The 22nd-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish took on the 2-2 Razorbacks yesterday afternoon and came away with a 56-13 victory over head coach Sam Pittman and Arkansas. The defense for the Irish have been heavily scrutinized this season and has been utterly underwhelming through the first quarter of the season. Yesterday, they faced an Arkansas offense that ranked in the top 20 in college football in several different categories. Thankfully, defensive coordinator Chris Ash and his defense came to play today against offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and this high powered Arkansas offense. Here are my key takeaways from the Notre Dame defense from yesterday's dominant 56-13 win down in Fayetteville.
They Did What They Had To Do
This defense is far from a finished product, but yesterday they handled business against Arkansas holding them to 13 points. Coming into this matchup, the Razorback's boasted the No. 15 scoring offense in the country (43.5 PPG), No. 20 ranked rushing offense in the country (227.8 yards per game), the No. 15 ranked passing offense (324.3 yards per game) and the No. 4 offense in the country in passing touchdowns (4). This defense held Arkansas to 207 passing yards, 158 rushing yards, 13 points and one touchdown scored on the afternoon. Again, this unit is far from a finished product, but they have put together a strong foundation to build on moving forward as they prepare to face Boise State, NC State and USC, all teams with high powered offenses.
Coverage Was More Aggressive
One of the biggest gripes through the first three games was the secondaries extremely passive play on the back end of the defense. They still have a ways to go before they look like they did in 2024, but it was a necessary step in the right direction. Notre Dame's secondary played more aggressive in man coverage resulting in handful of opportunities they had at interceptions. Redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson had the best performance from a Fighting Irish safety to date in the 2025 season; his play allowed redshirt sophomore captain Adon Shuler to return to his form and make plays in the box and around the line of scrimmage. Freshman cornerback Mark Zackery made an excellent play on the ball and Gray held serve and didn't get beat over the top. Mike Micken's unit has taken a massive step in the right direction.
Passive Philosophy Remains
As good as this defense looked at times yesterday, their overall philosophy was still too passive. They still refused to put hands on receivers in zone coverage and their linebackers still weren't playing fast and aggressive down hill. In the first half, Arkansas had 158 rushing yards at the end of the game but had 122 rushing yards in the first half. Their linebackers weren't freed to fly downhill and attack the football and running back Mike Washington Jr. was starting get chunk plays. There still needs to be a philosophical change at the top starting with Ash, but this unit has some things to build on moving forward.
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