Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1170354
24 SEPT. 30, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT Trailing 10-7 at halftime, Georgia's defense as- serted itself in the third quarter, recording three consecutive three-and-out series by the Notre Dame offense that totaled only 19 yards during that 15-minute time frame. It began with an interception by sophomore defensive back Divaad Wilson on a pass that went off the hands of a leaping wideout Chris Finke. The second Irish possession almost resulted in a pick- six by safety J.R. Reed, who muffed the potential interception. Those stops helped set up Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship with two field goals to put the Bulldogs ahead for the first time at 13-10. By the end of the third quarter, after the third straight Notre Dame three-and-out, Georgia was marching again, and the Jake Fromm-to-Lawrence Cager (transfer from Miami) combination con- nected on a 36-yard pass and then a 15-yard touchdown on third-and-seven with 13:19 left. That 20-10 lead provided the Bulldogs with a cru- cial two-score cushion (later expanded to 23-10). STAT OF THE GAME Georgia out-rushed Notre Dame 152-46, which was somewhat similar to the Bulldogs' 185-55 advantage on the ground in 2017 during its 20-19 victory in South Bend. The good news for the Fighting Irish defensively is it held the vaunted Georgia running attack 135 yards under its average, with the linebacker play especially improving significantly from the first two weeks not only in diagnosing plays but also in blowing them up. The bad news is Notre Dame's inability to gen- erate any type of rushing attack when it faces premier opponents is a pattern that precludes it from reaching "the next level" beyond top-10 contention. In addition to the two losses to the Bulldogs the past three years, Notre Dame man- aged only 88 yards in the Cotton Bowl last year versus Clemson, 109 in the 41-8 debacle at Miami in 2017 and 154 two weeks later in a 38-20 defeat at Stanford (despite finishing seventh nationally in rushing offense that year). FAMILIAR ENDING This outcome was a combination of all the other gut-wrenching near misses in the last six seasons versus College Football Playoff opposi- tion: 31-27 at Florida State in 2014, 24-22 at Clemson in 2015 and 20-19 versus Georgia in 2017. In each situation, there was an oppor- tunity to win or go into overtime on the final series. We believe this is what the playoff game last December in Clemson also would have looked like had it not been for two factors. One was a Notre Dame recovered fumble on special teams inside the Tigers' 10-yard line not getting over- ruled. The other was the second-quarter absence of consensus All-America cornerback Julian Love while going through concussion protocol. Therein was the difference head coach Brian Kelly spoke about from the 42-14 blowout versus Alabama in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game and the more misleading 30-3 count versus the Tigers last year. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI OFFENSE: TE COLE KMET It was his first game of the season, but Notre Dame wasted little time making the junior tight end a focal point of the offense. Kmet caught three passes for 33 yards on the first series alone, and by halftime he had already hauled in seven receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. Georgia adjusted and kept Kmet off the board in the third quarter, but he hauled in a nine-yard reception and a 31-yarder to set up a fourth-quarter touchdown by senior wideout Chase Claypool that made it a 23-17 game. Kmet finished the game with career highs in catches (nine) and yards (108), and his second-quarter touchdown was the first of his career. DEFENSE: ROVER JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH Georgia went into this matchup with a game plan to attack the Irish on the perimeter, but the junior rover 's outstanding performance limited the effectiveness of the Bulldogs' offense. Owusu-Koramoah led the Irish in total tackles (eight), solo stops (seven) and tackles for loss (2.5). His ability to quickly diagnose plays allowed his top-notch athleticism to shine in both the run and pass game. He blew up a jet sweep on Georgia's first drive of the second half, which all but ended that series. He also shut down a quick perimeter screen in the first quarter that forced another punt. SPECIAL TEAMS: P JAY BRAMBLETT The freshman punter was brilliant in a rough environ- ment, averaging 47.5 yards on his four attempts, with three pinning the Bulldogs inside their own 20-yard line. One of those punts pinned the Bulldogs at their own 9-yard line, and Bramblett's second punt of the game had exceptional hang time, which allowed senior Chase Clay- pool to get down the field and be in position to recover a muffed punt that set up Notre Dame's first touchdown. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY BRYAN DRISKELL Junior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah led Notre Dame in total tackles (eight), solo stops (seven) and tackles for loss (2.5). PHOTO BY KEN WARD/WPG