Chris "Belt To" Ash - Defensive Coordinator

[GrangerIrish24]

I believe we lead the nation in interceptions.

 

[stlnd01]

I believe we lead the nation in interceptions.

We also have a lights-out run defense the last few weeks. BC had 12 yards rushing. USC and NC State both held under 70.

 

[tko]

Please force Navy into third and long.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

We also have a lights-out run defense the last few weeks. BC had 12 yards rushing. USC and NC State both held under 70.

This will be the game where he earns his gangster status.

 

[BeatSC]

This will be the game where he earns his gangster status.

Yeah 12 yards rushing. All of it on short yardage for first downs. We can’t stop 3rd or 4th and short. Haven’t done it once that I remember. Haven’t even needed a measurement.

 

[BeatSC]

Btw Ash making Golden look like Ass now. Golden probably has the weakest softest D in the NFL. Maybe we can hire him as an analyst to sit up in the booth. One more game like the bengals bears debacle and he becomes the raw fires meat for the fans.

 

[Dale]

Yeah 12 yards rushing. All of it on short yardage for first downs. We can’t stop 3rd or 4th and short. Haven’t done it once that I remember. Haven’t even needed a measurement.

ND ranks 48th in Power Success Rate on defense. This is the percentage of short-yardage runs (≤2 yards on 3rd/4th down or inside the 2-yard line on 1st/2nd) converted to a 1st down or touchdown.

 

[NDFAN2008]

I believe we lead the nation in interceptions.

Also we are top 20 in sacks with majority of teams ahead of us having 1 extra game played

 

[BeatSC]

ND ranks 48th in Power Success Rate on defense. This is the percentage of short-yardage runs (≤2 yards on 3rd/4th down or inside the 2-yard line on 1st/2nd) converted to a 1st down or touchdown.

Not nearly good enough imo

 

[BeatSC]

Also we are top 20 in sacks with majority of teams ahead of us having 1 extra game played

How many sacks did we get against A&M and Miami?

 

[NDFAN2008]

How many sacks did we get against A&M and Miami?

That's not the point. Texas leads the nation in sacks with 34 and had 4 against San Jose State, 2 Against Utep, and 5 against Sam Houston

 

[BeatSC]

That's not the point. Texas leads the nation in sacks with 34 and had 4 against San Jose State, 2 Against Utep, and 5 against Sam Houston

Racking up sacks against inferior opponents when they are playing from behind helps our numbers. Same goes for the INTs. We’ve dropped a whole bunch too. We have come close to about another dozen sacks so we are seeing some improvement in the pass rush. Young seems to have lost a step since last year. His new number makes him look slower.

 

[IrishLion]

Btw Ash making Golden look like Ass now. Golden probably has the weakest softest D in the NFL. Maybe we can hire him as an analyst to sit up in the booth. One more game like the bengals bears debacle and he becomes the raw fires meat for the fans.

Bengals fans are very aware that the defensive issues are on Katie Blackburn, Mike Brown, and Duke Tobin.

They had the worst defense in the league last year, and they fixed it in free agency by signing one (1) guy from outside, and restructuring Geno Stone’s contract to save money. They also killed it in the draft, using their first round pick on a guy that had four career sacks in college to “fix” the pass rush opposite Hendrickson (who they didn’t want to pay).

The draft might be partly on Golden… but rumors have gone on for years that Mike Brown ultimately makes the calls on everything.

The fact that the Bengals D is TERRIBLE, with bad personnel, bad depth, bad development, and not nearly enough talent, but still somehow creates turnovers, is a tribute to Golden imo

 

[ab2cmiller]

Bengals fans are very aware that the defensive issues are on Katie Blackburn, Mike Brown, and Duke Tobin.

They had the worst defense in the league last year, and they fixed it in free agency by signing one (1) guy from outside, and restructuring Geno Stone’s contract to save money. They also killed it in the draft, using their first round pick on a guy that had four career sacks in college to “fix” the pass rush opposite Hendrickson (who they didn’t want to pay).

The draft might be partly on Golden… but rumors have gone on for years that Mike Brown ultimately makes the calls on everything.

The fact that the Bengals D is TERRIBLE, with bad personnel, bad depth, bad development, and not nearly enough talent, but still somehow creates turnovers, is a tribute to Golden imo

The only fault I place on Golden is that he knew of this dysfunction to begin with. He knew the Bengals would likely suck again on Defense. He took a job where he will likely not succeed.

 

[Dale]

 

[IrishLion]

The only fault I place on Golden is that he knew of this dysfunction to begin with. He knew the Bengals would likely suck again on Defense. He took a job where he will likely not succeed.

I think it really boils down to being back with his family and getting away from the nightmare that is both recruiting AND managing NIL at the college level.

I guess it’s better to walk into a sure-fire defensive rebuild (and potentially unsalvageable situation) when you’re with your family, in a familiar city, with a familiar organization.

 

[stlnd01]

Racking up sacks against inferior opponents when they are playing from behind helps our numbers. Same goes for the INTs. We’ve dropped a whole bunch too. We have come close to about another dozen sacks so we are seeing some improvement in the pass rush. Young seems to have lost a step since last year. His new number makes him look slower.

Don't know what to tell you, guy.
I agree Bryce Young has been less of a difference-maker than we'd all hoped, but overall the defense has gotten a LOT better since the first two weeks. We're getting more pressure, which even when we don't sack is creating more bad passes and picks. No one has been able to run on us at all. The LBs are flying all over the place. The safeties are playing faster and more confident. And the occasional Christian Gray misadventure aside, our coverage has been good.
Mostly, the points-against column doesn't lie, and since Purdue it has been pretty darn good.

 

[Bane]

I see everyone online assuming if Golden gets canned he's just gonna come back here. In the last 5 games we're giving up ~12 points a game and that includes some very good offenses (GT found out how good NCSt's offense can be). On The season we're giving up just under 20 points a game. We've been getting pressure, causing havoc, getting turnovers, and playing with an edge.

What I'm saying is, if this level of performance continues I just don't see ND having a DC opening at the end of the year. Maybe Ash decides to leave on his own somewhere, but he was sitting around on the garbage pile before this year so I'm not sure if he can parlay one year of success into anything else.

I think there's just an emotional attachment to Golden. People will nitpick every little thing about the defense under Ash, but my God we're hammering teams with our defense the last 6 weeks. Sure the Aggie game sucked and I was all the way out on Ash, but the defense has turned it around big time. I don't care who calls the defense as long as they perform.

 

[FOTY977]

I see everyone online assuming if Golden gets canned he's just gonna come back here. In the last 5 games we're giving up ~12 points a game and that includes some very good offenses (GT found out how good NCSt's offense can be). On The season we're giving up just under 20 points a game. We've been getting pressure, causing havoc, getting turnovers, and playing with an edge.

What I'm saying is, if this level of performance continues I just don't see ND having a DC opening at the end of the year. Maybe Ash decides to leave on his own somewhere, but he was sitting around on the garbage pile before this year so I'm not sure if he can parlay one year of success into anything else.

I think there's just an emotional attachment to Golden. People will nitpick every little thing about the defense under Ash, but my God we're hammering teams with our defense the last 6 weeks. Sure the Aggie game sucked and I was all the way out on Ash, but the defense has turned it around big time. I don't care who calls the defense as long as they perform.

Bengals will have a DC opening and Ash has history in Ohio 👀

 

[Huntr]

I see everyone online assuming if Golden gets canned he's just gonna come back here. In the last 5 games we're giving up ~12 points a game and that includes some very good offenses (GT found out how good NCSt's offense can be). On The season we're giving up just under 20 points a game. We've been getting pressure, causing havoc, getting turnovers, and playing with an edge.

What I'm saying is, if this level of performance continues I just don't see ND having a DC opening at the end of the year. Maybe Ash decides to leave on his own somewhere, but he was sitting around on the garbage pile before this year so I'm not sure if he can parlay one year of success into anything else.

I think there's just an emotional attachment to Golden. People will nitpick every little thing about the defense under Ash, but my God we're hammering teams with our defense the last 6 weeks. Sure the Aggie game sucked and I was all the way out on Ash, but the defense has turned it around big time. I don't care who calls the defense as long as they perform.

This is where I'm at with it.

Don't care who runs the D, just that it kicks ass.

It's doing so, atm.

 

[Irish#1]

I see everyone online assuming if Golden gets canned he's just gonna come back here. In the last 5 games we're giving up ~12 points a game and that includes some very good offenses (GT found out how good NCSt's offense can be). On The season we're giving up just under 20 points a game. We've been getting pressure, causing havoc, getting turnovers, and playing with an edge.

What I'm saying is, if this level of performance continues I just don't see ND having a DC opening at the end of the year. Maybe Ash decides to leave on his own somewhere, but he was sitting around on the garbage pile before this year so I'm not sure if he can parlay one year of success into anything else.

I think there's just an emotional attachment to Golden. People will nitpick every little thing about the defense under Ash, but my God we're hammering teams with our defense the last 6 weeks. Sure the Aggie game sucked and I was all the way out on Ash, but the defense has turned it around big time. I don't care who calls the defense as long as they perform.

Ash will be DC next year unless he leaves on his own accord. MF isn't bringing Golden back as DC simply because he's available.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

The Al Golden ship has set sail. The way things are looking, the Bengals may very well be in line for a head coaching change, but regardless of that I don't see Golden coming back to Notre Dame as defensive coordinator.

This defense has been playing quite well since halftime of the Purdue game. I have minor, very minor, concerns about discipline and the amount of trash talking these guys are doing, but that's more of a team thing that includes the offense as well.

I like what I'm seeing thus far, even though Ash has stupid confused punch me Face and is just a totally boring hire.

 

[SportsingHard]

The shift in this thread is wild to me. It didn't start out (after Miami kickoff) as, "Defense sucks and needs to get fixed." It was all, "Ash needs to be fired immediately." Thank god this board isn't running the ship.

 

[stlnd01]

What I'm saying is, if this level of performance continues I just don't see ND having a DC opening at the end of the year. Maybe Ash decides to leave on his own somewhere, but he was sitting around on the garbage pile before this year so I'm not sure if he can parlay one year of success into anything else.

Indeed it is hard to see Ash getting a head coaching job any time soon unless he's fired into one a la Parker. He could be our DC for awhile, which seems crazy to say when we all wanted him shitcanned right in the locker room the night of the A&M game. But if our defense keeps doing what it's been doing the last few games, OK.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

ND ranks 48th in Power Success Rate on defense. This is the percentage of short-yardage runs (≤2 yards on 3rd/4th down or inside the 2-yard line on 1st/2nd) converted to a 1st down or touchdown.

that doesnt seem great to me

 

[Dale]

that doesnt seem great to me

I mean it’s nothing to brag about but 48 out of 136 isn’t bad. It’s certainly not never once gotten a stop like the OP said.

 

[StPaul_Irish]

The only fault I place on Golden is that he knew of this dysfunction to begin with. He knew the Bengals would likely suck again on Defense. He took a job where he will likely not succeed.

Golden looked at the Bengals like guys look at the one chick, we all have one. The one that you know is bad for you, you know will cheat on you and let you down time and time again. But something inside us says "I can fix her".

 

[ulukinatme]

This will be the game where he earns his gangster status.

Why ya'll tryin' to jinx this man by puttin' the VanGorder curse on him?!

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Why ya'll tryin' to jinx this man by puttin' the VanGorder curse on him?!

 

[IrishLax]

Btw Ash making Golden look like Ass now. Golden probably has the weakest softest D in the NFL. Maybe we can hire him as an analyst to sit up in the booth. One more game like the bengals bears debacle and he becomes the raw fires meat for the fans.

Kinda crazy take, Golden had back to back Top 5ish defenses his last two years at ND. The defense shut down both prolific Indiana and SEC Champ Georgia on the way to the national championship.

Ash's defense is certainly playing much better and getting the job done recently but we're 38th in stop rate and hovering around Top 20ish in most advanced stats.

College football defensive stop rate after Week 10

We rank the top defenses each week based on how many times an opponent's drive ends without points.

www.espn.com

He still has a long way to go to match the production we saw from Golden.