Notre Dame players see Al Golden as the ‘godfather’ of its defense ahead of matchup against his alma mater
Golden, who played at Penn State and was Temple's head coach, still has connections on the Nittany Lions' staff.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Before Notre Dame’s football team departed for Thursday’s matchup with Penn State in the Orange Bowl, players found highlights from the schools’ matchup on Nov. 17, 1990. Notre Dame, the No. 1 team in the country at the time, hosted the 18th-ranked Nittany Lions that day.
Current Fighting Irish players saw their defensive coordinator Al Golden, then a tight end for Penn State, catch a touchdown pass to tie the game, 21-21. The Nittany Lions went on to upset the Irish, 24-21.
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts says the film “was really awesome to see” and called the quality of the tape “old-school footage.” While Golden is trying to keep his focus on Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal against his alma mater (7:30 p.m., ESPN), one that could put Notre Dame in the national championship game for the first time since 2012, he embraced reliving his playing days.
“You’re always a way better player decades later than you actually were,” Golden said jokingly on Tuesday. “I was an above-average player in a really good program and was a leader and a captain, and that’s probably one of the greatest honors that has ever been bestowed on me, just being a captain being voted on by your peers.”
Penn State remains part of Golden, who played there from 1987 to 1991. And there are deep connections between Golden and several coaches on the Nittany Lions’ staff.
Nittany Lions defensive backs coach Terry Smith played with Golden at Penn State, but as a wide receiver. The 55-year-old Golden, a native of Colts Neck, N.J., was the defensive coordinator at Virginia when Penn State receivers coach Marques Hagans played wideout for the Cavaliers (2001-05). He also coached with Penn State safeties coach Anthony Poindexter during that stint before Golden took the Temple head-coaching job in 2006.
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When Notre Dame hired Golden in 2022 as its defensive coordinator, it brought in a coach with a wealth of experience fresh off a Super Bowl LVI appearance as the Cincinnati Bengals’ linebackers coach. He had led Temple’s resurgence, had an uneven stint in South Florida with Miami, then coached in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and Bengals before returning to the college game.
Now, he leads a Notre Dame defense that ranks first in turnovers per game (2.2) and opposing quarterback completion percentage (50.8%), second in scoring defense (12.8), fifth in passing yards allowed per game (167.4), and eighth in total yards (295.4).
“He’s been a tremendous hire for our program, and not just our defense,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “He is a tireless worker. He’s got experience. He’s intelligent. He finds a way to motivate his players and to get them to play at a high level. … And the thing I love about him is that he’s able to work together well with his staff, and they produce a great output, and he’s collaborative. I don’t even have enough time to continue to give him compliments, but he’s been great for our staff.”
Embracing his ‘aggressive’ mindset
The identity of Notre Dame’s defense is being aggressive and daring teams to beat it with perfect throws downfield. Employing primarily a man coverage scheme, Golden’s defense challenges opposing offenses, and “his aggressiveness rubs off on us,” Watts says.
“His energy level, his care factor, it really speaks to the players,” Watts said. “We just play for him because he shows how much he cares for us.”
Said safety Adon Shuler: “I call him a godfather, from the movie. Man, he’s just so motivated. When he says something, things have to move. And that’s just how we play for him.”
Golden smirked at hearing his safety Shuler call him “the godfather,” though he pointed to the laundry list of coaching and big game experiences as advantageous for Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff run.
“I feel like I have a wealth of experience, and I’ve crossed over into that wisdom phase in my life now that I can share,” Golden said. “I love sharing with [my players] and the experiences. I’m grateful that they look at it like, ‘OK, he’s been here, and let’s just trust the vision that he has for it,’ because that’s important.”
Linebacker Jack Kiser says Golden has “answers for every little problem in his tool bag” in leading the Fighting Irish defense, which will need plenty of them to slow down Penn State’s balanced attack. The Nittany Lions rushed for 189 yards against SMU and 216 against Boise State in their first two CFP games, and scored more than 30 points in each game.
The Irish also need a plan for Penn State’s connection between quarterback Drew Allar and Tyler Warren, the John Mackey Award winner for the nation’s top tight end, who connected for two touchdowns in last week’s Fiesta Bowl.
Golden pointed to the diversity of offenses they’ve faced this year, from Army’s and Navy’s run-heavy option attacks to Southern Cal’s and Texas A&M’s spread, up-tempo offenses, that have prepared them for this moment. Thursday’s game will surely be a chess match between Golden’s aggressive style of defense and the creativity Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki can throw at it.
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“The kids have done a great job of embracing [facing different offenses],” Golden said. “I think that’s how you become relevant on defense in this day and age. And then, the big four: turnovers, red zone, third down, and fourth down. Those are the things that are really, really important.”
Said Watts: “We take it to heart when he’s calling Cover 1 man [coverage], we know he wants us to go out there and just lock up and everybody to win. When he has that much confidence in us, it gives us the confidence that, ‘All right, he’s calling [Cover 1] because he knows we can win and we’re going to win.’”