Notre Dame’s defense came into Provo with the kind of reputation that travels: No. 1 in the country in yards allowed per game at 216.4, built on structure, speed and the kind of weekly consistency that usually keeps a team unbeaten. Against BYU, though, that image cracked in the moments that mattered most.
The final score said 28-24, but the details tell a rougher story. Notre Dame gave up 21 points in the first half, then settled in enough to allow just seven over the final 30 minutes. Even that improvement came with a sting, because those last seven points arrived on BYU’s final possession - the one that decided the game.
There was no shortage of effort from the Irish. The issue was the combination of sloppy execution and coaching misfires, and both showed up early and often inside LaVell Edwards Stadium. BYU piled up 249 yards in the first half alone, which is a jarring number for a defense that had spent the season smothering opponents.
The biggest damage came in the biggest spots, and that’s where championship-level defenses are supposed to separate themselves. Notre Dame had moments in the second half where it looked like it might wrest control back, forcing two punts and two turnovers on BYU’s first four possessions after halftime.
But when the game was there to be closed out, the Irish couldn’t land the final blow. BYU’s last drive covered 55 yards in 10 plays and ended with the touchdown that proved to be the winner.
Discipline was the other thread running through the night, and it frayed fast. On the fifth play of the game, star defensive end Boubacar Traore was ejected after a targeting call, a costly and unusual mistake from Notre Dame’s most experienced edge rusher. Without him, the pass rush never really settled in, and quarterback Bear Bachmeier had room to operate.
The coverage busts came next. Tight end Walker Lyons and wide receiver Kyler Kasper found space on early breakdowns, and Notre Dame’s back seven never fully cleaned it up. The missed tackles piled on, including from some of the unit’s veterans, and the defense looked vulnerable against the very kind of trick looks it should have been ready to handle.
That showed up in the numbers attached to Bachmeier, who threw for 224 yards and a touchdown while also running for two scores and catching another. One of BYU’s touchdown drives also included an end-around to Legend Glasker for 11 yards, another example of Notre Dame being caught flat-footed. In all, BYU scored four touchdowns, and Bachmeier was directly involved in every one of them.
If there was a bright spot for Notre Dame, it was senior safety Luke Talich. He was the defense’s most reliable performer, especially in the first half, when he made key open-field tackles against Bachmeier and helped stop the fake punt attempt late in the third quarter. Marcus Freeman has said Talich was viewed as a starter before an injury pushed him into the lineup, and he’s been living up to that belief every week.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Has An Offensive Issue Bigger Games Keep Exposing
The loss to BYU did more than end Notre Dames 16-game winning streak. It laid bare an offensive problem the Irish had been able to mask for much of the season: too many drives have stalled when the game tightens, and third down has become the clearest place where that shows up.
Notre Dames third-down conversion rate sits at No. 39 nationally, which is respectable on paper but not nearly enough for the kind of games the Irish are now playing. Earlier in the year, superior talent could cover for some of those empty possessions, but against a similarly skilled opponent, the inability to stay on the field became impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Boubacar Traore Is Giving Notre Dame Fans One Big Reason To Watch
Boubacar Traore has become one of the more obvious defensive bright spots for Notre Dame this fall, and On3s midseason All-American first team nod only reinforced how much of an impact he has made. The junior edge rusher has stood out for more than the usual box-score stuff, with his sacks and quarterback pressures helping give the Irish a real presence off the edge while the rest of the defense works to settle in around him.
Anthonie Knapp also landed on On3s second team, giving Notre Dame another notable midseason recognition, but Traores selection feels like the one that really captures what has been happening on defense. The only concern for Irish fans is that Traores recent early exit raised a fresh question around his availability, and with no other Notre Dame players on the list, the spotlight on him feels even brighter as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames Dominant Run Defense Faces Its Biggest Question Yet
Notre Dames run defense has been one of the defining strengths of its season, and the numbers back it up. Through seven games, the Irish rank third nationally against the run, allowing just 67.3 rushing yards per game, and they have been especially steady against Power Five opponents, holding those teams to 67.8 yards on the ground while giving up only three rushing touchdowns.
The bigger test, though, is whether that front can keep carrying the load when the opponents quarterback can hurt defenses with his legs. Recent top-ranked units have shown that stopping designed runs and scrambles from mobile passers is often the difference between a very good rush defense and a truly suffocating one, and that is the area Notre Dame still has to prove. [Read more 🡒]