Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 20, 2021 35 GAME PREVIEW: GEORGIA TECH 1. A Dual-Threat Running Back Running back Jahmyr Gibbs remains the high- est-ranked recruit to choose Georgia Tech since head coach Geoff Collins took over in December 2018. His impact has matched the billing. Gibbs, Rivals' No. 70 overall player in the 2020 class, was Georgia Tech's second-leading rusher as a freshman last year. Now in his second year, he's arguably the ACC's best all-around back and one of college football's most dangerous big-play threats. He ranks third nationally with 1,452 all- purpose yards through Week 10. He and Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams are the only Football Bowl Subdivision players with three plays of 70 yards or more. Gibbs has rushed 110 times for 591 yards (5.4 yards per carry), caught 29 passes for 440 yards and returned 19 kicks for 421 yards (22.2 yards per return). His 15.2 yards per catch leads all FBS running backs with at least 20 receptions. Notre Dame has seen Gibbs before. He was one of the Yellow Jackets' bright spots in a 31-13 home loss to the Irish last season, with 61 yards on 14 rushing attempts and 49 yards on five receptions. 2. Another Struggling Defense Another week, another porous defense on Notre Dame's second-half schedule. Georgia Tech ranked 99th nationally in yards per play allowed (6.05) and 87th in scoring (29.0 points per game) through Week 10. It is allowing op- ponents to convert 45.5 percent of their third downs, which ranked 115th. It has surrendered five plays of at least 60 yards, tied for the fifth-most nationally. Pass defense has been the consistent sore spot. Opposing quarterbacks are averaging 9.0 yards per pass versus the Yellow Jackets defense (121st nationally) and completing 64.7 percent of their passes (107th), with 20 touchdowns (109th) and three interceptions (tied for third fewest). Georgia Tech ranks 124th in op- ponent passer rating (162.21) and has allowed 38 completions of 20 or more yards (tied for 116th). The Yellow Jackets have faced three of the country's best passers and offered minimal resis- tance against two of them. Virginia's Brennan Armstrong and Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett combined for 785 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions, with a 65.8 completion percentage, in their respective teams' victories over Georgia Tech. Even though the Yel- low Jackets held North Carolina to 22 points in a 45-22 win Sept. 25, Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns in defeat. Eight sacks were his undoing. 3. An Old Friend Notre Dame faced a former player in three of its first four games this year — Florida State guard Dillan Gibbons, Toledo linebacker Jonathan Jones and Cincinnati wide receiver Michael Young Jr. All are starters for their respective teams and were active when they played against their old squad. Georgia Tech has the last ex-Irish player on the schedule, safety Derrik Allen. Of the four former Golden Domers on Notre Dame's 2021 slate, he was the highest-profile recruit and the only one to depart as an undergraduate transfer. Allen, an Atlanta-area native, was the No. 135 overall player in the 2018 class and the fifth-highest ranked recruit in Notre Dame's 2018 haul. He left the program in August 2019, though, after a freshman season in which he did not see the field. He transferred to Georgia Tech a few days later and sat out the 2019 season. Two years later, he's still waiting for a breakthrough. Allen has played 114 defensive snaps in seven games, with one start. He has four tackles this year. — Patrick Engel total defense in the country — but has faced some rather suspect units on that side of the ball in the second half. Georgia Tech has been susceptible to getting beat through the air as the season has moved forward. It held its first three opponents, including Clem- son, to less than 140 passing yards. It allowed 306 even in a win over North Carolina, though, and the floodgates have remained open ever since. The Yel- low Jackets surrendered 339.3 passing yards per game in the six-game stretch after allowing just 124.3 in their first three games. And yet, Georgia Tech still boasts one of the top tacklers in the country. Linebacker Quez Jackson ranked tied for 12th nationally in total tackles with 91 through Week 10. He also ranked second on the Yellow Jackets' roster with six tackles for loss. One of Georgia Tech's main defen- sive weaknesses has been getting to the quarterback. The Ramblin' Wreck ranked tied for 92nd in the country with 16 sacks through Week 10. But like with the Georgia Tech of- fense, it hasn't been about what the Georgia Tech defense hasn't been able to this season. It's been about hope and optimism for the future. There may not be much hope for the Ramblin' Wreck this week at Notre Dame Stadium, but you wouldn't be able to tell as much if you spent a day with them. "We've obviously been losing games, but our attitude, our focus and our ex- citement hasn't changed at all," defen- sive back Juanyeh Thomas said. "If you came to our practices and our locker room, you'd never know we lost because our attitudes and spirits are still high even though we haven't been winning. I'm really proud of this team and the way we still attack every week." ✦ Running back Jahmyr Gibbs' 1,452 all-purpose yards were the third-most of any Football Bowl Subdivision player through Week 10. PHOTO COURTESY GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS Three Things To Know About Georgia Tech "If you came to our practices and our locker room, you'd never know we lost because our attitudes and spirits are still high even though we haven't been winning." DEFENSIVE BACK JUANYEH THOMAS