One of the biggest indicators of a championship-caliber defense in college football is their ability to stop the run. This has been a common theme that we've seen throughout the playoffs since 2020. There's always going to be outliers in this conversation like Clemson in 2016, LSU in 2019 and Alabama in 2020. But by and large, the winners of the national title had elite-level run defenses.
In 2021, Georgia has the No. 2 ranked rush defense in the country. They held teams to 78.9 yards per game. They ranked No. 2 in the country in yards per rush allowed (2.56) and only allowed three rushing touchdowns in a 15-game season which ranked No. 1 in the country. The following season, the Dogs had the No. 1 rush defense in yards allowed per game (77.0). They also ranked No. 3 in the country in yards allowed per rush (2.5) and No. 3 in the country in rushing touchdowns allowed (6). They won the championship in both seasons.
In 2023, the Michigan Wolverines had the No. 6 ranked rush defense in yards allowed per game (90.0). They also ranked No. 7 in the country in yards allowed per rush (3.0) and No. 5 in the country in rushing touchdowns allowed (9) in a 15-game season. Keep in mind, they played some pretty tough rushing offenses that season as well. They played an Iowa team that had Kaleb Johnson who's now in the NFL. They also played an Alabama team in the playoffs who had Jalen Milroe and Jase McClellan who combined for over 1,300 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns in 2023.
The Ohio State Buckeyes in 2024 also had a stout run defense. They ranked 3rd in the country in yards allowed per game (87.6). The Buckeyes also ranked No. 2 in the country in yards allowed per rush (2.7). They allowed 13 rushing touchdowns in 2024 across 16 games, but that still ranked No. 13 in the country.
This past season, the Indiana Hoosiers had the No. 2 ranked rush defense in the country only 77.2 yards per game. They also ranked No. 10 in yards per rush allowed (2.99) and No. 4 in the country in rushing touchdowns allowed (8) through 16 games. Dominant rush defenses is a common theme we're seeing throughout previous championship winners.
Here's the good news for Notre Dame fans: the Fighting Irish rush defense is on the verge of becoming elite. In 2024, defensive coordinator Al Golden wasn't shy around run defense not being his No. 1 priority. Obviously, he didn't want it to be bad and rank in the bottom half of the country, but we saw some teams take advantage of that philosophy. In 2024, Notre Dame allowed 12 of their 16 opponents to rush for 110 yards or more. Six of those 12 opponents rushed for 190 yards or more, now with context, two of those opponents were Navy and Army.
But Northern Illinois, USC, Penn State and Ohio State all rushed for 190 yards or more on Notre Dame's defense. In the two final games of the College Football Playoffs, they allowed 418 rushing yards and five touchdowns to the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes. It's one of the main reasons the Orange Bowl was so close to the end and the National Championship was a 31-7 ball game at one point.
This past season, we saw a major shift in philosophy and the Irish saw immediate returns in their investment to the run defense. In 2025, the Irish held 11 of their 12 opponents under their season averages in rushing yards. They finished the season tied with Indiana in rushing touchdowns allowed and they didn't allow a single non-triple option team to rush for over 160 yards. In their final seven games, the Irish only allowed two rushing touchdowns and that included games against USC, Navy and Pitt.
We're also seeing them add the personnel they need to continue being a force in the run game. Up the middle on the defensive line, they brought back 6-5, 295-pound Jason Onye and 6-3, 296-pound Armel Mukam. In the portal, they brought in 6-5, 330-pound Tionne Gray from Oregon and 6-1, 285-pound Francis Brewu from Pitt who might be the strongest player on the entire roster.
Notre Dame also returns all five linebackers and both safeties from 2025 so their production, experience and talent up the middle will be, at the minimum, just as stout as it was last year. There's a lot riding on this season for the Irish, and their rush defense will play a major part in their success. If they win it all this season, the trend will continue that the best rush defenses in the country, more times than not, will put themselves in contention to win a title.
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