Defense

Bobby D vs BVG: The Early Years

February 8, 2016 by Moons

With Signing Day in the rearview mirror, the offseason scab picking can accelerate to greater heights. Perhaps the area of greatest frustration for many looking back on the 2015 season was the continued struggles on the defensive side of the ball. Injuries certainly had a meaningful impact. From Jarron Jones, to KeiVarae Russell, to the way the season ended for Jaylon Smith, it seemed like just about every defensive player had to deal with a substantial health issue. Yet, when juxtaposed with ...

Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith (9) leaps over Boston College’s Myles Willis (23) as QB Jeff Smith (5) passes during the second half of the Notre Dame-Boston College NCAA football game on Nov. 21. SBT Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Apples to Oranges: Fiesta Bowl Defensive Preview

December 29, 2015 by Moons

When the Irish and the Buckeyes take the field this Friday, the two offenses may be fairly similar with perhaps a slight edge going to the Irish, but the game's eventual outcome will be more a tale of how each side's defense handles these two explosive offenses. The season-long numbers provide a distinct edge to Ohio State. Let's consider how each team ranks nationally in several important categories (actual value in parentheses): Simply put: the numbers strongly favor Ohio State. Whether ...

Courtesy of Daniel Hartwig (via Flickr)

Sacks: Just as Important as We Thought They Were

July 7, 2015 by Moons

Yesterday, Tex talked a lot about expectations. It was good and well worth the read if you haven’t already done so. I’d also been on something of an “expectations” binge having previously laid down some expectations about Will Fuller, Greg Bryant, Justin Yoon, and Max Redfield. Quite frankly, I started to get worried that we were going to start sending readers to the doctor with all of this bottled up excitement, so I decided to switch gears for a week. The good news is we’ve hit July. The bad ...