The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a strong defense in the 2023 season, but how does it compare to past great defenses? While it's difficult to make direct comparisons between eras, the '23 defense is showing promising signs. Through nine games, they are ranked 7th in the country in combined FEI and SP+ rankings. This puts them in the same league as the top defenses of 2012, 2018, and 2019.

One area where the '23 defense stands out is run defense, allowing only 3.1 rushes of 10+ yards per game. This is even better than the 2012 defense that didn't allow a rushing touchdown until its eighth game. In terms of pass defense, they are allowing only 2.2 passes of 20+ yards per game, better than the 2018 defense.

In terms of havoc rate, the '23 defense is at 18.7%, higher than the '19 defense which led the nation in this category. They are also forcing more fumbles per game than the '19 defense.

While the season isn't over yet, it's clear that the '23 defense deserves recognition alongside the great defenses of recent years. They are performing well at all levels of the defense and are showing the potential to be one of Notre Dame's best defenses in recent memory.

Source:

- WNDU News

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