Notre Dame’s secondary is preparing to stand toe-to-toe with an Ohio State receiving corps held above all others in college football.
It’s not that the Fighting Irish opt exclusively for man-to-man over zone coverage schemes, but man-to-man is their bread and butter. Notre Dame plays Cover-1 – that’s one safety in a deep zone and man coverage for the rest of the secondary – at a rate higher than anyone else in college football, per Pro Football Focus. The Domers have done so with great success, ranked third nationally at just 5.8 yards allowed per pass attempt.
And they don’t intend on changing their identity when they face off with Buckeye wideouts Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday.