Dec. 4, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Bob Diaco has won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach, announced Tuesday by The Rotary Club of Little Rock.
Notre Dame struggled mightily on the defensive side of the football over the three years (2007-09) preceding the arrival of Diaco. As improved as the Irish clearly are on that side of the ball, here is an incredible comparison to understand exactly how far the group has had to come:
Category 2010-2012 2007-2009Points Allowed/Game 17.3 25.5First Downs Allowed/Game 18.1 19.5Rushing First Downs Allowed/Game 6.8 8.9Yards Allowed per Rush 3.7 4.4Rushing Yards Allowed/Game 125.3 165.7Rushing Touchdowns Allowed/Game 0.7 1.5Passing Yards Allowed/Completion 10.3 11.9Passing Touchdowns Allowed/Game 1.1 1.4Total Yards Allowed/Play 4.9 5.3Total Yards Allowed/Game 330.7 360.7Sacks/Game 2.3 1.8
Diaco’s defense ranks among the top 21 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 17 different categories.
Category Stats NCAA RankScoring Defense 10.33 1stRed-Zone TDs Allowed Percentage 24.24% 1stPoints Allowed Per Red-Zone Trip 2.9 1stRushing TDs Allowed 2 1stTotal Red-Zone TDs Allowed 8 1stRed-Zone Rushing TDs Allowed 2 1stPassing Yards/Completion 9.7 1stRed-Zone Points Allowed 95 t-1stRed-Zone Defense 63.6% t-3rdRush Defense 92.42 4thTotal Defense 286.83 6thFirst Downs/Allowed 16.08 6thPass Efficiency Defense 105.58 12thFourth Down Conversion Percentage 31.3% t-12thSacks 34.0 t-14thInterceptions 16 t-17thPass Defense 194.42 21st
Here is another list of stellar accomplishments from Diaco’s defense in 2012:
- Notre Dame ranks first in the FBS in scoring defense – allowing just 10.3 points per game. The Irish are one of just three scoring defenses in the top 10 of the FBS to exclusive FBS competition. Notre Dame has allowed 10 touchdowns this season (only nine offensive touchdowns) – seven fewer than any other FBS school. Florida has surrendered 17. Notre Dame has allowed 28 total scores (10 TDs and 18 FGs), while Alabama has allowed 23 (18 and five).
- Notre Dame has allowed a total of 124 points over its 12 games this season. The Irish have never surrendered fewer points over their first 12 games of a season in school history.
- The Irish have allowed six offensive touchdowns over their last 10 games.
- Notre Dame has held six opponents without an offensive touchdown and nine foes to one or fewer offensive touchdowns.
- Notre Dame has limited 10 opponents to 14 points or less. The Irish have not held more foes to 14 points or less in a single season since 1921.
- Notre Dame has limited five different opponents to single-digit scoring efforts, including No. 10 Michigan State (3), No. 18 Michigan (6), Miami (3), Boston College (6) and Wake Forest (0). The five such games in 2012 surpassed the combined total of the previous four seasons (2008-11).
- Notre Dame has not held more than five foes in a single season to single digits since 1976 (six).
- Notre Dame’s defense has allowed two offensive touchdowns or less in 24 of its last 29 games. The Irish have actually allowed one offensive touchdown or less in 15 of those outings, including nine of the 12 regular season games in 2012.
- Only 11 defenses in Notre Dame history have allowed fewer points/game than the 2012 edition. The Irish have not limited their foes to fewer points/game since 1980 (10.1 points/game).
- Notre Dame limited eight of its regular season opponents (Michigan State, Michigan, Miami, Stanford, Oklahoma, Boston College, Wake Forest and USC) to either its lowest or tied for lowest scoring output of the season.
- Notre Dame’s opponents have started 113 different drives inside their own 40-yard line this season and managed two touchdowns (one by Navy in the season opener and one by USC in the regular season finale).
- Notre Dame remains the only team in the FBS to not allow a touchdown drive longer than 75 yards. In fact, no other FBS school has even allowed less than two such drives.
- Notre Dame ranks sixth in the FBS in total defense, allowing 286.83 yards/game. The Irish have not limited their opponents to under 300 total yards/game since 1996 when Notre Dame allowed just 270.0 yards/game.
- Notre Dame has limited nine opponents to 300 yards of total offense or less. While Alabama has limited 10 opponents to 300 yards of total offense or less this season, no team has limited more BCS AQ schools to 300 total yards or less than the Irish (eight).
- Notre Dame has allowed 300 yards of total offense or less in 13 of its last 18 games.
- Notre Dame has held more than half of its opponents (20) in the Diaco’s tenure (38 games) to less than 300 yards of total offense. How many games prior to his tenure did it take the Irish to hold 20 foes under the 300-yard barrier? … 82 (a span that dates back to Oct. 11, 2003).
- Notre Dame’s defense has allowed two rushing touchdowns in 2012 (and the first did not come until the eighth game of the year against No. 8 Oklahoma on Oct. 27). The Irish were the only team in the FBS that did not allow a rushing touchdown over their first seven games of the season. Notre Dame still leads the FBS in fewest rushing touchdowns allowed.
- Notre Dame has allowed just six rushes of 20 yards or longer and only three longer than 30 yards this season. The longest touchdown run against the Irish this season is 16 yards by Ray Graham of Pittsburgh. He also has the two longest runs overall (55 and 48) against Notre Dame this year.
- Notre Dame ranks fourth in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing 92.42 yards on the ground/game. The Irish have not limited their opponents to under 100 yards rushing/game since 2004 when Notre Dame allowed a paltry 88.2. In fact, the Irish have finished just four seasons in the last 30 years with a rushing defense below 100 yards/game (2004, 2002, 1993 and 1982).
- Notre Dame has held eight different opponents to under 100 yards rushing this season. Only one FBS team in the nation has allowed fewer than the Irish. Notre Dame has held more BCS automatically-qualifying schools to sub-100 yard rushing games than any school in the nation.
- Notre Dame’s opposition managed only two touchdowns in 18 red-zone opportunities to open the season and just eight touchdowns in 33 trips over the course of the entire season.
- Notre Dame leads the FBS in fewest red-zone touchdowns allowed (eight), fewest red-zone rushing touchdowns allowed (two), fewest total red-zone points (tied, 95), lowest red zone touchdown percentage (24.2 %) and fewest points allowed per red zone trip (2.88).
The Broyles Award is named for former Arkansas coach Frank Broyles, whose assistant coaches included Barry Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Gibbs and Jackie Sherrill.
Other finalists this season were Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Florida defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason.
Last year’s Broyles Award went to LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis.
— ND —