For the Irish to have a chance, they must stop Dawgs running back, Nick Chubb.
photo by UGAA
This past Saturday night, the Dawgs experienced an extremely emotional game against a Sun Belt opponent. Appalachian State is most well-known for an upset victory against Michigan that happened almost exactly a decade ago.
The Dawgs took care of business against Appy State. They moved to 1-0 with a 31-10 victory in a game that never seemed to be in doubt. Georgia's defense was an obvious mismatch for the Mountaineer offensive line. Really no big surprise there. The offense was where the true surprises and the play of the week came from.
When Notre Dame Football Head Coach Brian Kelly met with the media to discuss the game against Georgia, he praised Georgia running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Kelly said of the two Running Backs, “You are going to see two guys that will be NFL players and have great careers.” If Notre Dame wins or losses hangs upon whether or not Notre Dame stops the two-headed monster in the backfield.
The Notre Dame Head Coach did not hesitate to praise Georgia Freshman Quarterback Jacob Fromm. Kelly said, “They are in very capable hands (with Fromm).” Fromm makes his first start against Notre Dame under the lights on Saturday.
Keys for Georgia
To win this game up in South Bend, the Bulldogs have to have to do three things: limit turnovers, pound the rock and stuff the run. Turnovers are largely random and with a freshman quarterback, you never know. NBC kicking off at 6:30.
However, Georgia has the players in the front-seven and in the running back corps to battle Notre Dame at the line of scrimmage. Georgia’s offensive line is better this season, but the program is coming off one of the worst up front in recent memory. Being able to keep Fromm upright will be huge in Georgia’s on-field success.
Though he can pass with precision, Fromm and Smart will want to use its star senior running backs, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to lessen the pressure on the first-time starting quarterback. This game up in South Bend is a big reason that those two players decided to come back to Athens for their senior seasons. They didn’t like how the season ended and have some unfinished business to take care of.
Where Georgia can really win this game is with its all-around great defense. The front-seven has matured and plays with a great combination of discipline and aggressiveness. Since Coach Smart and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker are defensive backs coaches by trade, Georgia should be well-coached in the secondary as well.
Georgia has more talented players than Notre Dame, but it’s all about in-game execution.
Dawgs safety Dominick Sanders was asked by reporters earlier this week about the history of the Notre Dame program and what it meant to him growing up. But Sanders doesn’t care about the gold domes, Rudy or the “Four Horsemen”.
“But you know, my main thing is coming out and punishing them from the start. I really don’t care about what they’ve got going on.”
Nor does he care about their 13 national titles, 876 wins or seven Heisman winners. The only thing on his mind that pertains to Notre Dame is this Saturday’s game, and what him and his teammates are going to accomplish.
“I just care about my guys doing what we’ve gotta do: Punishing them from the start,” he said. “Just my main thing is, let’s put them pads on and let’s go to work."