Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 NOV. 27, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. No Doubter The demands on messages boards and on Twit- ter were deafening after Notre Dame's 28-3 win over Virginia and all week leading into this game. Notre Dame fans wanted style points. The Irish delivered them. They did their best Ohio State impression in disposing of the Yellow Jackets. They averaged 10.1 yards per play in the first half, scored touchdowns on their final five drives before the break and hung 45 points in the opening half for the first time since 2017 against Miami (Ohio). They had as many first-half touch- downs (six) as Georgia Tech's offense had first downs. A home game against a now 3-8 team wasn't go- ing to add anything to Notre Dame's College Foot- ball Playoff résumé, but on a day where several other top-10 teams pasted inferior opponents (and Ohio State walloped top-10 Michigan State), the Irish impressed in similar fashion. It's not that last week's 28-3 win over Virginia wasn't convincing, but there's something to be said for undressing an opponent late in the year and leaving as strong a final impression as possible. 2. Coan And Rees In Rhythm This was graduate student quarterback Jack Coan's and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees' most cohesive performance of the year, and by a wide margin. Aside from a red-zone backtrack on the first possession, Notre Dame's starting offense breezed through Georgia Tech's overmatched defense until Coan came out early in the third quarter. Rees delivered another creative game plan, with a frequent supply of RPOs (run-pas options), a few screens and some well-timed downfield shot plays. He called two end-arounds that resulted in first downs, including an eight-yarder from senior wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. on third-and-one. It was an impressive mix of explosive and efficient. Notre Dame had five straight touchdown drives of at least 60 yards. None was longer than seven plays. Coan finished 15-of-20 passing for 285 yards with two touchdowns. He had one more incompletion in the first half (three) than touchdown passes (two). The final scoring drive he led was arguably his best. He lofted a 51-yard pass to Austin on a slot fade route to begin it. He hit sophomore tight end Michael Mayer for 18 yards two plays later, unload- ing an accurate throw as he was hit. He extended the next play by rolling to his right and finding senior tight end George Takacs for 19 yards. 3. Under Pressure If Notre Dame's goal was to overwhelm Georgia Tech No. 2 quarterback Jordan Yates, consider it accomplished. Yates, starting for the injured Jeff Sims, rarely had a clean pocket. Notre Dame sacked him six times and flustered him on numer- ous other throws. Junior defensive end Isaiah Foskey became an unwelcomed acquaintance. Foskey blew past tight end Dylan Leonard on a one-on-one and hurried Yates on Georgia Tech's first drive, forcing a throw- away that landed in junior rover Jack Kiser's arms. Kiser ran it back 43 yards for a touchdown. Foskey also forced the fumble that graduate student de- fensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa scooped and returned 70 yards for a touchdown. Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman sent fre- quent pressure at Yates. Irish linebackers were disruptive when they blitzed up the middle, partic- ularly junior JD Bertrand and senior Bo Bauer. Cor- ner and secondary blitzers were effective, includ- ing one where senior TaRiq Bracy came unblocked and forced a rushed throw. Notre Dame had nine quarterback hurries and 10 tackles for loss. Notre Dame now has 38 sacks this year, surpass- ing the Brian Kelly-era high of 34 set in 2018 and matched in 2019. 4. Containing Jahmyr Gibbs Georgia Tech freshman running back Jahmyr Gibbs came into the game ranked third nationally in all-purpose yards, with 1,680. He was averaging 168.0 yards per game. Notre Dame held him to 122. He rushed 12 times for 58 yards. His longest gain, a 17-yarder, came in garbage time. He's also dynamic receiver but did not catch a pass. He returned two kicks for 64 yards. The defense did its job containing him, but the offense gets credit for an assist. Building a mas- sive early lead made a run-heavy plan with a lot of Gibbs touches an impractical idea for Georgia Tech. 5. Audric Estime Shines Those who watched the game in its entirety saw freshman running back Audric Estime's first ex- tended action. He has played on kick return teams since Week 2 and logged two snaps as a blocker on the goal line, but he earned his first carry in the fourth quarter. He took it 21 yards. He attempted to hurdle a defender later in the drive. He ended with 61 yards on six carries. Estime impressed in fall camp but has oper- ated behind the scenes since then while fellow freshman back Logan Diggs has found himself as a weekly presence in the offense. At 5-11 and 228 pounds, he's a load to bring down. Notre Dame saw that in August. Georgia Tech defenders learned it in this game. FIVE THOUGHTS: NOTRE DAME DISMANTLES GEORGIA TECH, 55-0 BY PATRICK ENGEL Senior defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola and the Irish defense did a good job containing Georgia Tech star running back Jahmyr Gibbs, limiting him to just 58 rushing yards and no receptions. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER