The 2025 Notre Dame defense is finally starting to look like what we expected it to look like. After major struggles in the first four games the Irish defense have been stout in recent games. The unit faces another major test today when it takes on the NC State Wolfpack (4-2) and their talented offense. Notre Dame will need to once again be on top of its game.
Notre Dame gave up 32.7 points per game in the first three games of the season while allowing 398.7 yards per game and 5.8 yards per play. Over its last two games the defense held Arkansas and Boise State to an average of 9.5 points per game to go with 340.0 yards per game and 5.1 yards per play.
If Notre Dame is going to continue that success against NC State there are five key areas where they must thrive.
1) Be Aggressive - Notre Dame held Arkansas to just 13 points, but the Razorbacks still moved the ball well. They had their own mistakes that cost them points, and they still averaged 5.9 yards per play against the Irish defense. We saw a much different unit against Boise State, and the results were outstanding. Notre Dame held Boise State to 315 yards, its lowest output since 2021 thanks to a much, much more aggressive game plan that allowed the defense to shut down Boise State's run game and pass game. It was the kind of performance we expected to see regularly from this unit.
If Notre Dame is going to continue that kind of success against NC State it will need to employ a similarly aggressive game plan. Notre Dame did a great job mixing up the looks it showed Boise State, they blitzed at a higher rate, there was more man coverage and they were even aggressive playing the zone looks. Everything about the game plan was attack, attack, attack and the defenders responded by flying to the football and making way more plays in that game than we've seen all season.
This is what the Notre Dame defense is supposed to look like, and we need to see that continue. The specific looks, pressure packages and coverages will need to be tailored to what NC State does, and the Wolfpack are a very different offense from Boise State. But the aggressive philosophy behind it must continue.
2) Limit Big Plays - Notre Dame struggled limiting big plays during its rough stretch to start the season, and that included the Arkansas game. But they were much more effective limiting big plays against the Broncos, and that will need to continue against NC State. The Wolfpack rank 5th nationally with 11 plays of 40 yards or more on the season. NC State can beat you on the ground or through the air thanks to a talented group of skill players and a dynamic quarterback, and those big plays have allowed NC State to move the ball and score a lot of points despite being a very inconsistent offense.
If Notre Dame can limit the big plays and force NC State to go on longer, more sustained drives it greatly ups their odds of making enough stops to keep the offense in check. It not only gives Notre Dame more opportunities to make drive killing stops, it also gives NC State more chances to make drive killing mistakes.
3) Make NC State One Dimensional - What makes NC State so dangerous is how effective it is running and throwing. NC State is averaging 282.3 passing yards per game thanks to talented sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey and a tall, deep and talented group of pass catchers. Running back Hollywood Smothers ranks 6th in the nation in rushing yards per game and is averaging 6.9 yards per carry on the season.
If Notre Dame is able to get Smothers going early it will be much, much tougher to stop the offense. The key to really slowing down the offense from a schematic and practical standpoint is shutting down the run game and putting all of the burden on Bailey to carry the day.
In the two games where Smothers was held to less than 100 yards and less than 5.0 yards per carry the offense scored 24 and 21 points. In the four games where Smothers topped 100 yards and 5.0 yards per carry the offense scored 56, 35, 34 and 33 points. That's not a coincidence.
4) Don't Let CJ Bailey Get Comfortable - Bailey is a tall, talented quarterback who does his best work from the pocket. He's athletic but he wants to sit in the pocket and hurt teams with his arm. NC State also does a good job moving the pocket and getting him into comfortable looks. For all his talent the sophomore is still young and prone to young quarterback mistakes. If Notre Dame can keep him from getting comfortable it should be able to limit just how effective he can be by forcing more incompletions and ultimately more turnovers.
Getting pressure is key number one to making him uncomfortable. Bailey can certainly make off-platform throws and off-script plays, but he's less effective in those situations. According to PFF, Bailey is completing just 58-percent of his passes and has the same number of touchdown passes (4) as he has interceptions when under pressure. He's competing 80.1-percent of his throws from a clean pocket and has nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in those situations.
It's not that complicated sometimes. Pressure Bailey with some consistency and he won't play as consistently as he needs to play in order for the Wolfpack to win the game. Mixing up coverages and creating some doubt in what he's seeing is also a key to this.
5) Tackle, Tackle, Tackle - NC State's running backs produce missed tackles at a rate that is comparable to Notre Dame's talented backs, and the wide receivers produce missed tackles at an even higher rate than the Irish pass catchers. Simply put, Notre Dame has to tackle well in order to limit extra yards and big plays in this game. They were outstanding in this area against Boise State and that must continue.
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