Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 SEPT. 11, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Pro Football Focus ranked junior Trenton Thompson as the fourth- best run-stopping defensive tackle in the country in 2016, while junior inside linebacker Roquan Smith led the Bulldogs with 95 tackles and is a preseason All-SEC player. Georgia's linebackers were ranked by Lindy's as the best unit in the coun- try, while its defensive line was listed as the sixth best. All that talent in the front seven is a significant reason for the Bulldogs' high expectations in 2017. It was a young group in 2016, and that youth led to erratic play. Georgia held three opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground, with its season-best performance of 30 yards coming in a 28-14 win over South Carolina. Late in the season, though, the Bulldogs struggled to contain opposing ground attacks. It began in a close win over Ken- tucky, during which the Wildcats racked up 186 yards and three scores. Then Louisiana-Lafayette compiled 276 yards and three touchdowns, Georgia Tech ran for 226 yards and four scores, and TCU put up 175 yards in the bowl game. Notre Dame was equally erratic with its rushing offense last season, running for 261 yards in a win over Army, 239 yards in a win over Ne- vada, 206 yards in a loss to Texas and 200 yards in a loss to Virginia Tech. Standout running back Josh Adams ended the season with a 180-yard performance against USC. However, Notre Dame was held to 59 yards on the ground in a loss to North Carolina State, a game played during a hurricane, and was limited to just 57 yards in a loss to Michigan State. The overall talent of both lines, the talent of the Georgia linebackers and the athleticism of the Notre Dame backs make this arguably the premier matchup in this game. Advantage: Georgia NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. GEORGIA PASS DEFENSE Georgia ranked 16th nationally in passing defense (183.8 yards allowed per game) and 37th in pass efficiency defense (122.97 rating) last season. Those numbers, however, are a bit misleading. The Bulldogs benefitted from play- GAME PREVIEW: GEORGIA Pro Football Focus ranked Trenton Thompson as the fourth-best run-stopping defensive tackle in the country in 2016. PHOTO COURTESY GEORGIA Offense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. WR 6 E. St. Brown 6-5 203 Jr. 83 Chase Claypool 6-4½ 228 So. or 81 Miles Boykin 6-4 225 Jr. WR 11 Freddy Canteen 6-0 194 Sr. or 10 Chris Finke 5-9½ 181 Jr. LT 68 Mike McGlinchey 6-8 315 5th-Sr. 74 Liam Eichenberg 6-6 300 So. LG 56 Quenton Nelson 6-5 330 Sr. 75 Joshua Lugg 6-7 300 Fr. C 53 Sam Mustipher 6-2½ 305 Sr. 57 Trevor Ruhland 6-3½ 302 Jr. RG 71 Alex Bars 6-6 312 Sr. 70 Hunter Bivin 6-6 315 5th-Sr. RT 78 Tommy Kraemer 6-6 314 So. 72 Robert Hainsey 6-4½ 290 Fr. TE 80 Durham Smythe 6-5½ 257 5th-Sr. 86 Alizé Mack 6-5 251 Jr. WR 15 Cameron Smith 5-10½ 202 5th-Sr. 3 C.J. Sanders 5-8 181 Jr. or 87 Michael Young 5-10 190 Fr. QB 7 Brandon Wimbush 6-2 228 Jr. 12 Ian Book 6-0 208 So. RB 33 Josh Adams 6-2 225 Jr. 2 Dexter Williams 5-11 215 Jr. or 34 Tony Jones Jr. 5-11 225 So. Defense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Drop 9 Daelin Hayes 6-4 258 So. or 98 Andrew Trumbetti 6-4 263 Sr. DT 55 Jonathan Bonner 6-4 291 Sr. 95 M. Tagovailoa-Amosa 6-2½ 293 Fr. NT 99 Jerry Tillery 6-7 306 Jr. 41 Kurt Hinish 6-2 298 Fr. DE 93 Jay Hayes 6-3½ 290 Sr. or 98 Andrew Trumbetti 6-4 263 Sr. Buck 48 Greer Martini 6-3½ 236 Sr. or 4 Te'von Coney 6-1 240 Jr. Mike 5 Nyles Morgan 6-1 235 Sr. 44 Jamir Jones 6-3 240 So. Rover 23 Drue Tranquill 6-2 231 Sr. 22 Asmar Bilal 6-2 230 Jr. CB 27 Julian Love 5-11 193 So. 20 Shaun Crawford 5-9 176 Jr. Whip 24 Nick Coleman 6-0 192 Jr. 17 Isaiah Robertson 6-1½ 195 Fr. Stud 21 Jalen Elliott 6-0½ 205 So. 14 Devin Studstill 6-0 195 So. CB 7 Nick Watkins 6-1 207 Sr. 8 Donte Vaughn 6-3 206 So. NOTRE DAME DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PK 19 Justin Yoon 5-10 192 Jr. 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 193 Fr. P 85 Tyler Newsome 6-2½ 210 Sr. 42 Jeff Riney 5-11 180 Jr. KO 19 Justin Yoon 5-10 192 Jr. 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 193 Fr. H 4 M. VanGorder 6-1 222 Sr. 85 Tyler Newsome 6-2½ 210 Sr. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. LS 54 John Shannon 6-2 230 So. 82 Nic Weishar 6-5 243 Sr. PR 10 Chris Finke 5-9½ 181 Jr. 3 C.J. Sanders 5-8 181 Jr. KR 3 C.J. Sanders 5-8 181 Jr. 34 Tony Jones Jr. 5-11 225 So. Special Teams