Rudy was Offsides
Today’s Notre Dame preview is brought to you by Section 103, home of the most unique and comfortable Georgia Tech apparel. Get 10 percent off your next order with coupon code FTRS to order items such as the Haynes King Jersey T-Shirt
I’m sure you’ve heard this a few times now, but it bears repeating, Georgia Tech has a heck of a schedule this year. Notre Dame rolls into Atlanta this year to face Georgia Tech in the Benz as a neutral site game. Some people have disparaged Notre Dame in recent years, but facts are that Notre Dame has won nine or more games every season for the past seven years. Georgia Tech calls Notre Dame a rival, but if the Jackets want to be taken seriously they need to show up in this game.
2023 Season Review
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Notre Dame went 10-3 last year with their only losses being to Ohio State, Louisville, and Clemson. Notre Dame dominated in their wins, with Duke being the only opponent to keep Notre Dame within a touchdown margin.
Last year Notre Dame was all about using their O-line to bully opposing teams. Notre Dame had plenty of talent throwing the ball, but they were most efficient at simply shoving the ball down your throat. All of their top 3 running backs on the depth chart averaged more than 5 yards a carry, so why risk throwing an interception when you could average a first down every 2 running plays.
Defensively the story was very similar. While there was plenty of talent across the board, things all started by the D-line putting the most possible pressure on the QB to make a bad throw. Well timed blitzes and an overpowering D-line helped make it easier for the Safeties and Corners to make frequent interceptions. So despite losing three games, Notre Dame was a beast of a program last year.
Personnel
MANDATORY CREDIT GREG SWIERCZ / USA TODAY NETWORK
There have been plenty of changes for the Fighting Irish this offseason. Notre Dame lost most of their receiving core to the transfer portal. Names like Chris Tyree, Rico Flores Jr., Tobias Merriweather, and Holden Staes are all gone. There was also some depth lost at O-line and on the defensive side of the ball, but the Irish were able to retain most of their eligible starters at outside those positions.
All that said, this is Notre Dame and there is no lack of talent to be found. I could go down the list, but lets just say there are plenty of good receivers still on staff for transfer QB Riley Leonard to take advantage of.
The defense still has star safety Xavier Watts at safety who had seven INTs last year. Rylie Mills Returns as a force at Defensive Tackle, and Linebacker Jack Kiser will return looking for more sacks this year. Other than a certain school in Athens, I expect this to be the most talented defense that Tech will face all year.
The Game
I, like many other people from Georgia, love to disparage Notre Dame. That said this will be one of the toughest matches for Georgia Tech all season. Notre Dame travels well so expect the Benz to be louder on the Notre Dame side.
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Notre Dame gets Georgia Tech at a lull in their schedule. Notre Dame gets Stanford at home before coming to Atlanta, followed by another road game to face Navy; I don’t expect Notre Dame to be caught napping while preparing for another top opponent. On the other side of the ball, Georgia Tech gets Notre Dame after being on the road for the 2nd most important game of the season against UNC and a week before we go on the road to Virginia Tech. Fair to say the Jackets might have some distractions going into this game.
Notre Dame is going to be tough on both sides of the ball. To counter Notre Dame’s tough defensive front Georgia Tech will need to work on quick passes and screens to hopefully spread the line and make Notre Dame reconsider blitzing. With how GT’s defense has performed in the past I don’t know if there is a perfect solution against Notre Dame, but I think Georgia Tech will just need to focus their all on stopping the run and make Riley Leonard prove he can beat us through the air.
This will be a brutal matchup for the Jackets, but that means it is also an excellent chance for our players to prove themselves against a tough opponent. While Notre Dame is tough I do think this is a winnable game for Tech assuming the defense can at least keep things close. I expect this game to be on the lower scoring side if Tech hopes to win. Give me Tech winning 20-16 in a tough sledding battle.