Notre Dame Defense Will be Called Upon to Lead the Irish Again in 2013

September 15, 2012; East Lansing, MI, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive end Stephon Tuitt (7) and defensive lineman Louis Nix III (9) look over the Michigan State Spartans offense during the 2nd half at Spartan Stadium. Norte Dame won 20-3 Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

You can point out a lot of deciding factors that ultimately led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to their appearance in the BCS National Championship Game in 2013. Although he’s no longer with the team, the versatility and management of the offense by quarterback Everett Golson was one. The depth at running back could most certainly be another. Brian Kelly masterfully coaching these guys up could be a third.

But when you really get down to it, there was one aspect of the 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish that was the major force behind that magical run–the defense.

They were stifling, irritating, physical, aggressive–they were an overall brutal unit. Led by their Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te’o, this unit made sure on a weekly basis that Notre Dame walked out with a win. There were a few times last season where the Irish were in danger of having a blemish on that regular season record, and the defense made sure it stayed otherwise. Case in point, when Notre Dame’s backs were against the wall against the eventual Rose Bowl Champion Stanford Cardinal, they did this:

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better example of a single unit on a football team telling their fans, coaches and teammates, “Don’t worry, we’ll handle this.”

Performances like that carried this team to within one victory of the national championship. Can they make history repeat itself and find their way to Pasadena and another shot at a title? Probably not. But there isn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that this unit will have to carry this team once again.

The losses of guys like Te’o and safety Zeke Motta–the Irish’s top two tacklers from last year–will hurt, but they’re not backbreaking by any means. While a majority of the focus on this team is on the losses of Golson and some of that depth at running back, it seems that people are sleeping on the defense from South Bend once again, and that’s not a smart thing to do.

So what exactly makes up this 2013 Notre Dame defense? Let’s look:

Defensive Line

It’s not even debatable, this is the heart and soul of the unit. The front line of the ND 3-4 defense currently employs two potential future first-round NFL draft picks in nose guard Louis Nix and defensive end Stephon Tuitt. Nix is the definition of an old-school run stopper and Tuitt–well, he only finished last year with 47 tackles and an incredible 12 sacks. Sophomore Sheldon Day should be the starter at the other end and he brings some experience to the table as he finished last season with 23 tackles and two sacks. This unit as a whole will set the tone for how well the defense performs.

Linebackers

Obviously, this is where the biggest subtraction is visible. Of course, the loss of someone the magnitude of a Manti Te’o is going to be felt, but it doesn’t make or break the Irish’s defensive future. With Danny Spond having to recently give up the game due to migraine issues, Jaylon Smith could be the first true freshman to start at LB for the Irish since Te’o. The freshman has certainly garnered some high praise from his head coach Brian Kelly:

"“He had to work for it — it was Danny Spond, it was Councell and it was Jaylon Smith; it didn’t start the other way around. So he was No. 3 on the depth chart when he ran out there,” Kelly said, adding, “He went out and he did his job, so he comes from a good family, he comes from a great program where they obviously did a great job of teaching him how to go about and do his thing and he’s been great and he’s put himself in a position now to do some great things.”"

Sophomore Jarrett Grace (12 tackles in 2012) will be the one tasked with filling the giant shoes of Te’o. It’ll be quite the adjustment, but the second-year player should adapt quickly to his new, full-time role in the middle. With seniors Prince Shembo (51 tackles, 7.5 sacks) and Dan Fox (63 tackles, 1 sack) also returning, this linebacker unit isn’t going to see as much of a drop-off in production as many people would think simply with the loss of Te’o. Carlo Calabrese (49 tackles) should also see some time.

Defensive Backs

Losing the ultra-productive Zeke Motta is significant, but again, not anything to go into a full-on meltdown about. Bennett Jackson (65 tackles, 4 INT) and Keivarae Russell (58 tackles, 4 INT) return to their corner slots and both are productive assets. Russell showed last season that he has the makings of becoming an overall college football star on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore safety Mathias Farley (49 tackles, 1 INT) also returns to his free safety slot, adding even more experience to this defense. Sophomore Elijah Shumate (9 tackles) should be making his first start at the strong slot.

As is clearly visible when you put all of this together, this is a unit that can be as dangerous–if not more–as last year’s. There’s a few young, yet experienced playmakers on this unit that can easily repeat the success of last season.

This ND defense can undoubtedly wake up the echoes once again, by putting opposing offenses to sleep.

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Jack is a Staff Writer for Saturday Blitz. Follow Jack on Twitter @JackJ14CFB