Golden defense game-by-game performances

by HumanRobot @, Cybertron, Friday, January 24, 2025, 06:02 (14 days ago)
edited by HumanRobot, Friday, January 24, 2025, 06:59

With emoji ratings!

Year  Opp    Points   Run/Pass Y  Yds/play  Rating
2022  @OSU   21       172/223     5.72      ⛅
2022  Marsh  26       219/145     5.13      ☠️
2022  Cal    17       112/184     4.35      ☺️
2022  @UNC   32        66/301     6.12      ☔
2022  BYU    20       164/120     6.17      ⛑️
2022  Stan   16        97/288     4.75      ⚡
2022  UNLV   21       146/153     4.90      ☺️
2022  Syr    24        61/225     4.69      ⛅
2022  Clem   14        90/191     4.32      ☝️
2022  BC      0       117/58      2.98      ☘️
2022  @USC   38       204/232     7.15      ☢️
2022  USC    38        65/287     4.96      1H: ⛈️/ 2H: ⛱️
2023  Navy    3       126/42      3.07      ❤️
2023  TennSt  3        89/67      2.69      ☘️
2023  Nc St  24        84/260     4.41      ☺️
2023  CMU    17       131/137     4.96      ☺️
2023  OSU    17       126/240     5.63      ⛹️
2023  @Duke  14       189/134     4.82      ☺️
2023  @Lou   33       185/145     5.16      ⛑️
2023  USC    20       109/199     4.16      ⭐⭐
2023  Pitt    7        53/202     5.00      ☘️
2023  @Clem  31       176/109     4.13      ☔
2023  WF      7       134/98      4.07      ⭐
2023  @Stan  23       143/216     4.92      ☺️
2023  Or St   8         2/195     4.48      ⚡
2024  TAMU   13       146/100     3.62      ✊
2024  NIU    16       190/198     5.97      ☠️
2024  @Pur    7        38/124     3.31      ☘️
2024  MOH     3       110/119     3.58      ❤️
2024  Lou    24       131/264     5.20      ☔
2024  GT     13        64/269     4.97      ☺️
2024  Navy   14       222/88      5.44      ⛏️
2024  FSU     3       120/88      3.01      ✂️
2024  UVA    14       128/172     4.41      ☀️
2024  Army   14       207/26      3.48      ☄️
2024  @USC   35       197/360     7.23      ☢️
2024  IU     17        63/215     4.56      1-3Q: ☘️/ 4Q: ☠️
2024  UGA    10        62/234     4.85      ⭐☘️☄️
2024  PSU    24       204/135     5.22      1H: ☢️/ 2H: ⭐
2024  OSU    34       214/231     7.81      ☢️☣️☠️

Thoughts:

  • Year 1 was more of a struggle than we probably remember.
  • Year 2 gets a ton of credit for good overall performances, with some nice efforts against OSU and USC. I'm willing to accept a bad statistical defensive night for Louisville as chalked up to poor complementary from the offense. Clemson looks decent on paper, but it felt like they could get a score whenever they really wanted to push for one.
  • Year 3 had some very good efforts, but some pretty poor ones as well. NIU, USC, and OSU were war-crime level performances.
  • Overall: a really good coordinator that after year 1 was able to contribute winning defensive efforts consistently. Struggled to even slow down the best passing efforts. 'Best in country' or 'elite' ratings seem like hyperbole but are understandable. I view him as the "James Franklin of defensive coordinators"
  • Projection: He's going to have to expand his toolkit in the NFL. In year 1, he'll probably have to simply play for disruptive plays and turnovers while counting on Burrow and the offense to win games.

--
I'm a bad take machine!

"Struggled to even slow down the best passing efforts."?

by beattherush @, Chicago, Friday, January 24, 2025, 07:50 (14 days ago) @ HumanRobot

Which brings up a good question.

It's true that we struggled mightily against OSU this week. I am not sure whether that's
a) we monkeyed around with the base scheme too much and we played slow as a result - more zone, different LB fits
b) we played a good scheme with the wrong players due to injury
c) the scheme is Kellyesque in that it can defend middling teams very well but is flawed against elite teams

I'm sort of inclined to think a) and b), but I can't discount c). So which is it?

Then another question: how much of this defense is Golden's, and how much Freeman's?

My impression is that it's a bit of a mix. Freeman made it clear when Golden was hired that he was not looking for a wholesale rebuild of the defense and expected us to not confuse our players with major changes to structure/nomenclature. I don't think Freeman is the kind of coach to give in on that without a lot of pushback. So I expect Golden added to the playbook but didn't rip it up.

This, by the way, is similar to how Saban ran Alabama. Rees was not authorized to come in and revamp the offense, but he was able to adapt and install along the way.

Which brings us to the final question: who to hire, and why?

If it's really ND's defense / Freeman's defense at ND, then promoting Mickens makes a lot of sense vs. bringing in a top tier guy who is going to have a strong opinion about how the defense is built and might be a clash. But if the defense is not structurally sound - and performance against top passing teams is a bit of a flag - then we might need that strong opinion.

A's hire A's, B's hire C's. And strong leaders make personnel decisions assuming no one is irreplaceable. So maybe we go get a top defensive guy and let the chips fall where they may.

This puts the data behind my sense of Golden

by Dallasdomer, Friday, January 24, 2025, 06:56 (14 days ago) @ HumanRobot

He is an excellent coordinator and we were lucky to have him. It is not an insult to say he didn’t have 85 Bears level of performance or that he would be exceptionally challenging to replace. That red zone stuff in his first year “counts” just like anything else.
To me, it’s like listening to the II guys say that Love is “the greatest ND running back of all time.” I get the praise and it may end up true at the end of next year. But it is hyperbole right now.

; /

by Mike (bart), Friday, January 24, 2025, 06:14 (14 days ago) @ HumanRobot

1. You're right regarding Y1, but I think a big part of that was getting the DBs set up to do what the scheme called for -- in-progress Cam Hart and Clarence Lewis were the starting outside corners there, don't forget.

2. I think the passing attack stuff was in part personnel driven. Against USC in '22 we were missing Hart and Bracy against a great passing attack, against Louisville we were down Gray and Morrison for most of the game, etc. Teams with 3+ great quality WRs are going to present a challenge for anyone as it's hard to have an equivalent number of great corners. We were close this year but losing Morrison was a killer.

3. As far as Clemson '23 I have a hard time blaming the D. They basically put 7 points up themselves, Hartman gifted Clemson 7 on a pick 6, Tyree muffed a punt inside ND's red zone, and the D got the offense the ball 6 straight times with a chance to tie

Parker and the offense couldn't have tried harder

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Friday, January 24, 2025, 07:03 (14 days ago) @ Mike (bart)

to lose the fucking Clemson game. The defense came up with what should have been a historic turnover in a run-out-the-clock situation at the end which the offense couldn't wait to piss right down their collective leg. Just a disgusting performance.

Didn't Year 1 also have super fluky RZ numbers?

by Jeremy (WeIsND), Offices of Babip Pecota Vorp & Eckstein, Friday, January 24, 2025, 06:48 (14 days ago) @ Mike (bart)

Something like the worst, or close to the worst, Red Zone TD% in the country? It was pretty obviously glitchy as it immediately reversed itself the following seasons.

Yes. It was a much better defense between the 20s than in

by BillyGoat, At Thanksgiving with Joe Bethersontin, Friday, January 24, 2025, 06:53 (14 days ago) @ Jeremy (WeIsND)

the red zone. It was really weird.

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