Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1170354
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 30, 2019 23 GEORGIA RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE In pregame conversation, this was deemed the biggest mismatch because Georgia's NFL-laden line and backfield entered the game eighth nationally in rushing (286.7 yards per game) while Notre Dame's run defense was 120th (230.5 yards allowed per game). The Irish front and linebackers more than held their own — particularly tackling well in space —and held the Bulldogs to nearly half their average (152 yards) while allowing only one of the 33 runs to total more than 15 yards (16). ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame GEORGIA PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Completion percentage can be highly overrated in today's football, as evi- denced by Jake Fromm connecting on 11 of 12 tosses in the first half — for a grand total of 59 yards, or a meager 5.4 yards per completion. He was a more effective 9-of-14 passing for 128 yards in the second half, but Notre Dame made Georgia earn every yard, and still forced it into more field goals (three) in the second half than touchdowns (one). Sophomore cornerback TaRiq Bracy helped make that possible by breaking up two passes in the end zone. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. GEORGIA RUN DEFENSE Senior running back Tony Jones Jr. (nine carries for 21 yards) ran with author- ity, but there was limited space and his forte is not running sweeps. Minus junior starting running back Jafar Armstrong (torn abdomen) and sophomore Jahmir Smith (turf toe), the Irish don't possess a conventional running attack and have had to compromise by using receivers in motion to distract linebackers, as well as on jet sweeps or shovel passes. They have also had to rely on the improvisational scrambles of senior quarterback Ian Book. Notre Dame's 14 running plays netted 46 yards. ADVANTAGE: Georgia NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. GEORGIA PASS DEFENSE Junior tight end Cole Kmet's (nine catches for 108 yards and one score) return provided a significant boost and safety net to Book (29 of 47 for 275 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions). Later in the contest as the Fighting Irish made a late, fierce rally, Kmet's presence opened up opportuni- ties for others, especially senior Chase Claypool (six catches for 66 yards and one touchdown). Overall, the pass protection for Book was strong (the final play notwithstand- ing), but the inability to be a bona fide threat to stretch the field vertically, es- pecially against a secondary that was missing two of its top corners, became an issue just like it did in the 30-3 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff. ADVANTAGE: Georgia SPECIAL TEAMS The Irish kicking game was fabulous in the first half, first by pinning Georgia at its 9-yard-line on a punt after the opening series, and after that with a strong rush forcing a 20-yard Georgia punt. The first Notre Dame touchdown was set up by Claypool recovering a fumbled Bulldogs fair catch at Georgia's 8-yard line, and junior Jonathan Doerer concluded the first half with a 27-yard field goal. In the second half, freshman punter Jay Bramblett flipped the field with a 58- yard boot. Another bad Georgia punt provided Notre Dame good field position at its 48-yard line with 2:00 left and trailing 23-17. Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship proved to be crucial to the outcome, however, converting all three of his field goal attempts. ADVANTAGE: Even THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Both defenses were stout, but Notre Dame continued to struggle in this area, starting 1 of 9 before finishing 4 of 13 (30.8 percent), while Georgia was 4 of 11 (36.4 percent). The Irish scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard-line, and converted a crucial third-and-seven on a Book scramble to keep alive the final touchdown march that cut the score to 23-17. However, early in the game an early snap to Book on fourth-and-two from the Georgia 32-yard line resulted in a mishandle and a lost series and opportunity. The most crucial conversion was by Georgia with a 16-10 lead and facing third-and-seven from its 15. Fromm found 6-foot-5 wideout Lawrence Cager on a perfect back shoulder throw despite good coverage in the end zone. ADVANTAGE: Georgia TURNOVERS Georgia's fumbled punt inside its 10-yard line helped propel Notre Dame to a 7-0 first-quarter lead, but the Bulldogs did not commit another turnover thereafter despite putting the ball on the ground three more times. Notre Dame came into the contest No. 1 nationally in turnover margin (plus- 3.0 per game) and had only one through the season's first 10 quarters, but two Irish interception tosses in the second half — one that went off the hands of a leaping wideout Chris Finke — helped set up two field goals for the Bulldogs. ADVANTAGE: Georgia ANALYSIS The defense and special teams played well enough to topple the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs, but as has been the case in most contests against top-five opposition (against whom Notre Dame is 1-18 since 2000), the Irish struggled with produc- ing enough points. The attrition at running back and a limited deep, downfield passing game provides too many impediments to reach the first-tier level. Notre Dame has become a top-10 operation, but what is holding it back from reaching higher ground is the lack of explosiveness on offense, which is heightened by a rela- tively unthreatening ground attack. ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI Senior wideout Chase Claypool notched six receptions for 66 yards, including this four-yard scoring catch that brought the Irish to within six points late. PHOTO BY KEN WARD/WPG