The Irish defense under Brian Kelly and Bob Diaco has shown an inability at times to stop the bread-and-butter plays of opponents' offenses. Against Navy last season, they could not stop the fundamental option dive. Against Michigan last week, they struggled against the zone read run by Denard Robinson. In order to know what those base plays might be for this week's opponent, Michigan State, we are going to take a look at a few key plays from last season's contest between the two teams.
Michigan State came into the game looking to attack the Notre Dame defense with a zone running scheme. Against that scheme, the three down linemen in a 3-4 gap-control scheme like Diaco's are responsible for maintaining their gaps, and occupying two blockers for as long as possible to 1) prevent those blockers from getting to the next level (the LBs) and 2) clog up any possible cutback lanes. Diaco counts on his playside OLBs to play the force position, preventing anything from getting outside. Once they turn the play to the inside, the playside ILB should be flowing to the playside and right there waiting to make the tackle, while the backside ILB flows with the play but remains in the cutback lane and does not overpursue. Finally, the backside OLB should crash hard after clearly seeing the handoff take place; however, he has backside bootleg contain and thus will often not be able to get playside in time to impact the running back. We will take a look at a few running plays from Michigan State and see how ready the Irish were to defend them.
On this play, Michigan State runs inside zone. You can tell this from the more vertical angle the RB takes toward the line of scrimmage, and the way the offensive linemen do not try to extend the play outward.
Left OLB Kerry Neal (#56) sets the edge excellently, preventing RB Le'Veon Bell from bouncing outside. The NT and LDE hold their blocks, and playside ILB Manti Te'o (#5) flows to the play. However, backside ILB Carlo Calabrese (#44) overpursues the play; the zone running offense relies upon the running back being able to find lanes in which to cut back and turn upfield, and the backside ILB must remain home and shut down those lanes. Instead, Calabrese overruns the play, and the guard is able to block him right out of the picture, allowing a big play.
Defense is about assignment; players cannot just be running to the football. Neal, DE Ethan Johnson, and Te'o had this play shut down on the front side. Calabrese needed to stay home and play the cutback lane, and the coaches needed to have him ready for this play.
In the second look, we again see an inside zone play. This time, RB Edwin Baker, whom the Irish had held in check during the first half to the tune of 4 carries for 17 yards, breaks loose on a momentum-swinging 56-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half.
Again, OLB Kerry Neal sets the edge, and again the playside D-linemen stack up the play by occupying blockers. Up to this point, the defense is in ideal position. Playside ILB Manti Te'o flows to the play, and the Irish have it stacked up.
Indeed, as you can see in this photo, as Baker takes the handoff running right, all of his playside lanes are filled with Notre Dame players. Baker is running right for a stack of defenders and stonewalled blockers; where is he going to go?
He is going to Terrell Davis's favorite place on Earth for much of the late '90s: the cutback lane. Calabrese once again overpursues and vacates his lane, the backside tackle gets up the field and wins a mismatch against the corner, and tailback Baker, with a full head of steam and some room to move, beats the ND secondary for a TD.
Now let us be clear: this is not a post intended to criticize one particular player. The simple fact is that Michigan State ran a simple zone run scheme at ND, and the Irish defenders had not been coached or prepared well enough to recognize it and play within the scheme to defend it.
The Irish take on the Spartans again this Saturday, and it is highly likely that they will see another sizable dose of the zone run. Kerry Neal will be replaced by Prince Shembo and the NT will likely be Louis Nix, but otherwise much of that front seven will be the same one who gave up over 200 rushing yards last season. If Shembo sets the edge as well as Neal did last season (which he has done thus far in 2011), if the DL eats up gaps as they did in the above videos, and if Te'o flows to the play and tackles as surely as ND fans have come to expect, then there will be only one place for the RB to go: that very same cutback lane. It will be on the Irish coaching staff to make sure that Calabrese and Dan Fox (or Te'o if the play is run to the weak side) do not overpursue, but rather sit down in the hole that opens up behind the play. If they do that, they will leave Spartan tailbacks with nowhere to run.
On this play, Michigan State runs inside zone. You can tell this from the more vertical angle the RB takes toward the line of scrimmage, and the way the offensive linemen do not try to extend the play outward.
Left OLB Kerry Neal (#56) sets the edge excellently, preventing RB Le'Veon Bell from bouncing outside. The NT and LDE hold their blocks, and playside ILB Manti Te'o (#5) flows to the play. However, backside ILB Carlo Calabrese (#44) overpursues the play; the zone running offense relies upon the running back being able to find lanes in which to cut back and turn upfield, and the backside ILB must remain home and shut down those lanes. Instead, Calabrese overruns the play, and the guard is able to block him right out of the picture, allowing a big play.
Defense is about assignment; players cannot just be running to the football. Neal, DE Ethan Johnson, and Te'o had this play shut down on the front side. Calabrese needed to stay home and play the cutback lane, and the coaches needed to have him ready for this play.
In the second look, we again see an inside zone play. This time, RB Edwin Baker, whom the Irish had held in check during the first half to the tune of 4 carries for 17 yards, breaks loose on a momentum-swinging 56-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half.
Again, OLB Kerry Neal sets the edge, and again the playside D-linemen stack up the play by occupying blockers. Up to this point, the defense is in ideal position. Playside ILB Manti Te'o flows to the play, and the Irish have it stacked up.
Indeed, as you can see in this photo, as Baker takes the handoff running right, all of his playside lanes are filled with Notre Dame players. Baker is running right for a stack of defenders and stonewalled blockers; where is he going to go?
He is going to Terrell Davis's favorite place on Earth for much of the late '90s: the cutback lane. Calabrese once again overpursues and vacates his lane, the backside tackle gets up the field and wins a mismatch against the corner, and tailback Baker, with a full head of steam and some room to move, beats the ND secondary for a TD.
Now let us be clear: this is not a post intended to criticize one particular player. The simple fact is that Michigan State ran a simple zone run scheme at ND, and the Irish defenders had not been coached or prepared well enough to recognize it and play within the scheme to defend it.
The Irish take on the Spartans again this Saturday, and it is highly likely that they will see another sizable dose of the zone run. Kerry Neal will be replaced by Prince Shembo and the NT will likely be Louis Nix, but otherwise much of that front seven will be the same one who gave up over 200 rushing yards last season. If Shembo sets the edge as well as Neal did last season (which he has done thus far in 2011), if the DL eats up gaps as they did in the above videos, and if Te'o flows to the play and tackles as surely as ND fans have come to expect, then there will be only one place for the RB to go: that very same cutback lane. It will be on the Irish coaching staff to make sure that Calabrese and Dan Fox (or Te'o if the play is run to the weak side) do not overpursue, but rather sit down in the hole that opens up behind the play. If they do that, they will leave Spartan tailbacks with nowhere to run.
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