Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 31, 2020 41 During a 38-21 Irish victory at Georgia Tech in 1978, several miffed Notre Dame players in the fourth quarter were threatening to take vengeance in the stands before head coach Dan Devine took his team out to midfield — one in protest to avoid the debris thrown at them, and the other to remind the players that go- ing into the stands would be poorly representing the school. The series was halted after the 1981 game at Notre Dame. The two schools did not meet again in foot- ball until almost by accident in 1997. That was the year Notre Dame Sta- dium was expanded from a capacity of 59,075 to 80,225. Originally scheduled that year to be the opener, and for the christen- ing of the new building, was Miami (Ohio). However, the desire for a more glamorous or "name" opponent was needed, so Notre Dame paid off Miami (Ohio) to make a switch, and Georgia Tech — which had won a share of the national title in 1990 under head coach Bobby Ross — agreed to take its place in a one-time deal with no return game by the Fighting Irish to Atlanta. Notre Dame had to rally late to defeat third-year head coach George O'Leary's team 17-13, but the next year the Yellow Jackets defeated Notre Dame 35-28 in the Gator Bowl to finish 10-2 and No. 9 in the Asso- ciated Press poll. Two years later, O'Leary was named the Bobby Dodd — the prominent head coach at Geor- gia Tech from 1945-66 — National Coach of the Year. So impressed was the University of Notre Dame with O'Leary's program, they hired him in December 2001 as the successor to the deposed Bob Davie. Four days later, O'Leary resigned when it was discovered that his ré- sumé had false information on which he had not been transparent. Notre Dame did have a two-game home-and-home series in openers again with Georgia Tech in 2006-07. The No. 2-ranked Irish survived a 14-10 scare in Atlanta in the former, and then suffered a 33-3 destruction at home in the latter to begin a 3-9 campaign. Today, both Georgia Tech and Mi- ami join Notre Dame as members of the ACC, making them league rivals just as they had become regular rivals from days gone by. Georgia has even become a favorite recruiting territory in recent years (see pages 52-53). LOOKING AHEAD? With the showdown versus No. 1 Clemson looming at home Nov. 7, human nature can sometimes look ahead — especially considering that those same Tigers crushed Georgia Tech by a 73-7 count on Oct. 17. That same day, Notre Dame had to scratch and claw to a 12-7 win versus Louisville, a team that had lost 46-27 to Georgia Tech in its previous game. Every week, every game is its own entity, so the point of emphasis prior to the showdown with Clemson is a consistency in one's attitude toward competition, particularly with the first two road games of the year ver- sus Pitt and then Georgia Tech on back-to-back weeks. "We're really figuring out a lot about how to take our preparation and our process and apply it to the game," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said during the week af- ter the Louisville game. "… We didn't have that attention to detail in certain areas [versus Lou- isville], particularly in the red zone, to be effective and the intensity to put our opponent away. That's about learning how to compete at the high- est level. Our guys are learning about that. Even though they're veteran players, each year is a new year." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: GEORGIA TECH Notre Dame is making an appearance at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field in Atlanta for the first time since 2006, when the Fighting Irish escaped with a 14-10 victory versus the Yellow Jackets. PHOTO COURTESY GEORGIA TECH Predictions Todd Burlage: Notre Dame 27, Georgia Tech 13 Georgia Tech returned all but four starters from 2019, but the retooling under second-year head coach Geoff Collins has an absence of veterans at the skill positions, plus constant lineup shuffling. That and defensive coordinator Clark Lea's best group in three years at Notre Dame should result in victory. Patrick Engel: Notre Dame 42, Georgia Tech 10 This falls in a traditional trap game slot the week before the season's marquee opponent visits, but that shouldn't get in the way of another dominant day by the Irish on the ground. A turnover-prone Yellow Jackets offense with a freshman quarterback will be lucky to score more than twice on Notre Dame's defense. Andrew Mentock: Notre Dame 56, Georgia Tech 13 Notre Dame's offense comes out swinging and pulls away early, allowing it to go deep into its depth chart on both sides of the ball, much like Clemson in its 73-7 win. The first-string Irish defense gives up two field goals, but the backup unit allows a touchdown after a Notre Dame turnover in the second half. Mike Singer: Notre Dame 38, Georgia Tech 10 Georgia Tech has had some high moments this season in upset wins over Florida State and Louisville, but some really down times in blowout losses, too. Geoff Collins has the program on the right track, but the matchup with the Fighting Irish won't be one of those positive steps. Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 35, Georgia Tech 13 Unfortunately for Tech, the transitive property in math doesn't apply to football. Otherwise, because the Yellow Jackets defeated Louisville by 19 while Notre Dame achieved it by only five points, Georgia Tech would win by 14. They will be in it for a half, though, before wearing down.