Notre Dame Defense Must Keep Explosive Georgia Tech Offense At Bay
The Notre Dame defense under Al Golden is on pace to have another historic year on defense. The Irish defense currently ranks 11th in total yards per game, 6th in passing yards allowed per game, 4th in yards per play, 8th in scoring defense, and 3rd in redzone touchdowns allowed. This week, Notre Dame will have one of their tougher tasks on their schedule as they travel down to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. These are the key matchups the Irish defense must take win to hold a talented Georgia Tech offense at bay.
Notre Dame Rush Defense vs Georgia Teach Rushing Attack
Georgia Tech averages 204.4 rushing yards per game, which ranks them 25th in the country through seven games. Notre Dame allows 121.3 rushing yards per game which is 45th in the country. It is also a fair to say that Notre Dame has not quite faced a rushing attack as talented as Georgia Tech's as a whole.
Similar to Notre Dame, the Yellow Jackets have a three-headed monster in the backfield with quarterback Haynes King, running back Jamal Haynes, and running back Chad Alexander combining for 1,091 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on the season. Haynes and Alexander both average 5.6 yards per carry while King averages 5.7 yards per carry. As a team, Notre Dame averages 3.43 yards per carry on the season which ranks 34th in the country.
The Irish defense is lead by linebackers Drayk BowenJack Kiser who are tied for the lead in tackles with a team high 29 on the season. Fellow linebacker Jaiden Ausberry is not far behind them with 24 tackles on the season. Each week, this young linebacking core has improved week over week, and Saturday will prove to be one, if not the toughest, task they will have yet this season. Georgia Tech ranks 6th in the country in rushing plays of 20 yards or longer with 17 on the season including a 68 yard touchdown game-sealing run by Haynes last week against North Carolina. Make no doubt about it, this is an explosive rushing attack. Notre Dame's linebackers along with Rylie MillsHoward Cross will have to play sound and assignment correct football to limit big plays.
Irish Secondary vs Yellow Jacket Receivers
The Irish secondary has been the strength of this defense throughout the 2024 season up to this point. The group ranks 11th in the country in passes defended (35), 6th in passing yards per game (148.7), and 19th in interceptions (7) through 6 games. This week, that task gets a little more difficult. Georgia Tech is an offense that is willing to take shots down the field averaging 8.4 yards per attempt with ranks 38th in the country. When you factor in the loss on junior captain Ben Morrison and true freshman Leonard Moore stepping into the lineup this matchup becomes significantly more intriguing.
The Yellow Jacket receivers are led by junior Malik Rutherford and sophomore Eric Singleton. Rutherford has 40 rec., 509 yards, 2 touchdowns, and averages 12.7 yards per catch. Singleton has 30 rec., 399 yards, 2 touchdowns, and averages 13.3 yards per catch. Both of these receivers has the ability to take the top off of defense. Neither receiver has immense size with Rutherford going 5-9 170 pounds and Singleton at 5-11 190 pounds, but what they lack in size, they make up for with speed and agility. Both players are equally as dangerous after the catch and have the ability to make defenders miss in space.
Moore will be tested early and head coach Brent Key will look to take advantage of the true freshman in the starting lineup. Fellow teammates in the secondary Jordan ClarkXavier Watts, and Adon Shuler will have to continue to make plays in open space, tackle well in the open field, and create turnovers because Georgia Tech does a tremendous job of taking care of the football with only 1 interception thrown this year and only two turnovers lost total through seven games.
Notre Dame Red Zone Defense vs Georgia Tech Red Zone Offense
If you want to talk about best on best matchups, the Irish red zone defense and the Yellow Jacket's red zone offense certainly fits within that category. Georgia Tech ranks 6th in the country in red zone touchdowns with 21 on the season. Notre Dame's defense ranks 3rd in the country in red zone touchdowns allowed (5). Notre Dame has only allowed opposing offenses to reach the red zone 12 times through six games, while Georgia Tech has reached the red zone 27 times through seven games. This has been a clear strength on both sides of the ball, and Georgia Tech relies heavily on their rushing attack in the red zone to punch it in for the score. This pairs well with the first key matchup explained earlier in the , the front seven for Notre Dame will have to play assignment correct, aggressive, and fundamentally sound football if Georgia Tech reaches the red zone on Saturday.
Golden's squad has been a force to be reckoned with through the first six games of the season. However, injuries are beginning to mount up for the Irish, and they are having to go down further and further into the roster. Luckily the depth Notre Dame has is proving to be a strength of this football team, and you can believe Georgia Tech will put that to the test this week in Atlanta.
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This story was originally published October 16, 2024, 4:30 PM.
