Notre Dame Football Grades: Defense vs. Georgia

The Notre Dame defense rose to the challenge on Saturday night against Georgia. Continued improvement from this group might make the Notre Dame football team a New Year’s Six Bowl contender.

What a difference a year makes. The Notre Dame defense faced Michigan State, a physical power running football team, in 2016. The VanGorder-led defense allowed 260 yards to the Spartans. Nearly a year later, the Irish defense battled the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs only gained 185 yards.

The unit still needs to improve in many areas. However, they have come far already.

Here are the grades for the Notre Dame defense against Georgia:

Notre Dame’s Defensive Line played extremely well against Georgia. The leader of the unit was Senior Defensive Linemen Jay Hayes. He tallied 7 total tackles. Hayes made several impactful plays that allowed the defense to stop the Bulldogs and get the play back to offense. Thus far, his performance resembles Kapron Lewis-Moore during the 2012 season. He uses his strength and technique to overpower his opponents.

The other Hayes (no relation) also made a significant impact. His athleticism effects the offense frequently. He causes the ball carrier to bounce outside or cut inside. The Sophomore Defensive End quickly dove on the ball after Georgia Quarterback Jake Fromm and Running Back Nick Chubb.

In addition to the Hayes’,  Jerry Tillery, Andrew Trumbetti and Jonathan Bonner played well. Myron Tagovailosa-Amosa was over powered, which opened a huge hole for Chubb. On occasion the Defensive Ends came down hill too quickly and allowed for cutbacks. But, overall, it was a fantastic performance.

With the Defensive Line playing effectively, the Linebackers roamed around with greater ease. Morgan, Coney, Martini and Tranquill all played well.

Nyles Morgan, the emotional leader of the defense, tallied 7 tackles, 1 sack and 1.5 TFLs. Along with the other Inside Linebackers, Coney and Martini, Morgan played well enough for Notre Dame to win. On occasion, the Linebackers missed run fits.

Tranquill demonstrated his exceptional playmaking ability against Georgia. He tallied 5 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 INT and 1 Quarterback hurry. The Senior Irish Rover could not have played the interception any better. He felt the route by the Tight End and cut under to make the play.

The weakest part of the Notre Dame football team is the Safeties. However, the group of Jalen Elliott, Nick Coleman and Devin Studstill performed well. Coleman played the best game of his career. Coleman actively helped in the run game.

Elliott performed effectively as the Safety that rolled down into the box to help stop the run. However, Elliott (and the other Safeties) missed some of their run fits. Elliott missed a run fit and attempted to fill a gap that two Defensive Linemen were in. This mistake turned Chubb lose.

The Cornerbacks found themselves in position frequently. However, they failed to make plays on the ball. These allowed Georgia to score as well as move the ball down the field.

Overall, the defense played well enough for Notre Dame to win the football game. However, they did not play well enough to win the game for the Fighting Irish. The offense needed to uphold their end of the bargain. If the Irish made more plays in the backfield and on the ball in the air, they might have held Georgia to only 10 points.