What We Learned: Notre Dame defense struggling

Sun, Sep 20, 2009

Sporting News’ Dave Curtis analyzes what Sunday’s buzz means to college football.

ND’s missing D

Receiver Michael Floyd is done for the season, and something’s wrong with Jimmy Clausen’s right foot. But the real problems Notre Dame must confront in the coming days all involve defense. The Irish rank in the bottom half of the country in every major defensive statistic. Their 63rd-best scoring defense is especially alarming, given that ND started the season by shutting out Nevada.

The struggles aren’t a huge surprise; any team where a true freshman is anointed a likely starting linebacker before he hits campus, as ND’s Manti Te’o was, needs help stopping people. And coach Charlie Weis said Sunday he hopes that help comes from a return to the basics.

“Sometimes, we miss the obvious,” Weis said Sunday. “And the obvious in this case is just a heavy stressing of fundamentals.”

So expect a rough week of practice for the ND defense. And look for a sounder, better tackling group when the Irish take the field Saturday night at Purdue.