Five thoughts: Notre Dame dusts Georgia Tech on Senior Day, 55-0
The opening-drive field goal was all Notre Dame ended up needing.
The Irish were far from finished after kicking it, though.
No. 8 Notre Dame (10-1) blew out Georgia Tech 55-0 Saturday in its final home game of 2021. The victory marked the fifth straight season with at least 10 straight wins. Notre Dame also extended its win streak against unranked teams to 41 games. It beat an ACC team in the regular season for the 24th straight time.
Here are some initial thoughts and observations from the game.
1. No-doubter
The demands on messages boards and on Twitter were deafening after Notre Dame’s 28-3 win over Virginia and all week leading into this game.
Notre Dame fans wanted style points. Head coach Brian Kelly heard the cries.
The Irish delivered them. They did their best Ohio State impression in disposing of the Yellow Jackets. They averaged 10.1 yards per play in the first half, scored touchdowns on their final five drives before the break and hung 45 points in the opening half for the first time since 2017 against Miami Ohio. They had as many first-half touchdowns (six) as Georgia Tech’s offense had first downs.
A home game against a now 3-8 team wasn’t going to add anything to Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff résumé, but on a day where several other top 10 teams pasted inferior opponents (and Ohio State walloped top-10 Michigan State), the Irish impressed in similar fashion. It’s not that last week’s 28-3 win over Virginia wasn’t convincing, but there’s something to be said for undressing an opponent late in the year and leaving as strong a final impression as possible.
2. Coan and Rees in rhythm
This was quarterback Jack Coan and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ most cohesive performance of the year, and by a wide margin. Aside from a red-zone backtrack on the first possession, Notre Dame’s starting offense breezed through Georgia Tech’s overmatched defense until Coan came out early in the third quarter.
Rees delivered another creative game plan, with a frequent supply of RPOs (run-pass options), a few screens and some well-timed downfield shot plays. He called two end arounds that resulted in first downs, including an eight-yarder from senior receiver Kevin Austin Jr. on third-and-one. It was an impressive mix of explosive and efficient. Notre Dame had five straight touchdown drives of at least 60 yards. None was longer than seven plays.
Coan completed 15 of 20passes for 285 yards with two touchdowns. He had one more incompletion in the first half (three) than touchdown passes (two).
The final scoring drive he led was arguably his best. He lofted a 51-yard pass to Austin on a slot fade route to begin it. He hit sophomore tight end Michael Mayer for 18 yards two plays later, unloading an accurate throw as he was hit. He extended the next play by rolling to his right and finding senior tight end George Takacs for 19 yards.
3. More pressure
If Notre Dame’s goal was to overwhelm Georgia Tech No. 2 quarterback Jordan Yates, consider it accomplished. Yates, starting for the injured Jeff Sims, rarely had a clean pocket. Notre Dame sacked him six times and flustered him on numerous other throws.
Junior defensive end Isaiah Foskey became an unwelcome acquaintance. Foskey blew past tight end Dylan Leonard in a one-on-one and hurried Yates on Georgia Tech’s second drive, forcing a throwaway that landed in junior rover Jack Kiser’s arms. Kiser ran it 43 yards for a touchdown. Foskey also forced the fumble that graduate student defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and returned 70 yards for a touchdown.
Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman sent frequent pressure at Yates. Linebackers were disruptive when they blitzed up the middle, particularly junior JD Bertrand and senior Bo Bauer. Corner and secondary blitzers were effective, including one where senior TaRiq Bracy came unblocked and forced a rushed throw. Notre Dame had nine quarterback hurries and 10 tackles for loss.
Notre Dame now has 38 sacks this year, surpassing the Kelly-era high of 34 set in 2018 and matched in 2019. It’s three sacks high of the team record (41) set in 1996.
4. Containing Gibbs
Georgia Tech sophomore running back Jahmyr Gibbs came into the game ranked third nationally in all-purpose yards, with 1,680. He was averaging 168.0 yards per game.
Notre Dame held him to 122. He rushed 12 times for 58 yards. His longest gain, a 17-yarder, came in garbage time. He’s also dynamic receiver, but did not catch a pass Saturday. He returned two kicks for 64 yards.
The defense did its job containing him, but the offense gets credit for an assist. Building a massive early lead made a run-heavy plan with a lot of Gibbs touches an impractical idea for Georgia Tech.
5. Audric Estime
Those who watched the game in its entirety saw freshman running back Audric Estime’s first extended action. He has played on kick return teams since Week 2 and logged two snaps as a blocker on the goal line, but earned his first carry in the fourth quarter. He took it 21 yards. He attempted a hurdle later in the drive. He ended with 61 yards on six carries.
Estime impressed in fall camp, but has operated behind the scenes since then while fellow freshman running back Logan Diggs has found himself as a weekly presence in the offense. At 5-11 and 228 pounds, he’s a load to bring down. Notre Dame saw that in August. Georgia Tech defenders learned it Saturday.
With the game no longer in doubt, a few more freshmen saw action in the fourth quarter. Guard Rocco Spindler played his first offensive snaps. Vyper Will Schweitzer and linebacker Prince Kollie played for much of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tyler Buchner played all but one drive of the second half.
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