Notre Dame Blows Out Georgia Tech, Sends Seniors Out in Style
Notre Dame put together a near perfect game on Saturday vs Georgia Tech and sent the Seniors out in style. It was an all-around flawless game from a Notre Dame team that was full of flaws at the start of the season. The best part of Saturday was sending out the Seniors with another win at Notre Dame Stadium. Looking at the final score of 55 to ZERO, you would think that there would be some record-setting individual performances; however, that was not the case on Saturday. Everyone from the starters to walk-ons got in on the action and produced. It was one of the more memorable Notre Dame games I have watched.
The opening kickoff set the tone of the game, where you could tell that Notre Dame might get to pick its score with Georgia Tech. Chris Tyree took the opening kickoff 50 yards to give the Irish outstanding field position. The drive did stall and Notre Dame would end up kicking a field goal, but the Irish wasted little time after getting into the end zone. On the next position, is was the Fighting Irish defense that got the touchdowns started. Jack Kiser took an interception to the house only 5 possessions into Georgia Tech’s first offensive position. That would be Kiser’s second pick-six of the season for those keeping track at home. Notre Dame was up 24-0 at the end of the first quarter. Kyren Williams got the offense into the end zone and then Jack Coan found a wide open Michael Mayer for a 52 yard touchdown. This is a power 5 team (Georgia Tech is better than Toledo), a team that took the Irish to the brink, and Notre Dame had their way with the Yellow Jackets on Saturday.
Player of the Game: Jack Coan 15/20 285 yards, 2 touchdowns (sat most of the 2nd half)
In the second quarter the Irish put up 21 more points and it was the running backs having all the fun. We saw two touchdowns from the freshman running back Logan Diggs, one on the ground and one receiving. Diggs has produced whenever he has gotten a shot. It is nice to know that the Irish shouldn’t miss a beat if Williams goes pro next season. Williams also got in on the action, adding two to his touchdown total of the day. Notre Dame entered halftime with a lead of 45 to 0. Notre Dame would bench almost all of the starters for most of the second half, giving the controls to Tyler Buchner at QB to run show. Even in cruise control, Notre Dame still added to the lead in the second half.
The highlight of the game came towards the end of the 3rd quarter when it looked like Georgia Tech would end the shut out, but the Irish defense had other plans. Isaiah Foskey applied heavy pressure to Tech QB Jordan Yates and knocked the football out. There to pick up the lose ball was senior captain Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa. The captain raced 70 yards for the scoop and score to put the Irish up 55-0. Myron has been a big voice on this Notre Dame defense all season, and that scoop and score could not have happened to a better guy on this team. It was awesome to see.
The shut out on Saturday marked the third game where the Notre Dame defense has not let up a touchdown. The two touchdowns that they scored on Saturday were more points than they have given up in all of November. This unit is playing lights-out at the perfect time, and that’s without Kyle Hamilton. Then there is the offense, who has gone from liability at the start of the season to darn near unstoppable when it matters most in November. The transformation this Notre Dame team has made from the start of the season to where they are now is been a blast to see. They’re also doing it while losing a ton of talent to injury. Young guys have stepped up and shown how deep this team is. Notre Dame has one more match up to end the regular season on a high note when they travel this Saturday. If they get the win, it is very possible we could see the Irish back in the playoffs. The fact the Irish are in the talks of the playoffs this late in the season is wild to think about, considering how this team looked three weeks into the year. This season has been a wild ride that’s far from over!