Irish YJ
Southsida
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Didn't get to see a full Wisconsin game this year, so I couldn't really comment with any real insight. But a cursory look at the statistics shows that Wisconsin's Defense was significantly better than ND's. They gave up 13.7 points per game, while we gave up 24.1; they forced 21 turnovers to our 14; they had 28 sacks to our 25; they gave up 95.4 yards rushing per game to our 175.6; and they gave up 173.2 yards passing per game to our 197.1. What I can't speak on is how their recruiting on defense compares to ours. Lets face it: ND has been focused on recruiting the offensive side of the ball for the last few years. That's not to say they haven't gotten some big name defenders, but the focus has been on offense. So do you think they were really digging as deep, trying to find the diamonds in the rough, so to speak, on defense? They've done a good job of identifying them on offense. CJ Prosise, Everett Golson, Cam McDaniel, Nick Martin, and Josh Adams were all 3* guys on offense, who have made significant contributions to the team. I anticipate that Kelly now has his offense to the point where the staff can turn their focus in recruiting to the defense. I think we will see significant improvement. I can't guarantee it, but it is my best guess.
Did a very quick look at Scout's position (DL, LB, DB) rankings (recruiting) back through 2011. ND was in the top 15 several times (top 15 in two areas a few years). Only saw Wisconsin in the top 15 twice, and one of the two ND was still ahead of them.
IMO, this takes recruiting and geography off the table. I'm not a smart man, but that leaves coaching, development, and scheme / play-calling