The Defense Against ND

I already mentioned the penalties.
-After the first defensive possession, the D did what is was ultimate supposed to do other than a couple of big plays.  They kept ND out of the end zone.  I'd like to think that those big plays are the kind of thing that won't happen again, but we know they are.  Hopefully, the DBs will play smarter than have been, but they really are not fast.
-Even though ND was kept out of the end zone other than the first drive and the two big plays, the D seemed to have a lot more missed coverage assignments, and certainly had a lot more missed tackles.  I figure that is probably closer to what we can expect against good teams this year.  Hopefully, I'm wrong.
-Overall, the conservative defense seemed to be working.  Bend but don't break was somewhat effective.
-I was surprised there weren't any sacks last week.  The DLine (and others) were responsible for a couple sacks this week, and some good pressure causing some passes to thrown badly.
-Mouton had some great plays, but I can't agree with the announcers who said he was one of the best players on the team.  I hope he can become that, though.  Ezeh is frustrating.  He'll make a good play, then you'll wonder on the next play whether he has lead in his shoes.
-The DBs are going to exploited all year.  We know they aren't great, but can they just not be so stupid?
-Basically, if the D front can stop the run and put pressure on the QBs, the D will survive.