Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 SEPT. 30, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 12TH MAN MAKES A DIFFERENCE In the most anticipated non-con- ference home game for the Georgia Bulldogs since they hosted Yale in 1927, the home crowd showed up and made a huge difference in the outcome. Notre Dame racked up 12 penalties for 85 yards, with 10 going against the offense. The record crowd of 93,246 caused noise levels of over 105 decibels (ac- cording to Pete Byrne of WSBT), which contributed to six false start penalties because Irish players couldn't pick up on the snap count. Too many times more than one Notre Dame player was releasing and heading up the field before the ball was moved. In his post-game remarks, head coach Brian Kelly admitted that the difference between the silent count and the "clap" snap by senior quarter- back Ian Book confused his players. "We're in silent cadence and Ian's still clapping and we're jumping off- sides," he said. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm knew that the capacity crowd helped the Bulldogs defensively. "So thankful the fans came out," Fromm said after the game. "They helped us on third down a ton." Georgia head coach Kirby Smart agreed, saying this was the most dis- ruptive crowd he had ever heard. The Bulldogs were able to bring in additional seating inside Sanford Stadium in order to make this the biggest crowd to ever watch a home game in Georgia history. Notre Dame is no stranger to large crowds on the road, though. They now lead the Football Bowl Subdivision with 10 record-setting home crowds when they are the visiting team. IRISH DEFENSE EMERGES There were many aspects of No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 3 Georgia discussed in the days leading up to their Saturday night tilt but not many more vigorously than the Irish defense versus the Georgia offense, specifically in the run game. When the final whistle blew and Notre Dame walked out of Sanford Stadium down six points, it was the defense that was largely responsible for keeping the Irish in the game. Notre Dame was able to hold Geor- gia's vaunted rush attack to 152 yards on 33 carries (4.6 yards per rush). The Bulldogs came into the game averaging 286.7 rushing yards as a team. While D'Andre Swift had some electric runs for the Bulldogs, he was largely held in check (98 yards on 18 carries). The linebacker play for Notre Dame took a step in the right di- rection, with both Asmar Bilal and Drew White playing their best game to date. In addition, junior rover Jeri- miah Owusu-Koramoah had a com- ing-out party, tying for the team lead in total stops (eight) while pacing the team in tackles for loss (2.5). The overall tackling of the defense was better than it has been all season as well. At no time were Georgia of- fensive players not challenged by one or more players from Notre Dame. The secondary, led by the safety duo of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott (each with eight tackles), blanketed the Georgia receivers all night long. Notre Dame was able to hold Geor- gia well below its 278-yard average through the air, conceding only 187 yards. In order for Georgia to find any success in the passing game, Bull- dogs' quarterback Jake Fromm had to fit the ball into some extremely tight windows. Notre Dame proved that its defense is athletic enough to play with anyone. "I don't think there was a differ- GEORGIA GAME NOTES BY ANDREW MENTOCK AND VINCE DEDARIO Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm noted the Georgia-record crowd of 93,246 that registered noise deci- bels of over 105 proved to be a big factor in his squad's 23-17 victory. PHOTO BY KEN WARD/WPG MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Fifth-year senior wide receiver Chris Finke, junior right tackle Robert Hainsey, and senior defensive ends Julian Okwara and Khalid Ka- reem represented the Irish as captains for the opening coin toss. The Irish won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. • The Irish held the Bulldogs to 34 total yards (18 rushing and 16 passing) in the first quarter. Georgia had gained at least 150 yards in the first quarter during each of its first three games this season. • Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool re- covered a muffed punt by Bulldog return man Tyler Simmons at the Georgia 8-yard line to set up the first Notre Dame touchdown (senior quarterback Ian Book's one-yard pass to junior tight end Cole Kmet). • This contest marked the first time Georgia has trailed at the half in a home matchup since falling behind Auburn on Nov. 26, 2016.