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Notre Dame Football
In the Lab: Georgia's Defense On My Mind
August 14, 2017
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The Notre Dame players are more worried about the next rep than their next practice so I have a feeling that playing Georgia right now is not something they are thinking about every day. It's a good thing they are thinking that way as well because they still have Temple up first before they take on the Bulldogs about a month from now.
Notre Dame fans feel a bit different, though. This is a game that has been circled on their calendars for awhile. It was agreed to several years ago, but as it has gotten closer and closer to taking place, the importance of this game has taken on a life of its own.
This isn't just the Irish versus an SEC team. There is much more to it than that.
This is Brian Kelly coming off a 4-8 season needing a win to restore some faith that was lost. This is Notre Dame needing to win to show recruits in the south they are an attractive alternative to staying home to play football. It's new coaches on the staff that came from schools that weren't elite programs coaching in a marquee game that everyone will be watching. It's Kelly trying to win a big game against an opponent with equal talent for the first time since LSU in the Music City Bowl.
This game means a lot to Kelly and Notre Dame football. I'm sure he knows it and the fans certainly know it too.
With that in mind, it's a game that I've put some extra preparation into as well. Of course I'll be watching Georgia play in week one versus Appalachian State of this season, but I went back and watched six games from the 2016 season to get a better idea of their defense and what Notre Dame will have to do to succeed against them. (I'll do a breakdown of their offense later on.)
Let's start by taking a look at who they've got coming back this season.
Just about everyone returns
This is year two in the Kirby Smart era. Mel Tucker, a former coordinator in the NFL and defensive backs coach at Alabama, is the DC, but this is very much Smart's defense. I'm sure they tweaked some stuff this off-season, but the base of what they did will remain the same and they have most of their players returning to work in their second season in that scheme.
They've got 10 starters returning from a group that was 34th in S&P+, 36th in yards per play, 35th in scoring defense, and 16th in total defense. Although they are adding some talented freshman to the mix, it's largely going to be the same personnel that they had for the majority of 2016.
They are going to be strong on the defensive line, but the only player who truly stands out as a dominating force is Trenton Thompson. The top recruit in the nation in the class of 2015, he has the ability to take over a game. Notre Dame will single block him at their own risk as he can be ultra-disruptive in the running game like when he rag-dolled Auburn's right tackle here.
He's able to win with power and has big time lateral quickness for someone his size. He is lined up as a 3 technique here and is able to come across the face of the guard and still get back the other way to make the tackle for loss.
They have other talent in their front, but Thompson is the one player that can blow up the Irish run game all by himself.
They are deep at linebacker. Roquan Smith is a dynamic athlete and Natrez Patrick was once one of the top edge rusher recruits in the nation as a senior in high school. He was moved to inside linebacker, but both him and Smith can impact the game as blitzers when asked to do so.
Former 5 star Lorenzo Carter is the big name on the edge for them at outside linebacker. His tools are as exceptional as any and he will test Notre Dame's tackles.
The secondary has all four starters returning. I thought the corners were just okay for the Bulldogs in the games I watched, but they have an outstanding player in Dominick Sanders at safety. He has great range and outstanding instincts that have helped him snag 12 career interceptions.
Brandon Wimbush needs to be decisive when going through his progressions because Sanders will jump plays when he notices the quarterback staring down a receiver. His responsibility was to cover deep here against Florida, but you can see him break off of it when the Gators' quarterback locked in on the underneath route.
They have a few freshmen defensive backs that I feel are going to be outstanding players for them over the next few years. They just might not have huge roles in game two of this season. But even without their help against Notre Dame, this is a very talented defense with other players that could be ready to emerge in a big way as well.
They weren't a great defense in 2016, but with just about everyone back, they could very well be this season.
If you've seen Alabama's defense over the past decade, then you pretty much know what you're going to get with Kirby Smart. The base might be a 3-4, but the reality of it is they are multiple. Georgia toggle fronts and alignments often, although they aren't trying to go out and trick anyone with a ton of movement or exotic pressures.
They change their approach from week to week depending on the opponent and aren't married to "this is who we are". They are quick to make adjustments if what they are doing isn't working as well, so it's going to be important for Notre Dame to take advantage of when they have them in bad situation.
How can they do that? We can start with the obvious answer.
Play fast (or at least threaten to play fast)
TCU, Ole Miss, and North Carolina all had success playing uptempo against Georgia's defense. One of the reasons why is that Smart likes to substitute quite a bit. Not just to rotate to get fresh bodies on the field, but also to match up in the right way.
Snapping the ball quickly, or the threat of snapping the ball quickly, stops Georgia from being able to substitute like they want to. They had to waste timeouts, got caught in a poor position, and had too many players on the field often against teams that played uptempo. Even if they get that sorted out, I still think Chip Long can hurt them by getting his offense to the line quickly.
While I expect Georgia to make it tough to run the ball on them because of their front seven, Notre Dame can win with numbers like UNC did here.
The Bulldogs didn't have anyone lined up to set the edge up front and it ended up putting the back and the corner in a one on one situation. The back beat the corner outside and was gone from there.
Even if Notre Dame doesn't snap it quickly, they can get up to the line and count them up with Wimbush (or more likely the sideline) making the right adjustment with the play. I think if Notre Dame goes toe to toe with them, like Florida does here with an unbalanced line that Georgia adjusts to, then the Irish won't find much success running the ball.
Auburn had almost zero success running at them when UGA had dedicated numbers in the box to stop the run. The only real success they had was on jet sweeps. Georgia held them to 127 yards rushing. In the previous three games, Auburn ran for 543, 307, and 271.
How do they avoid going get outnumbered in the run game? I'm not sure Notre Dame fans will like it, but this is how I see the best way for them to do it.
For those that don't know, 11 personnel means 1 back and 1 tight end. 10 personnel is, you guessed, 1 back and 0 tight ends.
I can already hear a low grumble from some of the masses who wish Notre Dame would play with a fullback and taking a tight end off the field completely is the opposite of that. I like old school I-formation football as much as anybody, but I really don't care how a team runs the football effectively. It's just more important that they do no matter what the method is.
Against Georgia, I think the best way to do that is to spread them out and make them play nickel. Notre Dame will force them do that if they play in 11 personnel that can flip to 10 at any point.
Before we get to how Notre Dame can use this, here's a look at why it can work well when running the ball. TCU is in 10 and Georgia only has 5 players in the box. That's one for one in blocking and it really becomes 5 on 4 with the backside edge accounting for the zone read.
This is where Alize Mack becomes important. I am worried about his health, but I'm definitely not worried about him when he is on the field. He gives the offense unique versatility in that he can line up tight as an H-back or even in-line at times, but he also can split out as a receiver or play in the slot. He gives them the option of a tight end, although he's essentially more of a big receiver. He is who I imagine will be used the most if they play in 10 with the ability to shift to 11 if Chip Long decides to do that.
I would love to see Long use him in the offense much like Ole Miss used first round pick Evan Engram last season. Engram caught 6 balls for 95 yards and a touchdown versus UGA. Just like Mack, he is match-up nightmare for linebackers because of his athleticism and defensive backs because of his size.
If he's healthy, I would expect Mack to be a significant part of the game plan for Georgia.
I'm definitely expecting to see them quite a bit and I imagine Georgia is too. I have a feeling that Notre Dame will hold back against Temple and then unleash it more the next week.
Ole Miss put it on Georgia last season and did it largely by playing uptempo and the use of run-pass option plays. They created three big plays specifically from RPOs.
The first was a touchdown to AJ Brown where quarterback Chad Kelly pulled it and threw the ball up for what resulted in a touchdown. Even though the corner was still in man coverage and it required a great catch by the receiver, the key is the run action forcing the safety to step up to take him away from helping over top.
That's what RPOs are all about and why defensive guys like Nick Saban and Kirby Smart hate them so much. They put safeties and linebackers in an impossible conflict. I think we'll see this same type of play, possibly a throw to his back shoulder, to Equanimeous St. Brown when the Irish play UGA.
This next type of RPO is what really crushed Georgia, though. It led to two big plays.
This is essentially a triple option. Kelly can give to the running back, elect to keep it himself, or fling it out to the wide receiver. The linebacker chooses to step up and take the quarterback, so Kelly passes it out wide where there is open space for a big play.
Here we go with the exact same play, except this time no one takes the quarterback. The bubble is covered, but there is a free lane for the quarterback. Kelly makes a great decision and it ends up in a touchdown.
That is incredibly tough to defend for a defense. This kind of triple option/RPO is going to be used by Notre Dame this year and Wimbush is the right guy to run it with. I don't think it will be as simple as run-pass in a lot of scenarios. I expect Wimbush to keep it a fair amount as well.
Kelly, TCU's Kenny Hill, and Tennessee's Josh Dobbs all hurt Georgia with their mobility and the Irish will need Wimbush to be a running threat all game long in order to win.
This is something that I think could be a big factor in the game. The main reason Georgia's defense was just pretty good and not great was that they didn't create enough havoc. They were 105th in tackles for loss last season. To put that into perspective, Notre Dame was 106th. I bet most people wouldn't have expected them to be close in that statistic.
Overall, their havoc rate (TFLs+INTs+forced fumbles+pass breakups divided by total plays) was 59th. The biggest reason why is that they didn't get enough production from their front seven despite it being loaded with former 4 and 5 star recruits. They couldn't get a ton of pressure when they rushed only four and someone like Lorenzo Carter didn't produce close to the level that is commensurate with his talent.
I'm going to be very interested to see how much Georgia decides to blitz in this game. I thought they were very effective when doing so, especially when they brought players from the secondary.
That's always going to be a threat with them on 3rd down. Wimbush and the protection have to be on alert. They won't always show it either, so sometimes it will require Wimbush to make a guy miss. If Georgia doesn't show improvement from their front as pass rushers, then I think Notre Dame will see more of this kind of thing from them with the slot corner.
Credit has to be given to Smart and Tucker. Their guys are very good at disguising and timing it up properly like here versus Auburn.
I didn't see that kind of pressure a lot from Georgia, although they aren't afraid to bring linebackers from depth. I'm not sure what the stats say, but they weren't a heavy blitz team last season and Smart was not someone who blitzed a lot during his time at Alabama. He didn't have to because he had so many "dudes" that could win one on one match-ups.
Are his players at Georgia going to be good enough this year to win that way? If they are, then this could be one of the best defenses in the nation and it is going to make it even tougher for Notre Dame to move the ball against them.
The good news is that I think Notre Dame's philosophy changes on offense match up well with what Georgia struggled against last season. This kind of offense is about the only offense that Smart's defense struggled with at Alabama as well. We'll see if the Irish are going to be able to execute it enough at a high level to beat a veteran defense, but I think they have a much better shot at putting points on the board against Georgia than some analysts have predicted heading into the season.
Notre Dame fans feel a bit different, though. This is a game that has been circled on their calendars for awhile. It was agreed to several years ago, but as it has gotten closer and closer to taking place, the importance of this game has taken on a life of its own.
This isn't just the Irish versus an SEC team. There is much more to it than that.
This is Brian Kelly coming off a 4-8 season needing a win to restore some faith that was lost. This is Notre Dame needing to win to show recruits in the south they are an attractive alternative to staying home to play football. It's new coaches on the staff that came from schools that weren't elite programs coaching in a marquee game that everyone will be watching. It's Kelly trying to win a big game against an opponent with equal talent for the first time since LSU in the Music City Bowl.
This game means a lot to Kelly and Notre Dame football. I'm sure he knows it and the fans certainly know it too.
With that in mind, it's a game that I've put some extra preparation into as well. Of course I'll be watching Georgia play in week one versus Appalachian State of this season, but I went back and watched six games from the 2016 season to get a better idea of their defense and what Notre Dame will have to do to succeed against them. (I'll do a breakdown of their offense later on.)
Let's start by taking a look at who they've got coming back this season.
Just about everyone returns
This is year two in the Kirby Smart era. Mel Tucker, a former coordinator in the NFL and defensive backs coach at Alabama, is the DC, but this is very much Smart's defense. I'm sure they tweaked some stuff this off-season, but the base of what they did will remain the same and they have most of their players returning to work in their second season in that scheme.
They've got 10 starters returning from a group that was 34th in S&P+, 36th in yards per play, 35th in scoring defense, and 16th in total defense. Although they are adding some talented freshman to the mix, it's largely going to be the same personnel that they had for the majority of 2016.
They are going to be strong on the defensive line, but the only player who truly stands out as a dominating force is Trenton Thompson. The top recruit in the nation in the class of 2015, he has the ability to take over a game. Notre Dame will single block him at their own risk as he can be ultra-disruptive in the running game like when he rag-dolled Auburn's right tackle here.
He's able to win with power and has big time lateral quickness for someone his size. He is lined up as a 3 technique here and is able to come across the face of the guard and still get back the other way to make the tackle for loss.
They have other talent in their front, but Thompson is the one player that can blow up the Irish run game all by himself.
They are deep at linebacker. Roquan Smith is a dynamic athlete and Natrez Patrick was once one of the top edge rusher recruits in the nation as a senior in high school. He was moved to inside linebacker, but both him and Smith can impact the game as blitzers when asked to do so.
Former 5 star Lorenzo Carter is the big name on the edge for them at outside linebacker. His tools are as exceptional as any and he will test Notre Dame's tackles.
The secondary has all four starters returning. I thought the corners were just okay for the Bulldogs in the games I watched, but they have an outstanding player in Dominick Sanders at safety. He has great range and outstanding instincts that have helped him snag 12 career interceptions.
Brandon Wimbush needs to be decisive when going through his progressions because Sanders will jump plays when he notices the quarterback staring down a receiver. His responsibility was to cover deep here against Florida, but you can see him break off of it when the Gators' quarterback locked in on the underneath route.
They have a few freshmen defensive backs that I feel are going to be outstanding players for them over the next few years. They just might not have huge roles in game two of this season. But even without their help against Notre Dame, this is a very talented defense with other players that could be ready to emerge in a big way as well.
They weren't a great defense in 2016, but with just about everyone back, they could very well be this season.
One word to describe them: multiple
If you've seen Alabama's defense over the past decade, then you pretty much know what you're going to get with Kirby Smart. The base might be a 3-4, but the reality of it is they are multiple. Georgia toggle fronts and alignments often, although they aren't trying to go out and trick anyone with a ton of movement or exotic pressures.
They change their approach from week to week depending on the opponent and aren't married to "this is who we are". They are quick to make adjustments if what they are doing isn't working as well, so it's going to be important for Notre Dame to take advantage of when they have them in bad situation.
How can they do that? We can start with the obvious answer.
Play fast (or at least threaten to play fast)
TCU, Ole Miss, and North Carolina all had success playing uptempo against Georgia's defense. One of the reasons why is that Smart likes to substitute quite a bit. Not just to rotate to get fresh bodies on the field, but also to match up in the right way.
Snapping the ball quickly, or the threat of snapping the ball quickly, stops Georgia from being able to substitute like they want to. They had to waste timeouts, got caught in a poor position, and had too many players on the field often against teams that played uptempo. Even if they get that sorted out, I still think Chip Long can hurt them by getting his offense to the line quickly.
While I expect Georgia to make it tough to run the ball on them because of their front seven, Notre Dame can win with numbers like UNC did here.
The Bulldogs didn't have anyone lined up to set the edge up front and it ended up putting the back and the corner in a one on one situation. The back beat the corner outside and was gone from there.
Even if Notre Dame doesn't snap it quickly, they can get up to the line and count them up with Wimbush (or more likely the sideline) making the right adjustment with the play. I think if Notre Dame goes toe to toe with them, like Florida does here with an unbalanced line that Georgia adjusts to, then the Irish won't find much success running the ball.
Auburn had almost zero success running at them when UGA had dedicated numbers in the box to stop the run. The only real success they had was on jet sweeps. Georgia held them to 127 yards rushing. In the previous three games, Auburn ran for 543, 307, and 271.
How do they avoid going get outnumbered in the run game? I'm not sure Notre Dame fans will like it, but this is how I see the best way for them to do it.
Playing with 10 personnel
For those that don't know, 11 personnel means 1 back and 1 tight end. 10 personnel is, you guessed, 1 back and 0 tight ends.
I can already hear a low grumble from some of the masses who wish Notre Dame would play with a fullback and taking a tight end off the field completely is the opposite of that. I like old school I-formation football as much as anybody, but I really don't care how a team runs the football effectively. It's just more important that they do no matter what the method is.
Against Georgia, I think the best way to do that is to spread them out and make them play nickel. Notre Dame will force them do that if they play in 11 personnel that can flip to 10 at any point.
Before we get to how Notre Dame can use this, here's a look at why it can work well when running the ball. TCU is in 10 and Georgia only has 5 players in the box. That's one for one in blocking and it really becomes 5 on 4 with the backside edge accounting for the zone read.
This is where Alize Mack becomes important. I am worried about his health, but I'm definitely not worried about him when he is on the field. He gives the offense unique versatility in that he can line up tight as an H-back or even in-line at times, but he also can split out as a receiver or play in the slot. He gives them the option of a tight end, although he's essentially more of a big receiver. He is who I imagine will be used the most if they play in 10 with the ability to shift to 11 if Chip Long decides to do that.
I would love to see Long use him in the offense much like Ole Miss used first round pick Evan Engram last season. Engram caught 6 balls for 95 yards and a touchdown versus UGA. Just like Mack, he is match-up nightmare for linebackers because of his athleticism and defensive backs because of his size.
If he's healthy, I would expect Mack to be a significant part of the game plan for Georgia.
Expect RPOs
I'm definitely expecting to see them quite a bit and I imagine Georgia is too. I have a feeling that Notre Dame will hold back against Temple and then unleash it more the next week.
Ole Miss put it on Georgia last season and did it largely by playing uptempo and the use of run-pass option plays. They created three big plays specifically from RPOs.
The first was a touchdown to AJ Brown where quarterback Chad Kelly pulled it and threw the ball up for what resulted in a touchdown. Even though the corner was still in man coverage and it required a great catch by the receiver, the key is the run action forcing the safety to step up to take him away from helping over top.
That's what RPOs are all about and why defensive guys like Nick Saban and Kirby Smart hate them so much. They put safeties and linebackers in an impossible conflict. I think we'll see this same type of play, possibly a throw to his back shoulder, to Equanimeous St. Brown when the Irish play UGA.
This next type of RPO is what really crushed Georgia, though. It led to two big plays.
This is essentially a triple option. Kelly can give to the running back, elect to keep it himself, or fling it out to the wide receiver. The linebacker chooses to step up and take the quarterback, so Kelly passes it out wide where there is open space for a big play.
Here we go with the exact same play, except this time no one takes the quarterback. The bubble is covered, but there is a free lane for the quarterback. Kelly makes a great decision and it ends up in a touchdown.
That is incredibly tough to defend for a defense. This kind of triple option/RPO is going to be used by Notre Dame this year and Wimbush is the right guy to run it with. I don't think it will be as simple as run-pass in a lot of scenarios. I expect Wimbush to keep it a fair amount as well.
Kelly, TCU's Kenny Hill, and Tennessee's Josh Dobbs all hurt Georgia with their mobility and the Irish will need Wimbush to be a running threat all game long in order to win.
Lack of havoc
This is something that I think could be a big factor in the game. The main reason Georgia's defense was just pretty good and not great was that they didn't create enough havoc. They were 105th in tackles for loss last season. To put that into perspective, Notre Dame was 106th. I bet most people wouldn't have expected them to be close in that statistic.
Overall, their havoc rate (TFLs+INTs+forced fumbles+pass breakups divided by total plays) was 59th. The biggest reason why is that they didn't get enough production from their front seven despite it being loaded with former 4 and 5 star recruits. They couldn't get a ton of pressure when they rushed only four and someone like Lorenzo Carter didn't produce close to the level that is commensurate with his talent.
I'm going to be very interested to see how much Georgia decides to blitz in this game. I thought they were very effective when doing so, especially when they brought players from the secondary.
That's always going to be a threat with them on 3rd down. Wimbush and the protection have to be on alert. They won't always show it either, so sometimes it will require Wimbush to make a guy miss. If Georgia doesn't show improvement from their front as pass rushers, then I think Notre Dame will see more of this kind of thing from them with the slot corner.
Credit has to be given to Smart and Tucker. Their guys are very good at disguising and timing it up properly like here versus Auburn.
I didn't see that kind of pressure a lot from Georgia, although they aren't afraid to bring linebackers from depth. I'm not sure what the stats say, but they weren't a heavy blitz team last season and Smart was not someone who blitzed a lot during his time at Alabama. He didn't have to because he had so many "dudes" that could win one on one match-ups.
Are his players at Georgia going to be good enough this year to win that way? If they are, then this could be one of the best defenses in the nation and it is going to make it even tougher for Notre Dame to move the ball against them.
The good news is that I think Notre Dame's philosophy changes on offense match up well with what Georgia struggled against last season. This kind of offense is about the only offense that Smart's defense struggled with at Alabama as well. We'll see if the Irish are going to be able to execute it enough at a high level to beat a veteran defense, but I think they have a much better shot at putting points on the board against Georgia than some analysts have predicted heading into the season.
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