RECAP: No. 12 Notre Dame Bottles up Georgia Tech's Offense, Defeats the Yellow Jackets 31-13

Georgia Tech lost to No. 12 Notre Dame 31-13 today and now they are 5-3 heading into a matchup with Virginia Tech

Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Atlanta, GA- It was a tough day for Georgia Tech, especially on special teams and offense, and the short-handed Yellow Jackets could not beat the short-handed No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Georgia Tech came into the day missing starting quarterback Haynes King and starting linebacker Kyle Efford and while they did miss them, that was not the main reason they lost.

The running game could not get going at any point today for the Yellow Jackets and the special teams play just keeps getting worse. In today's game alone, Georgia Tech had a blocked field goal, a mishandled snap on another field goal, and they allowed Notre Dame to execute a fake field goal and fake punt. The miscues on special teams are getting embarrassing for Brent Key's team and they have to find a way to get them fixed or they are going to have a hard time finding that sixth win to get bowl eligibility.

Zach Pyron got the start today and it was an up-and-down game for him. He did not have any help from the No. 1 rushing offense in the ACC, but he also made some mistakes in this game and he does not have the same effectiveness as Haynes King does in the ground game.

Speaking of the Georgia Tech run game, it was dismal today. In every loss prior to this (Syracuse and Louisville), Georgia Tech has not been able to get things going on the ground. Jamal Haynes was playing his best football coming into the game, but give Notre Dame a lot of credit for not letting him get going. He finished with eight carries for 15 yards. Chad Alexander had five carries for 19 carries and Pyron finished with 13 carries for 45 yards. He threw for 269 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, one of which ended up being a pick-six.

The offense scored on their second drive and on their last drive. Everything in between was pretty ugly and that was not out of the realm of possibility considering the caliber of defense they were playing. Notre Dame limited Georgia Tech to 333 yards and five yards per play. They got two sacks against Georgia Tech today and four tackles for loss. They did a good job of bottling up the offense today, especially after Georgia Tech took an early lead.

The Georgia Tech defense played well at times, giving up only 24 points in the game. Notre Dame gained 385 yards on 69 plays, averaging 5.6 yards per play. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard finished 20-29 for 203 yards and also rushing for 51 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Georgia Tech was facing one of the nation's best running games and they did not play poorly. The Fighting Irish ran for 168 yards on 39 carries and averaged just 4.3 yards per carry. If you came into the day, that would probably have been an acceptable number for the Yellow Jackets defense considering the opponent. However, there were several missed tackles, particulalry at the second level. The defense did get six tackles for loss in the game.

Overall, a lack of running game did not help Pyron today vs a very good Notre Dame defense, and special teams miscues doomed Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets now fall to 5-3 and they will go on the road to face a 4-3 Virginia Tech team that is still hoping to make the ACC Championship Game.

Let's recap today's game from Mercedes Benz Stadium.

After winning the toss, Georgia Tech deferred and we were going to see the Yellow Jackets defense first.

It was a great start for Georgia Tech on that side of the ball. They were able to force Notre Dame into a three and out and Pyron came onto the field to lead the offense for the first time.

Pyron was able to pick up one first down courtesy of a throw to Jackson Hawes, but that was it for the drive. They picked up one first down, but had to punt the ball back to the Fighting Irish.

Georgia Tech has not been a good team at forcing turnovers this season, but they got one on Notre Dame's second possession. Leonard took a deep shot and overthrew his receiver and cornerback Warren Burrell came up with a huge interception to give the ball back to Georgia Tech.

𝗢𝗡𝗘-𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡 🔁 @_WB04

📺 @espn pic.twitter.com/YWSGunzMd1

— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) October 19, 2024

The next drive was where Georgia Tech found a way to get on the board. Pyron found Rutherford for a big 16-yard catch and then when faced with a 4th down, he found his other main target, Eric Singleton, who gave the Yellow Jackets a fresh set of downs. It was a perfect drive for what Georgia Tech likes to do. They consumed time, ran the ball well, and Pyron was dealing early on. It was a 13-play, 71-yard drive that took over seven minutes. Jamal Haynes punched it in from a yard out and it was the Yellow Jackets on the board first 7-0.

After two poor drives to start the game, Notre Dame's offense found its rhythm. It was their turn to go on a time consuming drive and they returned the favor. It was a 14-play, 75 yard drive for the Fighting Irish that ended with Leonard sneaking it in on 3rd and goal. The Yellow Jackets were not letting Notre Dame pop big runs, but they were getting just enough to keep the chains moving. Leonard looked much more comfortable in the offense. It was 7-7 after the two teams exchanged long drives.

After such a long drive from Notre Dame, the last thing you want to do as an offense was having a quick three and out, but that is what Georgia Tech did. They gave the ball back to the Fighting Irish, who were looking for their first lead of the game.

Their first scoring drive was a methodical drive that saw them move the ball down the field a little at at time, but the next one was quicker. Thanks to some bad tackling from Georgia Tech, Notre Dame went 68-yards in five plays, with Leonard running in his second touchdown of the first half from 12-yards out to give Notre Dame a 14-7 lead. Suddenly, the pressure was on Georgia Tech to produce a drive on offense.

While they were trailing, Georgia Tech still had the ball with a chance to tie and they were getting the ball to start the second half. It was a big opportunity for them.

After picking up a couple of first downs, Pyron found Avery Boyd for 25-yards and they were in Notre Dame territory. After spiking the ball, he found Singleton Jr for a first down and then he stopped the clock again. Pyron's next two passes were incomplete and it was time to try a 40-yard field goal. Special teams mistakes have been a problem for Georgia Tech this season and it hurt them in the first half. David Shanahan had trouble with the snap and Notre Dame got a turnover. That was the end of the first half and the Fighting Irish led 14-7.

Georgia Tech had the ACC"s top rushing attack and one of the best in the country coming into the game, but Notre Dame completely shut down the running game, holding GT to 32 yards on 18 carries.

The Yellow Jackets offense got the ball to start the second half and it did not go well. It was a three and out for the offense and Notre Dame quickly got the ball back.

The Fighting Irish picked up right where they left off in the first half. It was another quick scoring drive this time for Notre Dame and Jeremiyah Love punched it in to make it 21-7. It felt like it might be game over for Georgia Tech, but they kept fighting.

Georgia Tech got the ball back and facing a third down, Pyron found Singleton for the first first down of the second half. However, back-to-back false starts pushed the drive back and they had to punt.

The defense looked gassed on the previous possession, but they found a way to come up with a stop and force Notre Dame to punt.

Georgia Tech had a huge play to start the next drive and it came from an unlikely source. Wide receiver Abdul Janneh caught a 60-yard pass to get into Notre Dame territory and it was the biggest play of the year for him.

Georgia Tech could not do anything with the field position though and Notre Dame forced a field goal and given how awful that operation has been for GT this year, that is a good thing for the opposing team. For the second time in the same game, Geogia Tech had a special teams miscue, this time a blocked field goal dn the score remained 21-7. That would not be the last special teams bad play to happen today though.

After the blocked field goal, Georgia Tech's defense had their backs against the wall and needed to get another stop. After some successful plays for the Fighting Irish, they were faced with a fourth down and Georgia Tech stopped Leonard from picking it up with his legs. They were still in the game (barely) and the defense was keeping them in it at this point.

The offense could not do anything with the momentum though. Jamal Haynes dropped a pass on first down to start the drive and then Pyron made his first really bad mistake of the day when he threw an interception to Notre Dame's best defensive player, safety Xavier Watts.

After the interception, it looked like Georgia Tech's defense got off the field again, but here is where the next negative special teams play happened. Notre Dame ran a fake punt and was able to pick up the first down and get the offense in good field position. Georgia Tech's defense held them to a field goal, but Notre Dame led 24-7 with 10 minutes left. The lead felt insurmountable and it was.

Notre Dame would go on to score due to a Zach Pyron pick six to go up 31-7, but Pyron was able to lead one more drive and he found Chase Lane in the end zone for a touchdown. The Yellow Jackets went for two, but did not get it. Georgia Tech tried to onside kick it to get the ball back, but it was unsuccessful and Notre Dame knelt the ball out and won the game. The Fighting Irish move to 6-1 this season and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Georgia Tech drops to 5-3 and will go on the road now to face Virginia Tech next Saturday at Noon.