Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 23, 2019 35 BY BRYAN DRISKELL GEORGIA RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was the defen- sive coordinator at Alabama from 2008-15, and during that period the Crimson Tide won four national championships. Part of that success was a bruising ground attack, and Smart has worked to instill that in Athens as well. Through the first two games of Smart's fourth season, the Bulldogs have averaged 234.0 yards per game and 5.7 yards per rush since he took over in 2016. Georgia averaged 296.0 yards per contest and 7.4 yards per attempt through its first two games this season, after posting 252.0 yards per outing and 5.9 yards per rush over the last two years. Georgia's ground game is fueled by a combina- tion of elite talent in the backfield and one of the nation's top offensive lines. Junior running back D'Andre Swift racked up 1,049 yards on the ground last season while splitting carries with fel- low 1,000-yard rusher Elijah Holyfield, but Holy- field left early for the NFL and Swift is now the main man in the backfield. Junior left tackle Andrew Thomas is a consensus preseason All-American, and he leads a line that on average stands 6-5 and weighs 329 pounds. They will be matched up against an eight-man rotation at Notre Dame that on average stands 6-3 and weighs 273 pounds. Notre Dame was a solid run defense in 2018, ranking 36th in the land after giving up 139.5 yards per game. The Irish surrendered 249 yards on the ground in the opener against Louisville, which means they will need to make dramatic improvements by the time they arrive in Athens. Advantage: Georgia GEORGIA PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE The Bulldogs' powerful ground game is comple- mented quite nicely by a highly efficient pass- ing attack that is led by one of the nation's top quarterbacks. Junior Jake Fromm made his first career start in Notre Dame Stadium back in 2017, and since then he has completed 66.5 percent of his passes while throwing for 5,402 yards and 54 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions. Fromm was his usual precise and efficient self in the first two games this year, connecting on 73.5 percent of his passes while registering a 172.5 pass efficiency rating. On PaPer Junior running back D'Andre Swift leads the way for a prolific Georgia ground attack that has averaged 234.0 yards per game and 5.7 yards per rush since head coach Kirby Smart took over in 2016. PHOTO COURTESY UGA SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS GAME PREVIEW: GEORGIA