Notre Dame Football: Position report card for Irish in week 3

The linebacker corps was the best unit on the Irish defense for the majority of the game. It always helps when the two linebackers you’re rolling out also happen to be two of your captains, and that’s exactly the case for Notre Dame.

While Drue Tranquill falls more into the category of a safety as a rover, he also functions as a linebacker here and there. And Tranquill? You guessed it, a captain. Needless to say, this group is one of the most talented, experienced groups on the roster. They come to play day in and day out, and that continued Saturday against the Eagles.

Starting Buck and Mike linebackers, Greer Martini and Nyles Morgan combined for 19 tackles on the afternoon, with each adding in a tackle for loss. Morgan all but ended the game when he forced a fumble from Jon Hilliman midway through the fourth quarter.

Junior Te’von Coney also recorded 13 total tackles of his own, further adding to the solid outing put forth by one of the team’s most consistent groups. The trio of Martini, Morgan, and Coney is one that has functioned smoothly for a while now and shows no sign of stopping.

While the defensive line has the tendency to let some long runs break loose, there’s no greater comfort than to know that your second line of defense is in such good hands. On a team that offers many headaches for Kelly, the linebacker corps should continue to serve as the linchpin for an improving defense.