Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/871976
26 SEPT. 18, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT The rhythm of the third quarter was flowing Notre Dame's way. The Irish defense had just forced a three- and-out, and the offense in turn re- sponded with a field goal to take a 16-10 lead. On the ensuing series, another three-and-out loomed when Geor- gia faced third-and-16 from its 19 and completed a pass short of the first down … until sophomore drop end Julian Okwara was called for a personal foul after hitting Georgia freshman quarterback Jake Fromm near the sideline after he released the ball. From fourth-and-short at the Bull- dogs 33 to first-and-10 at their 48, Georgia was in the end zone four plays later to take a 17-16 lead with 4:34 left in the third quarter. It was the lone TD of the second half, and proved to be game changing. STAT OF THE GAME Normally, Notre Dame converting only 3 of 17 opportunities on third down would receive the nod. In this case, there was a cause-and-effect situation that resulted in that data — namely a paltry 55-yard rushing ef- fort by the Irish that came on the heels of a 422-yard output on the ground a week earlier against Temple. The inability to generate any run- ning attack and relying way too much on junior quarterback Bran- don Wimbush — 16 carries for one yard — to help jump-start it consis- tently put Notre Dame into third- and-longs. Among 19 total third-down chances, 12 were third-and-eight or longer, which the extremely quick, physical and veteran Georgia de- fense exploited with pressure that yielded three sacks, three passes broken up and seven hurries. CLOSE CALLS THE NORM Competing isn't the problem at Notre Dame. Finishing close games, especially against top competition is. In 2014, the 6-0 Irish lost at No. 2 Florida State (31-27) when their last- second touchdown was negated by a penalty call that is inconsistently enforced. In the two regular-season defeats in 2015, Notre Dame lost by two points apiece in the closing seconds to top-three finishers Clemson and Stanford on the road. Last year, they squandered fourth-quarter leads in five different games. With the Georgia defeat, Notre Dame since 2013 is 5-11 against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game, 20-20 versus Power Five conference teams overall and 7-13 in its last 20 games decided by seven or fewer points. That's not being "snake- bit" — it's a pattern going on too long. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI OFFENSE: RB JOSH ADAMS Picking a player of the game for a unit that had just 55 rushing yards and 265 yards of offense isn't easy, but the junior running back is the pick for the second straight game. Adams rushed for only 53 yards on 19 carries (2.8 yards per rush), but he led the team with six receptions and 60 receiving yards. His 32-yard catch and run on a screen in the second quarter set up Notre Dame's only touchdown of the game. DEFENSE: LB NYLES MORGAN Several defenders performed well, but Notre Dame's best defensive player in the game was the senior Mike linebacker. He was physical inside and helped slow down the Georgia ground game. Morgan tied for the team lead with seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while adding a sack and a quarterback hurry. He played downhill but also contributed a number of plays in pursuit, making it hard for the Bulldogs to get much going offensively. SPECIAL TEAMS: PK JUSTIN YOON After missing both of his attempts in the opener against Temple, the junior kicker bounced back with a strong performance against Georgia. He set a career high with four made field goals, and his kicking accounted for 13 of Notre Dame's 19 points in the game. Yoon got Notre Dame on the board early, drilling a 39-yard field goal to end the team's first drive. He con- verted a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter, made a 37-yarder in the third quarter and gave Notre Dame 19-17 lead in the fourth quarter with a 28-yard kick. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY BRYAN DRISKELL Senior linebacker Nyles Morgan tied for the team lead in both total stops (seven) and tackles for loss (1.5). PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA