Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Game Predictions
Notre Dame will look to win its fifth game in a row when it heads south this weekend to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The 12th-ranked Fighting Irish (5-1) will be tested by a Georgia Tech (5-2) team that has won its last two games and are winners of five straight home games. This game will be played at Mercedes Benz Stadium, but it's still a home game for the Jackets.
: Mercedes Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.) : Saturday - October 19 : 3:30 PM ET : ESPN : Notre Dame -9.5; O/U 50.5
Irish Breakdown has made predictions for this contest.
: Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 21
Even though we are half way through the season I still don't really know what version of Notre Dame we'll see from week to week. The good news is the Irish have played their best back-to-back games of the season with their 31-24 win over Louisville and the 49-7 win over Stanford. If Notre Dame keeps playing like that against Georgia Tech they'll earn a fifth straight win and I'll feel a lot better about knowing what we are going to see from this team week to week.
Georgia Tech is a good football team that has been in every game it has played this season. The Yellow Jackets run the ball well and they have a stout run defense, which is a recipe for success against Notre Dame. The Irish also have mounting injuries on defense, and you have to wonder what the breaking point will be. With Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King also banged up, the Yellow Jackets could also be in a bit of tough spot.
Ultimately, this game will come down to the trenches. Can Notre Dame slow down dynamic running back Jamal Haynes? Can the Irish offensive line handle the big, physical Georgia Tech front seven? If the Notre Dame line handles business the Irish should be able to move the ball and score. If the defensive line can slow down the Jacket run game I don't think they can score enough to win. It won't be easy, but I think the Irish get that done and pull away late. Could Notre Dame dominate? Sure, but I really like this Jacket team. Unless King doesn't play I do think this game will be competitive for a time.
: Notre Dame 35, Georgia Tech 13
The biggest question going into this game is who will play quarterback for Georgia Tech. Will it be Haynes King with 30 games of experience under his belt or Zach Pyron who has 16 games of mostly mop-up and specialty duty? Pyron is known as the "touchdown vulture" because he comes off the bench in goal line situations and has scored four touchdowns this season. The difference in experience should be obvious against Al Golden's defense if Pyron starts for the injured King.
Riley Leonard and Co will look to build off last week's passing performance against a GT defense that ranks No. 105 in pass efficiency, which is just 14 spots higher than Stanford's.
: Notre Dame 38, Georgia Tech 14
Notre Dame's offense has begun to hit their stride. Riley Leonard will continue his progress within the passing game and take advantage of a GT defense that allows chunk plays through the air. Given their injuries, ND's defense will struggle early but will settle in during the 2nd half. This is not a jab to the Irish defense by any means, but injuries are starting to mount up, and the Yellow Jackets have an explosive offense. 2nd half dominance will be the story line for Notre Dame in Atlanta.
: Notre Dame 34, Georgia Tech 21
The Irish are coming off their best offensive performance of the season and now go on the road to face a Georgia Tech team that ranks 36th in total defense. Marcus Freeman's squad has been strong on the road, and with Riley Leonard growing more confident as a passer, this could be a breakout day for the Irish offense.
For Notre Dame's defense, the key question is whether Haynes King will suit up for the Jackets. Listed as a game-time decision, King's status will greatly influence the outcome of this game. He's been incredibly efficient, completing 71 percent of his passes-top 10 in the country-and throwing 8 touchdowns with only 1 interception. If King plays, expect a closer game, especially with the absence of Benjamin Morrison in the Irish secondary. If King is out, Notre Dame should win comfortably.
At this point in the season, Notre Dame appears to be hitting its stride. Despite battling injuries on both sides of the ball, Freeman's Irish are showing impressive depth, leadership, and momentum. Whether or not King plays, Notre Dame gets the win in Atlanta.
: Notre Dame 34, Georgia Tech 13
Both of these teams are banged up heading into this matchup at Mercedes Benz Stadium. The Irish got some difficult injury news this week when Marcus Freeman announced that All-American CB Benjamin Morrison would miss the remainder of the season with a hip injury. On the other sideline, Georgia Tech QB Haynes King was knocked out of last weekend's win over North Carolina and even if he is able to play he will be limited by a right shoulder injury. With key injuries to both teams, the edge goes to Notre Dame who has much greater depth than the scrappy Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech ranks 46th on the 247 Talent Composite (Notre Dame is 10th), which puts the Yellow Jackets below Purdue and Stanford (let alone Louisville and Texas A&M).
The 21-point spread I'm predicting is in large part because I expect Georgia Tech to struggle to move the ball against Notre Dame, even if Haynes King plays. So much of King's game rests on his dual-threat ability, and a right shoulder injury limits him as both a runner and passer. RB Jamal Haynes has been great the past 2 games, but even with the loss of Morrison, the Notre Dame defense is way too good for Tech to be one-dimensional. Now, the Yellow Jackets are no pushover on the defensive side of the ball, though, and Mike Denbrock is going to need to settle Riley Leonard into the game so that he takes another step forward as a passer. Georgia Tech ranks 3rd in the ACC in rush defense and 23rd overall, but they have been susceptible to dual-threat quarterbacks (UNC QB Jacoby Criswell rushed for 73 yards last weekend) and have given up a number of explosive plays - the Yellow Jackets rank 13th in the ACC in plays of 20+ yards surrendered. Expect a steady dose of RPOs for the second straight week.
Ultimately, Leonard's growth in the passing game will unlock the Irish rushing attack, allowing Notre Dame to pull away in the second half. Any road jitters for a Notre Dame team that hasn't played outside of Indiana since August are minimized by the fact that Tech gave up a home game for the bigger gate at Mercedes Benz Stadium, meaning there should be plenty of Irish fans in the stands.
SEASON STANDINGS
Bryan - 21-6 Nick - 19-8 Andrew - 19-8 Vince - 18-9 Sean - 18-9 Trevor - 18-9 Joe - 17-6
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This story was originally published October 18, 2024, 2:00 AM.
