ability to play with poise and executive under pressure even though you may only be hearing a call for the third, fourth, fifth time as opposed to some of the older guys who have had it for a couple years.
“I think that’s where Drayk does a really good job in his preparation and studying. He really devotes a lot of time and makes a lot of sacrifices to get it right. I’m excited about him.”
VETERAN SAFETIES
There is no secret that the three veteran linebackers have been the heart and soul of the Golden’s defensive scheme through three games, but Notre Dame’s veteran safeties have also been able to allow more creativity within the defense.
DJ Brown, Xavier Watts, Ramon Henderson, Antonio Carter and Thomas Harper (yes, he also plays nickel) all have banked collegiate reps and Golden seems very comfortable in rolling out a three safety look as a sub-package.
“They’ve been great because they can problem solve on the field and communicate well,” said Golden. “That’s a big part of being a safety. If you’re strong up the middle, you got a chance to be a really good defense. We have good signal callers at the linebacker and safety spot. They get us right a lot, which is awesome.”
The three safety look isn’t a ground-breaking defense by any means, but Golden does have a history of seeing the scheme work at a high level.
Golden spent two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals working under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who relied a ton on using his veteran safeties to mix up coverages and simply confuse quarterbacks.
The scheme was a large reason why the Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl a few years ago and Golden has a front row seat to Anarumo’s mad scientist defense.
“I think Lou has a great defensive mind,” stated Golden. “He grew up a secondary coach, so he has some unbelievable ideas. It was just fun working with him. It was a great experience working with him.
“In terms of the different packages, we just try to mix them up. We don’t really like to give static looks. We like to do a lot of things post-snap. It is what it is. It’s how we’re evolving here and it’s been good for us, so we have to keep moving forward with it.”
Golden rolled out the ‘spear package’ this fall, which gets three safeties on the field and Brown believes it has been extremely effective to start the season.
”For the quarterback, he doesn’t know exactly what we’re doing, where we’re going, our rotations and stuff,” said Brown. “It gives the quarterback uncertainty. They don’t really know what we’re doing. Every game we put in new plays and stuff so teams can’t really game plan us. Honestly, confusing the quarterback and then it allows us to make plays.”
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