How Brandon Wimbush makes the difference for Notre Dame

Michigan’s defense in 2018 is going to be elite, much as it was in 2016 and 2017 under “Dr. Blitz” Don Brown. A review of the film from the Wolverines’ contest with Notre Dame shows a team with an arsenal of pressure schemes, a secondary that runs to the ball and tackles well, and a sturdy and athletic front.

With the Irish’s own fantastic defense, combined with a relatively young offense that has plenty of upside, the Irish are suddenly looking much more complete than they were before we saw the product of their offseason.

The 2017 Notre Dame offense was built around perhaps the most brutal rushing attack that Brian Kelly has ever coached. With their NFL left side of Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson, rusher Josh Adams, and speedy Wimbush behind center, they had a potent combination of option and downhill run schemes.

Their main issue was an inability to pair that with real explosiveness in the passing game. This is perhaps best exemplified by the facts that draftee Equanimeous St. Brown had just 515 receiving yards and Wimbush failed to break 2,000 passing yards, averaging 6.8 per throw despite enjoying lasting protection and a typically stacked Kelly receiving corps.

With that monstrous left side gone (albeit replaced by capable talents), the WR corps featuring several talented wideouts, and the RB position moving on from Adams, it was time for the Irish to mix back in some of the vertical concepts Kelly has always leaned on, as well as the RPOs that second-year OC Chip Long was brought in to install.

Wimbush’s stats against the Wolverines weren’t really indicative of how far he’s come as a passer since being benched for Ian Book against LSU in the Citrus Bowl. Against Michigan, the senior completed 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards at 7.7 YPA with a TD and a pick, adding a pedestrian-sounding 17 carries for 77 yards (after removing a pair of sacks).

Of Notre Dame’s 302 yards, 86 came from Wimbush helping to convert seven third downs, which proved the difference. In those various conversions, he hit nearly the full gamut of dual-threat quarterbacking.

The first came on their initial drive, facing third-and-10 and a high likelihood of starting the game with a three and out:

Much of spread football these days uses shallow cross as something similar to a screen or rub play. Michigan made it too easy by pressing up on the big Irish wideouts, giving them an excuse to use their hands to give the crossing route all the room it needed. Wimbush easily hit him in stride, and an early scoring drive was up and running.

The Irish would go back to that well regularly, including on their next drive when backed up to their own five and facing Dr. Blitz on third-and-9.

They ran the play several times like this, having the outside receiver run a quick shallow underneath a fade route from the slot. Since the Wolverines love man coverage, man blitzes, and getting an extra man up front against a running QB, it was a money concept for the Irish. Wimbush mostly hit the shallow, but on this play he liked the deep matchup. Big wideout Chase Claypool made a play despite the hard (illegal) hit.

Wimbush got the ball out on time and put it in the right spots.

When you have a running QB, it can become much easier to predict what defenders will do, since they’re concerned about the scramble. That allows the QB to throw the ball to spots off quick reads.

Speaking of those legs, Michigan played Notre Dame’s option about as well as you can, but it was still hard to stop Wimbush in short yardage:

It takes a heroic effort from Michigan safety Tyree Kinnel (No. 23) to beat the pulling OL to the edge and meet Wimbush before the marker, only to be run over for a conversion. The LBs are out of the picture because Notre Dame is running a bash concept, in which the back goes one direction and gives the LBs a false key while the blocking scheme goes to the other side for the QB.

The safeties have to become involved and play the run aggressively, but then you get the man coverage that makes the rub routes such a straightforward read and throw.

It was third-and-18 after UM’s star linebacker Devin Bush finally managed to bring Wimbush down for a loss of 10 yards. The Irish then signaled in the sort of QB draw RPO that has devastated defenses for the last decade.

The slot receivers run quick out routes, while the outside receivers run fade routes that are really more of a distraction than anything. When the LBs drop with the slots, Wimbush tucks and runs behind his lead blocker to pay dirt. It can be an effective play for even average runners at the position, but it’s a nightmare when the QB can run like this.

Wimbush has proved he’s grown enough in the passing game that you can’t ignore Notre Dame’s talented wideouts. So now he can truly take off and run.