Howard Cross III Believes Notre Dame Defense Set New Standard
There’s little debate Notre Dame has one of the best defenses in the country after eight games. The Irish aren’t holding teams to 218 yards per game like Penn State, but Notre Dame also doesn’t play in the Big 10.
Two weeks ago, Notre Dame and Al Golden put on a clinic on how to stop Caleb Williams and one of the most explosive offenses in the country. It certainly gave the Irish defense more confidence heading into the last four games, but it also set a new expectation.
“It feels good for everybody on the entire defense to have a great game, especially against one of the best, if not the best, offenses in the game,” stated defensive lineman Howard Cross III. “It was huge for us, especially coming off the Louisville game.
“We were looking for redemption. We were ready to show what we can do and prove to everybody that we’re still here and we can do what we’ve been doing. That’s our standard.”
Cross has led the charge of several veterans rising up as upperclassmen in 2023 as Cam Hart, Rylie Mills, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Nana Osafo-Mensah, Xavier Watts and all three linebackers are playing at a high level.
The group won’t necessarily boast about themselves, but there is a sense of pride in setting a tone each week.
“This is going to sound nerdy, but it’s kind of like a superhero cartoon mentality,” explained Cross. “Every game, every season, no matter what, you always get better. If you have 10 tackles in a game, the next game I’m going to get 13. If I have 13 tackles in a game, I’m going to get 14. If I somehow break a crazy record, then next week I should break that record. That’s the mentality for every guy here. If they’re not doing that, they’re striving every day to make sure that they’re at that level.”
As it relates to Cross, the New Jersey native is second on the team in tackles with 45 and he’s added 5.5 tackles for loss.
Confidence has led to Cross breaking out in 2023, but there is also a simple mentality on every play that has made a difference too.
“I’m making sure I keep moving, keep going no matter what,” stated Cross. “Even if it’s a double team and I’m going against 500-plus pounds and really there’s no way for me to win, in my mind I’m like, ‘You should be winning this.’ That’s my mentality of I should keep going basically.”
Notre Dame will now turn its attention to a pesky Pitt team this weekend, but the good news is the Irish are fresh after four night games in a row and eight games in total before the bye week.
“I went for like a jog or two to stay in shape,” Cross said of his bye week. “But I took my time, I relaxed, laying down, having fun, playing games. I went to a cryotherapy place. That was pretty cool. I made to sure to get off my feet and everything like that.
“Everybody here also feels the same. I can tell the feeling of the facility is higher. No one’s out of energy. Everybody’s excited to play.”
Speaking of being ready to play, Cross has also seen some of Notre Dame’s younger players start to turn the corner this season, which bodes well for the future of the program.
“To be quite honest, I probably think Donnie [Hinish] or Aidan [Keanaaina],” said Cross when asked who is ready to make a step forward next year. “They’re by far the two. They’re moving along, and Gabe [Rubio] too.
“Donny reminds me of myself, obviously, being that we’re the same height. And put that on record, we are the same height. He’s fast off the ball. He uses his hands. Same thing with Aidan. Aidan just can’t be moved. I’d probably say he’s like another version of Kurt [Hinish].
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