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To state the obvious, last year’s Irish defense was the backbone of the team. At season’s end, it ranked among the top 13 teams in the country in four major categories (ninth in scoring defense at 16.7, 10th in pass efficiency defense at 98.24 and in rushing defense at 95.2, 13th in total defense at 300.0). It held opponents to under 100 yards total rushing on seven occasions and allowed just three running backs to gain over 100 yards rushing. Outstanding statistics. More than any Irish fan could have asked for.

And this year’s version will be better.

With eight returning starters, multiple quality reserves, and a handful of talented freshman, the 2003 Irish defense should break the top 10 in defensive rankings and carry the Irish to a 9- or 10-win season. If the offense can improve from last year’s triple-digit ranking (and it should, with Holiday’s off-season progress and the addition of Julius Jones), this year’s Notre Dame team should end up in BCS contention come late November.

Let’s take a look at each position, and compare the 2002 Irish to the upcoming 2003 version:

DEFENSIVE LINE:
This is the deepest defensive line since the 1993 unit (starters Bryant Young, Jim Flanigan, and Brian Hamilton, reserves Renaldo Wynn, Oliver Gibson, Melvin Dansby and Paul Grasmanis). While the departed Ryan Roberts’ 42 tackles will surely be missed, there is more than enough talent here to make up for it. Nose guard Cedric Hilliard and defensive tackle Darrell Campbell are back for another season and will be the foundation of the ’03 defense. Their athleticism and bulk inside will force regular double-teams by the opposing line, leaving the Irish linebackers free to flow downhill to the ball carrier. Greg Pauly provides substantial experience as a backup (including 3 starts last year) and will rotate at both interior positions. Derek Landri should also see some playing time and provide some depth, as should freshman Trevor Laws.

At the defensive end position, Justin Tuck will replace the departed Roberts. After being used last year primarily as a 3rd down pass rusher, Tuck is ready to be the every-down guy. What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in pure athleticism. His 5 sacks last year in limited playing time prove that he is ready to become Notre Dame’s first double-digit sack man since Bert Berry in 1996. Kyle Budinscak will return at the other end position where he had 20 tackles and 3 sacks in 2002. Brian Beidatsch returns as a key reserve who played in all 12 games in 2002. Jerome Collins will see time at both outside linebacker and defensive end, and has shown substantial quickness in getting to the passer. Irish fans are looking forward to the first time Washington State is faced with 3rd-and-long, and Matt Kegel drops back to pass with both Tuck and Collins rushing hard off the corner. Jason Sapp, Chris Frome, and Travis Leitko provide depth at the end position, and highly-touted freshman Victor Abiamiri might have the most talent of them all.

2003 Outlook: Needless to say, while the 2002 defensive line was impressive, the 2003 line could be, and should be, absolutely dominating.

LINEBACKERS:
While the entire linebacking corps returns from last year, Mike Goolsby appears to be out for at least the first part of the season. As of August 27, he hasn’t taken part in contact drills and has lost considerable muscle mass since last year. His 75 tackles (3rd on the team) and 13 tackles for loss (1st) will surely be missed.

However, the other linebackers should fill in for Goolsby without missing a beat. Brandon Hoyte has moved into Goolsby’s vacant spot, just as he filled in for Watson last year against Maryland, Purdue, and NC State. Hoyte was sixth on the team in tackles with 57, proving that he is more than capable of handling a starting role. Derek Curry will again man the strong-side position, with Jerome Collins backing him up on passing downs. Courtney Watson returns as the centerpiece for the Irish defense, a Butkus finalist last year with 90 tackles (in only 9 starts), 3 sacks, and 4 interceptions. The defensive quarterback on the field, Watson is the Ray Lewis of the Irish defense – athletic playmaker, leading tackler, emotional leader, and experienced tutor for the young guys. Corey Mays is finally healthy and should provide some much needed depth.

2003 Outlook: The loss of Goolsby hurts, but the linebacking corps should be even stronger this year with the experience of Watson, Curry, and Hoyte, combined with the depth of Mays and Collins. Operating behind the fantastic defensive line outlined above, the Irish ‘backers should have plenty of space to pursue the ball. To say that the combination of Watson, Curry, and Hoyte is one of the best linebacking groups in the country would not be an overstatement.

SECONDARY:
With 2 of last year’s 4 starters now playing in the NFL, one would think that this year’s secondary would surely suffer. However, this year’s model should be faster and deeper than in 2002.

Vontez Duff returns at one corner and will almost certainly improve upon his one interception from last year. After playing in Shane Walton’s shadow last season, the senior has stepped up in practice to be a true leader in the secondary. Another year of experience under his belt will only help make him a more effective cover guy, and his speed and quickness make every INT a possible touchdown opportunity. At the other corner, Jason Beckstrom will fill in for the departed Walton. At first glance, this may seem like the primary weak spot on this year’s defense. However, a closer look at Beckstrom reveals a guy who is groomed and ready to take over the starting role. First of all, Beckstrom is not an underclassman, nor is he an untalented reserve. He is a three-time letter-winner and a senior with 5 starts on his resume. As a cornerback, he played in every game in 2001, 11 games in 2000, and 10 games as a freshman in 1999. Add his 260 special team appearances and you’ve got a solid veteran with plenty of experience. Plus, he’s fast. Faster than Walton, and fast enough to run for the Notre Dame indoor track team in 2002 and 2003. Now, will he turn into the opportunistic ball hawk that Walton was? Who knows? But suffice it to say, Walton is not being replaced by a wide-eyed rookie. Beckstrom has the experience, and the talent, to deliver solid play at the corner position in 2003. As for depth, Preston Jackson should resume his duties as the nickelback, while Dwight Ellick and Carlos Campbell (converted wide receiver) will be ready to fill in.

Glenn Earl returns at one safety position and has resumed his hard-hitting ways in fall practice. Multiple players have sat out a practice or two after Earl nailed them crossing the middle. His 81 tackles were second on the team last year, and his presence in the secondary allows the rest of the defense to be aggressive. The departed Gerome Sapp will surely be missed, but the 2003 Irish have multiple players ready to step up. Quentin Burrell had an outstanding off-season and may end up grabbing a starting role. Blue & Gold reported on August 27 that, in order to get the 4 best defensive backs on the field, Earl will move from free to strong safety and Burrell will play free safety. Garron Bible had 2 starts last year when Sapp was injured and appears to be the front-runner for the dime position. Lionel Bolen provides some depth, as does freshman Freddie Parish. Parish has been a pleasant surprise in recent practices and could perhaps see the field as early as the season opener.

2003 Outlook: The departure of Walton and Sapp should not be understated. Walton was the heart and soul of last year’s defense, even more so than Watson. But with Duff and Earl returning, and the experienced Beckstrom and Burrell ready for starting roles, the 2003 secondary should be just as effective as the 2002 version, with more speed and depth.

* * *
As we all know, teams that look great on paper often disappoint on the field. Why? Let’s wrap up this 2002/2003 comparison by analyzing two areas that could determine whether this year’s Irish defense can dominate in 2003.

SCHEDULE:
No defense will look good if they’re facing last year’s USC offense every week. And ND’s schedule looks pretty tough this year. But, as a good friend of mine said, it just kills him every off-season when the experts toss ND into the “7-win” bucket due to our “impossible” schedule, but then December rolls around and our schedule doesn’t seem that unmanageable anymore. Take a look at last year:

Maryland took 4 or 5 games to get their feet untangled
Purdue was average
Michigan State was a train wreck
Stanford was terrible
Air Force started collecting losses like Bobblehead dolls once the Irish left town
Florida State ended up with 5 losses after their Sugar Bowl defeat
Boston College was average
Navy was terrible
Rutgers was terrible

Only Michigan, Pittsburgh, USC, and NC State had “good” years. So let’s not be too quick to jump on the “impossible schedule” bandwagon. Sure, it appears tough at first glance. But there’s a lot of “if’s” involved.

Washington State will be good IF they have their act together for their very first road game with a new coach, a new QB, and without Marcus Trufant and Outland Trophy winner Rien Long.
Michigan will be tough IF John Navarre can live up to the off-season hype. I’m not a betting man, but I’d put my money on Hussein’s 2 sons winning the US Open doubles bracket before I’d wager on Navarre.
Michigan St will be tough IF Jeff Smoker is sober on September 20, and IF they find someone to replace Charlie Rogers. Both are highly doubtful.
Purdue will be good IF they can find someone to run the ball, after their starting RB was suspended for the entire season after some academic troubles. I believe the Purdue AD’s actual quote was that the kid “wasn’t even close” to qualifying. Ouch.
Pittsburgh will be tough IF they can keep their heads from swelling from all the off-season press, IF Larry Fitzgerald’s hammy heals, and IF Rod Rutherford can eliminate the dumb throws. Being picked to win the Big East over Miami and Virginia Tech is some pretty heady stuff.
USC will be tough IF they can find someone to replace Palmer. And the Fargas/McCullough backfield combination. And Polamalu at safety.
Boston College won’t be any good, but playing up there on that all-weather neon-green patio carpet of theirs is always an awful experience.
Florida St will be tough IF Greg Jones is 100%, IF they can replace Anquan Boldin, and IF Chris Rix really, truly, honestly gets his act together. He’s like John Navarre, with the same inability to make the big plays but with the added bonus of decimating team unity with his cocksure attitude and bad decision-making. What a great guy to have on your team.
Navy won’t be tough. At all. And we won’t take them lightly this year.
BYU…I have no idea about BYU. I’ll have to watch them Thursday against Georgia Tech. But they had a down year last year and won’t be on anyone’s top 25.
Stanford sure misses Ty, huh?
Syracuse, as another friend says, is usually a catastrophic train wreck by December. But if they’re not, playing in the Carrier Dome won’t be fun at all.

So our defense could face an incredibly tough schedule or, and this is probably a more likely scenario, some of the teams above will struggle and we’ll be faced with 3-5 tough opponents this year. The fact that our defense faces 2 new QBs (Washington St and USC) and 4 erratic QBs (Michigan, Michigan St, Pitt, and FSU) should be a huge benefit.

INTANGIBLES:
Last year, ND seemed to get all the breaks. Fumbles when we needed fumbles, interceptions when we needed interceptions, and missed calls that went our way (like Walton’s “interception” for a TD against Stanford that actually hit the ground). To expect those same breaks this year is to misunderstand how the Football Gods work. You NEVER get those breaks two years in a row. But were these freak plays actual “breaks”? Were they pure luck or were they the result of a certain defensive mindset? The Irish defense often says it makes its own breaks, and that the multiple fumbles and INTs are more a factor of what they were doing than pure happenstance. This year will show us which one it is. If the Irish can continue their opportunistic ways, then it’s time to start applauding the system.

SUMMARY:
The talent is obviously there. The schedule could be a lion or a lamb, depending on a variety of factors. This is Year 2 under the Kent Baer plan, another year for him to explain to the players exactly what he wants. With the talent level as high as or higher than last year, nothing less than a spectacular (see: top 10) defensive effort this season should be expected. It all starts September 6.