Notre Dame Football: Why Notre Dame has a chance at beating Georgia
By Ben Belden
Without a doubt, Notre Dame football’s biggest test in the early part of the season will take place when they travel to Athens in September to face Georgia.
Recently, it has been suggested that the early-season matchup of Notre Dame football and the Georgia Bulldogs might be a little bit of a letdown because the Bulldogs might just blow out the Irish on September 21st.
Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Notre Dame absolutely won’t get blown out, nor will I tell you that I necessarily think they’re going to win. What I will tell you is that in here in May, it’s pretty impossible to accurately gauge where both teams are over 4 months until they meet between the hedges.
Historically, Notre Dame hasn’t played well when traveling south to play top competition. The Irish have that working against them.
Another thing that the Irish have working against them (as the above article points out) is that the interior of the Irish defense is mostly gone from last season. Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and linebackers Te’Von Coney and Drue Traquill leave the Irish vulnerable up the middle against a well-renowned Georgia rushing attack.
In short, it’s not irrational to say that the Irish will have their hands full, especially when Georgia has the ball.
But on the other side of the coin, the Irish have certainly taken steps forward as a team on offense, especially compared to the last time the two schools met in 2017, when Georgia beat Notre Dame 20-19 in South Bend.
The Irish will be better at quarterback. That much is a given. The other position groups–offensive line, wide receiver, and running back–are debatable. To sum it up, the Irish will have a veteran offense and a quarterback that throws the ball very well.
Both teams are better than they were in 2017. How much better is up for debate. Georgia likely will be favored. That’s fine. No one knows exactly what will happen 4 months from now, but that’s just the point.