Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 OCT. 31, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED "It was after the second scrimmage of camp that it became clear he was going to be the guy." Excluding sacks, Sims has rushed for 274 yards on 51 carries (5.4 yards per attempt) through five games. Three of Georgia Tech's top four re- ceivers are averaging at least 15 yards per catch, with top target Jalen Camp (15 catches for 201 yards, 13.4 per re- ception) the exception. Clemson was an immovable force, and Notre Dame's defense also ap- pears to be one, but Sims has given the Yellow Jackets a pulse against most everyone else. His best game came against Louisville, when he threw for 249 yards on just 21 attempts and ran for 64 more, with three total touch- downs. "Against anyone they've played that hasn't been stout defensively, they've been able to move the ball consistently down the field," Quinlan said. The other freshman skill player is part of that, too. Running back Jah- myr Gibbs, the No. 70 overall recruit in the 2020 class per Rivals, seized the lead back role in the second game of the season and is averaging 117.0 scrimmage yards per game through the first five contests. The job opened when redshirt junior Jordan Mason, an 899-yard rusher a year ago, was lost due to injury — possibly for the year. Even in the ghastly Clemson loss, Gibbs averaged 4.5 yards per rush against a front full of five-stars. The overall numbers might not im- press in the end, but Georgia Tech can exit the season knowing it has a few players who look the part against Clemson and other top-flight teams. The next step is slashing the number of mistakes. That's a task for the defense, too, which has been hurt by season-long missed assignments and communi- cation issues. Only one team has al- lowed more 20-plus yard plays than Georgia Tech's 34. Defensive line inju- ries have hurt the ability to find a con- sistent rotation. If freshmen emerging are the pleasant surprise, defensive back regression is the unforeseen stink bomb. "They've given up a lot of explosive plays on breakdowns in the second- ary, particularly with safety play," Quinlan said. "It was supposed to be the strength of the defense, but it has been sort of a weakness this year. For whatever reason, those guys haven't played as well." On the outside, cornerbacks Zamari Walton and Tre Swilling have allowed a combined 12 completions on 30 tar- gets, per Pro Football Focus. Walton, remarkably, was even a plus against Clemson, with two catches allowed on eight targets and an interception of Ti- gers' star quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The linebacker unit is experienced, with multi-year starters Quez Jack- son and David Curry as the anchors. Those two are Georgia Tech's top two tacklers and have combined for 69 stops (5.5 for loss), two sacks and two fumble recoveries. Georgia Tech's post-Notre Dame schedule remains difficult, with games at top-25 opponents Miami and North Carolina State plus a home tilt against Pitt's stout defense. Last place feels unlikely, but there is plenty of tripwire on the last third of the schedule. Or, perhaps it's opportu- nity to further mock the preseason prognostications. "I think," Quinlan said, "they feel they can compete with everyone left on the schedule." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: GEORGIA TECH Junior linebacker Quez Jackson had a team-high 37 tackles to go with two takeaways during Georgia Tech's 2-3 start. PHOTO COURTESY GEORGIA TECH 2020 GEORGIA TECH SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 12 Florida State W, 16-13 Sept. 19 Central Florida L, 49-21 Sept. 26 at Syracuse L, 37-20 Oct. 9 Louisville W, 46-27 Oct. 17 Clemson L, 73-7 Oct. 24 at Boston College L, 48-27 Oct. 31 Notre Dame (ABC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 14 Pittsburgh TBA Nov. 21 at Miami TBA Nov. 28 Georgia Tech TBA Dec. 5 at NC State TBA 2020 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 12 Duke W, 27-13 Sept. 19 South Florida W, 52-0 Oct. 10 Florida State W, 42-26 Oct. 17 Louisville W, 12-7 Oct. 24 at Pittsburgh W, 45-3 Oct. 31 at Georgia Tech (ABC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 7 Clemson (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at Boston College TBA Nov. 27 at North Carolina (ESPN) TBA Dec. 5 Syracuse (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at Wake Forest TBA