Notre Dame Football Prediction: Georgia vs. Notre Dame
By Andrew Hall
Earlier this week, Slap the Sign previewed the Georgia offense and defense units. Now, we make a prediction for Saturday night’s contest. Let’s review some of the key points and players from the Georgia football team:
Georgia Offense
Notre Dame legacy Jacob Eason will not start Saturday due to a knee injury. Freshman Jake Fromm starts in his place. Fromm looked poised in his debut and drew a lot of praise. However, he does not know the entire playbook yet. Additionally, he played against an inferior opponent at home. At Notre Dame, he plays against a similarly talented group on the road. Georgia’s success depends on how well Fromm plays.
The key to Georgia’s offense is the Running Back tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. These two Running Backs draw a lot of Notre Dame’s attention. Can a weak tackling team (at least at this point) bring down these two backs in the open field? If they cannot, the defense faces a long day.
The Wide Receivers and Tight Ends possess excellent ability. However, no player stands out from the others. Issac Nauta, Georgia’s starting Tight End, may represent their most dangerous weapon, especially in the red zone.
Georgia Defense
The Georgia defense is a SEC-caliber defense. By playing a 3-4, the Bulldogs maintain maximum flexibility in moving personnel around and showing different looks. Georgia’s strength sits on the Defensive Line. So, the battle between Notre Dame’s Offensive Line and Georgia’s Defensive Line may determine the winner of the game.
Notre Dame’s tall receivers and Tight End may take advantage of the lack of size in the Georgia secondary. The largest Georgia Defensive Back stands at 6’0″ and weighs in at 200 lbs. This creates the opportunity for Wide Receivers to box out a smaller Cornerback. The Tight Ends may out muscle the Safeties for the ball.
Prediction
On paper, these two teams strengths and weaknesses match up evenly. For example, Notre Dame’s Defensive Line might be the weakest unit on the team. However, Georgia’s Offensive Line is a patchwork of Freshman, first-time starters and players moved from defense.
Notre Dame feels prepared to win a game against a marquee opponent after a 4-8 season. The team’s demeanor and morale should propel them to the next level. However, doubt due to the losing season and an unproven defense still creeps around the gate of Notre Dame Stadium.
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Georgia starts (as stated above) a Freshman Quarterback. Despite the confidence of the Bulldog coaches and media around the country, this Freshman still makes his first start on the road in a primetime setting.
Making this pick was extremely difficult. Slap the Sign picked Georgia prior to the season. However, Notre Dame’s performance in the first game and Georgia’s Quarterback situation might change things. It’s time for the Notre Dame football program to make a statement.