Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/871976
32 SEPT. 18, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED What Worked Run Defense Holds: Georgia's rushing numbers were good in the game, with the Bulldogs pounding out 185 yards on 43 carries (4.3 per rush), but that total is boosted by a 40-yard run and a 30-yard carry. The talented Georgia backs ran the ball 35 times in the game, and 17 of those carries went for two yards or less. Gaining 70 yards on two carries proved impactful, with Georgia scor- ing after both long runs, but on the other 33 carries the Bulldog backs had just 128 yards (3.9 yards per carry). When Georgia was having success against Notre Dame, it was getting movement against the interior of the line. When Notre Dame was able to have success against the Bulldog ground game, it was able to crash the edges with its defensive ends, and its linebackers were able to get downhill. Senior rover Drue Tranquill and se- nior defensive ends Jay Hayes and An- drew Trumbetti were both a big part of the successful ground defense by being aggressive setting the edge and forcing the Georgia backs to make early cuts, which allowed the back-side defenders and linebackers to fly to the ball. Hayes was especially effective playing on the edge, finishing with a career-high seven tackles, including a crucial third-and-two stop late in the game that gave Notre Dame its final shot to take the lead. Getting Off The Field: Notre Dame's defense gave the team a chance to win the game, and a big reason why was its ability to get off the field. Not including the final pos- session in which Georgia took a knee on three straight plays, the Bulldogs had 15 possessions in the game. Notre Dame forced a three-and-out on eight of those. Seven ended in punts and a late second quarter series ended when Tranquill picked off a pass by freshman quarterback Jake Fromm. Notre Dame held Georgia to just 4 of 17 (23.5 percent) on third down, and two of those conversions came on Georgia's first scoring drive of the game. Defensive coordinator Mike Elko was able to design a number of pres- sures that kept Fromm off balance, and there were other instances where the defense would show a blitz be- fore the snap, only to drop into cov- erage once the ball was put in play. The changing looks made it hard for Fromm to get into any kind of rhythm on third down. Georgia's freshman quarterback completed just 4 of 8 passes for 21 yards on third down, and only one of his completions actu- ally picked up first-down yardage. What Didn't Work First Down Woes: Notre Dame was abysmal on third down, converting just three of 17 chances (17.6 percent). It did pick up two first downs thanks to Georgia penalties, but even at 5 of 19 (26.3) the third-down offense was poor. The issues for Notre Dame began well before third down, because the Irish struggled mightily on first down. Notre Dame lined up 19 times facing a third-down situation, and on 12 of those snaps the Irish were facing third-and-eight or longer with six be- ing third-and-10 or more situations. Junior quarterback Brandon Wim- bush completed just 6 of 18 passes on first down, which meant 12 times the Irish immediately went to second- and-10. One of his completions went for minus-one yards and another went for just one yard. The ground attack wasn't any bet- ter. Notre Dame averaged just 2.8 yards per rush on its 13 first-down rushing attempts, and eight of those rushes went for three yards or less. Pocket Pressure Stalls Offense: Part of the reason Notre Dame was so ineffective on both first and third down was its inability to protect Wim- bush. The junior signal-caller had his share of mistakes in this game, and his play must improve significantly mov- ing forward, but he didn't get much help from his offensive line. Wimbush was sacked three times in the game, including on Notre Dame's final offensive play when fifth-year se- nior preseason All-American left tackle Mike McGlinchey was beaten badly around the edge by Georgia senior outside linebacker Davin Bellamy, who drilled Wimbush and knocked the ball out, ending the game for the Irish. Three sacks isn't a terrible number, but Georgia also had seven quarter- back hurries and harassed Wimbush all game long. The Irish quarterback could not get comfortable in the pocket, and the constant pressure forced him to make mistakes even when Georgia wasn't in his face. Notre Dame's wideouts worked themselves open enough to do dam- age against the Georgia secondary, but Wimbush simply was not able to go through his progressions and get the ball out enough to his pass catch- ers because of the constant pressure from the Georgia defense. ✦ Georgia Game: What Worked And What Didn't CLOSER LOOK BRYAN DRISKELL Bryan Driskell has been a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated since April 2015. He can be reached at bdriskell@blueandgold.com. Senior end Jay Hayes and the Irish defense kept Georgia's ground game largely in check. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA