Georgia Tech Football: Jamal Haynes and Luke Harpring Preview Matchup Against Notre Dame's Defense

Haynes and the Georgia Tech ground game have. been playing better each and every week, but will face a stiff test against the Fighting Irish

Sep 7, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) scores a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange in the fourth quarter at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech is going to take on Notre Dame this Saturday at Mercedes Benz Stadium and the Fighting Irish are going to have one of the best defenses, maybe the best defense, that Georgia Tech will see this year. Notre Dame is 11th in the country in total defense and 8th in scoring defense, but Georgia Tech has one of the nation's most explosive offenses, especially in the run game.

Spearheading the Georgia Tech ground attack is running back Jamal Haynes. Haynes has 536 yards and seven touchdowns this season, including 170 yards last week against North Carolina and he will be a big part of Georgia Tech's plan this week to try and upset the Fighting Irish.

Going into this game, Haynes knows that Notre Dame is going to present a lot of challenges for Georgia Tech:

"They are just a great effort defense and they are coached really well. You are talking about guys that play sideline-to-sideline, very aggressive, definetly in the box, a lot of man on the outside, mixed in with a little bit of cover three so a really good defense."

With some guys banged up at the position, true freshman Luke Harpring has gotten playing time and made some plays against North Carolina last week. Harpring talked today about Notre Dame's tough defense and what it will take to have success against them on Saturday:

"I feel like we can attack them though. I feel like they have some guys that we can attack as far as matchups. We know, kinda their overall scheme and what we are expecting so we can mold our game plan around that so I think it should be a great game."

Not only do Georgia Tech players have respect for the Fighting Irish on defense, but head coach Brent Key does as well:

"They've got good players and a good scheme. They're not an ultra-complicated scheme. They have enough compliments within their scheme to where it looks the same then they'll blitz out of or send pressure out of it, tweaks in the coverage. But at the end of the day, they're going to line up, play four down, and then they're going to play man coverage and challenge you at the receiver's spot, make you throw on time, try to limit the run game with the extra hat in the box. And they got good players doing it. So obviously, you know, the head coach is a defensive coach, but they have one of the better defense coordinators in the country, and Al Golden, you know, calling the defense. And, you know, I don't know him personally, But people I'm very close to that I respect a lot and know played for him and know what type of coach he is. And you see the tenacity and the defense and then take on that personality as well."

Georgia Tech has the talent to have success on offense this Saturday, but Notre Dame's defense is going to make life tough at times on the Yellow Jackets.