NOTRE DAME DEFENSIVE coordinator Al Golden is not one to talk about his past, certainly not his past at Miami, where he held his last head coaching job nine years ago.
Those days are so long ago, he says, and he is in such a different place now. But here is the thing: There would be no Al Golden at Notre Dame without Al Golden at Miami.
Golden had to leave college ball to find himself. He went to the NFL because he needed to try something different. And it rejuvenated him — to the point that he wanted to give college the ol’ college try again.
Now in his third year, Golden has built a physical, aggressive, opportunistic Notre Dame defense based on NFL principles he picked up during assistant coaching stops with the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals. His schemes are complicated, but rely on sound technique, fundamentals and communication — 11 players in sync, understanding what each must do to get the job done.
Headed into its first-round playoff game against Indiana on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN), the Notre Dame defense ranks first in team passing efficiency defense, tied for first in turnovers gained (28), first in defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring defense (13.6), third in passing yards allowed (157.9), fourth in interceptions (17), tied for seventh in fumbles recovered (11) and ninth in total defense (296.8).
The Irish have held 10 of their 12 opponents to 16 or fewer points — their best showing since the 2012 season. As a result, a coach who had to rediscover his love for the game after the lowest moment of his career has been named a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant in the country.
Golden would rather talk about his players, the opportunity in front of the Irish and the job coach Marcus Freeman has done more than anything else. Each time a question is posed about the experiences that led him here, Golden stops and says, “You’re making it about me again.”
But those around him know that Notre Dame wouldn’t be in this spot without him. Whether he likes it or not, this season has been a little bit about Al Golden.
GOLDEN WAS AT home on Dec. 4, 2015, watching “Thursday Night Football” between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Six weeks earlier, he had been fired as Miami head coach, following the worst home loss in school history, a 58-0 drubbing by Clemson. Golden…
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