Tonight, the Georgia Bulldogs face an opponent that’s been seeking revenge for over 30 years. The last time Georgia played Notre Dame was in the 1980 National Championship game in which the Dawgs walked away with its first and only national title.
Tonight’s matchup will have major implications for both teams in relation to their respective paths to the college football playoff. A Georgia win would be a huge statement. Kirby Smart will have proven his ability to lead his team to victory against the odds, on the road, and over one of college football’s most storied programs.
The Difference Maker
Georgia’s defense will prove to be the difference maker tonight in South Bend. The Dawgs snuffed out Appalachian State’s veteran offense time and again last week until the backups went into the game late in the 4th quarter.
Notre Dame has been cheerleading its offense all week after running away with a 49-16 win over Temple. But was the score indicative of a dominant performance by the Fighting Irish, or a lackluster Temple defense that gave up early in the game?
Yes, Notre Dame ran for 422 yards against the Owls, but the majority of those yards came on huge plays in which the Temple defenders missed tackles, blew coverages, and simply gave up on the play.
Georgia’s defense is an entirely different animal. Defensive guru Kirby Smart has polished his unit over the past year into a frenzied, but well-disciplined attack operation. The Dawgs made little mistakes against App State, and stifled the Mountaineers’ running and passing game.
The bulk of Notre Dame’s yardage came after contact, in large part because of Temple’s defensive strategy of arm-tackling and poor pursuit angles. The Irish did not pound the ball through Temple’s defense in a commanding way. Notre Dame simply tore off big runs against an Owls defense that looked confused and unconcerned with letting their opponent walk into the endzone.
Expect the Dawgs to follow through on their intent to “punish” the Irish offense.
Notre Dame repeatedly ran to the left side in their win against Temple. They managed to rip off big runs in doing so, but their rushing attack was not enough to impress the Dawgs. The Georgia linebacker unit will be ready to defend the run in any direction.
The Dawgs returned 10 of 11 defensive starters in 2017. Notre Dame returned 4 of 5 offensive linemen. The Irish blocking will have all it can handle against Georgia’s front 7, who will be looking to light up Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush all night.
All Eyes on Fromm
Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm couldn’t have asked for a bigger first start. Facing a storied opponent in an away game at night will be a monumental test for the youngster, but expect him to handle the challenge with grace and poise.
The Irish defense will need to stop Georgia’s Thunder and Lightning rushing attack in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. They will need more than the Luck O’ the Irish to stop those two.
Expect Georgia to pound the ball into Notre Dame’s defense while Fromm picks them apart with play action passes and 3-step drop throws.
Fromm will likely make a few mistakes, but it won’t be enough for Notre Dame to capitalize on and pull out a win.
Final Prediction:
Georgia 31
Notre Dame 17
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