No regrets for Notre Dame football's Al Golden after nickel defense can't stop Ohio State
SOUTH BEND — Al Golden, defensive coordinator for Notre Dame football, still believes he made the right play calls during the final sequence of last Saturday’s 17-14 loss to Ohio State.
Despite facing so-called “12 personnel” on consecutive snaps from the 1-yard-line — one running back, two tight ends and two wideouts — Notre Dame purposely substituted nickel safety Thomas Harper into the game during a timeout with seven seconds left.
“I chose nickel because, without saying too much, I wanted a specific look and obviously I guessed right on (second down),” Golden said Tuesday evening of Kyle McCord’s quick out to Marvin Harrison Jr., which fell incomplete. “But I really thought that this call would be the call that would handle all the options that they could have: Move the pocket, some kind of read-option or zone-read component. That’s the choice I made.”
On third down, with Notre Dame still unwittingly playing with just 10 men on the field, 233-pound Chip Trayanum powered in for the winning score off left tackle.
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Ohio State drove 65 yards for the winning score in just 85 seconds. McCord, in just his fifth career start, completed passes of 23, 8, 18 and 21 yards that included conversions of third-and-10, fourth-and-7 and third-and-19.
The latter play, which came against a sagging “quarters” look with just a three-man pass rush, saw Emeka Egbuka make the catch beyond the first-down marker.
“Just thought we would get a good vision and break,” Golden said. “Obviously we have to coach it better. What I didn’t want to do (was) the previous fourth down, the previous longer third down, (we) went Cover-1 both times and they beat us.
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“What I didn’t want to do was throw a jump ball in the back of the end zone. That would’ve been one that I would’ve lamented. Could we call other things there? For sure. But we need to execute that call. Break on the ball, get the ball on the ground.”
Letting Egbuka make the uncontested catch on the doorstep of the end zone was never the plan.
“If we stop that play … “ Golden said. “Anything in that defense should be caught in front of (the marker), and now we’re dealing with one (fourth-down) play.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman defended the zone look as well right after the loss. “We wanted to play coverage,” Freeman said. “That last series we were trying to mix it up with a young quarterback and not just play man every play. And (McCord) ended up putting it in a tight window, and (Egbuka) made a play.”
Follow Notre Dame football writer Mike Berardino on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football defensive coordinator Al Golden defends late calls
