Notre Dame Football: Five Problematic Georgia Players

Notre Dame faces its toughest test of the year against a talented Georgia team.

Coming off yet another win, Notre Dame is heading into completely different territory, both from a talent and location standpoint. The trip to Athens, Georgia is the first regular season visit to SEC country since 2004.

This probably isn’t breaking news, but Georgia is way better than New Mexico. Much more experience, a better coaching staff, and superior athletes all over the field.

Georgia has won 27 of its last 32 games, including an SEC Championship and a Playoff appearance. Twice they’ve had Alabama on the ropes, but have failed to close it out. Even with those defeats, it’s clear that Kirby Smart and his players know how to win.

The odds of the Irish stopping Georgia are slim, but if they can at least slow these five Bulldogs down, the chances of a Notre Dame victory drastically increase.

Jake Fromm, QB

Things have come somewhat full circle for Fromm in this game. When Notre Dame last faced Georgia, that game served as Fromm’s first start. He replaced a Heisman contender as a true freshman and Georgia hasn’t looked back. As mentioned earlier, the 27-5 record, SEC Title and Playoff appearance have all happened under Fromm’s watch.

Fromm has been real good this year, completing 75 percent of his passes and tossing five touchdowns without a pick. Over his career, he’s thrown for almost 6,000 yards with 59 touchdowns to just 13 picks. Fromm’s style of play has been compared to Drew Brees — not the strongest arm, but great decision making. He’ll likely be a first round pick in the NFL Draft, and you can bet there will be plenty of scouts in Athens on Saturday.

D’Andre Swift, RB

Another big playmaker on the Bulldogs offense, Swift’s speed, strength and ability to turn nothing into something is second to none in college football. He’s yet another potential first round pick —  the latest in a line of great Bulldog running backs that includes Todd Gurley, Sony Michel and Nick Chubb.

Swift has 290 yards on the ground this season, good for 25th in the nation. While that may seem low, he’s in a backfield in which five total players have over 100 yards this year. Swift has also shown the ability to catch the ball, as he has 52 catches for 523 yards over his career. Only three of those catches have come this year, but he’s averaging over 24 yards per reception.

James Cook, RB

Cook may be the most under-the-radar player on the team. He isn’t even listed on the Georgia two deep, but that doesn’t mean he won’t play a good part in the game.

He only has 8 carries on the season, but Cook is one of the five backs that are over 100 yards. He’s got as many touchdowns as Swift, and also leads running backs in receptions with six. Overall, his 160 yards from scrimmage are second among running backs. He might not be among the elite like Swift, but Notre Dame better watch out for Cook.

Tyler Clark, DT

At 6’4″, 300 pounds, Clark’s coming out party was on the biggest stage of all: the Rose Bowl — in a College Football Playoff game against Oklahoma. Two big tackles for loss and a sack of Baker Mayfield was the first impression Clark made on the nation.

Clark has 10 tackles so far this year, including 1.5 sacks, both coming last week against Arkansas State. Through his career, he has 103 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Clark figures to go up against Tommy Kraemer in what will be an extremely physical matchup of two 300+ pound guys.

JR Reed, S

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a potential first round pick. That, along with plenty of big game experience is what Reed brings to the Georgia defense. He has 11 tackles this year along with a fumble recovery and touchdown against Murray State.

Murray State isn’t Notre Dame, but Reed is also no stranger to the big game. Reed has faced Notre Dame before and he had a nine tackle effort. His best game came in 2017 against Mississippi State, where he had 10 tackles and three passes defended. Ian Book will have to pay close attention to Reed when he throws on the right side of the field.

Bonus: Rodrigo Blankenship, K

It’s hard to stop a kicker, but Blankenship is one of the most important Bulldogs on the team. He’s also one of the best kickers in the country. The Notre Dame special teams unit is going to have to work hard to try to block at least one field goal attempt.