Notre Dame Needs More Pass Rushers To Emerge On Defense

On paper, the Notre Dame defensive line should be a dominant force, and against the run, they are. But they have left a lot to be desired as pass rushers the last couple of outings. Their inability to get pressure on North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards and BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier led to the defense giving up more points, 26 and 28 respectively, than they did in the final nine games of 2025 and the first six games of 2026. 

Now, are there other reasons as to why the defense gave up 54 total points between UNC and BYU outside of the pass rush? Absolutely, but their inability to get after the quarterbacks, throw off their rhythm and disrupt the pass game certainly played a factor. Would the story have been different is Boubacar Traore was ejected from the BYU game? Perhaps, but what we do know is that someone has to step up in those moments. 

Traore currently leads the team with 22 total pressures and 10 hits plus sacks on the quarterback through seven games and that was with only playing five snaps against BYU, 21 against Stanford and 19 against Rice. Junior Bryce Young is second on the team in pressures with 15, but he hasn't recorded a pressure since the North Carolina game. After Young, there's a significant drop off in pressure production. 

Defensive tackle Francis Brewu is third on the team in total pressures with nine but has only recorded one in the past two games against the Cougars and the Cardinal. Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has eight pressures on the season according to PFF in limited action but had zero against BYU and has yet to record a sack on the season. Back up defensive ends Keon Keeley and Loghan Thomas have combined for 12 pressures while freshman defensive end Rodney Dunham has four of his own. 

So what's the reason for the lack of a pass rush in recent games? Some of the responsibility lies with the players, that goes without saying. But the biggest reason is on defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Over the past three games, they've gotten very passive and borderline timid with how they attack opposing offenses. There's too much reading on defense and not enough attacking especially when things aren't going well. 

The stubbornness to go away from a vanilla blitz package, continue to simulate pressures and drop your best pass-rushing defensive end into coverage has been maddening. In an ideal world, you're able to generate pressure with your front four, but if you're not, you need to heat up the quarterback. Not with mind games presnap, not with simulated pressures but with a legitimate blitz package. 

Players like Young, Traore, Brewu and defensive tackle Armel Mukam have to get back on track or get going, but they also need to be put in situations to get after the quarterback. Utilize your talented, athletic and experienced linebacker room to generate pressure creatively. There are answers to these problems, but it's the willingness of the defensive coaches to search for those answers that I question. 

Unfortunately, this is the same conversation we had last season after the Purdue game, and to a degree, part of the Arkansas game. BYU was able to take advantage of the lack of pressure and vanilla blitz packages and they won 28-24. If Miami quarterback Darien Mensah has all day to throw, I can assure you they will score more than 28 points. 

These are fixable problems and they need fixed now. This defensive front seven is way to talented to have pressure stats this low. Traore and Young have the potential, key word potential, to be one of the best pass rushing duos in the country, but you have to get them going. Utilize your interior defensive line to penetrate and get after the quarterback with guys like Mukam, Brewu and Jason Onye who's back healthy. 

A lot of the blame when teams throw for yardage against this defense is always in the secondary, and believe me, they have problems of their own that need sorted out throughout the bye week. But one way to ensure a quarterback doesn't carve up your secondary is by making sure he never gets the ball off. This problem needs fixed and the clock is ticking, rapidly, towards November 7. 

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