One bright spot for Georgia Tech in 2020 was the return of bruising junior Jordan Mason (6-1, 218) after he rushed for 899 yards in 2019 — with 85 percent of his yardage coming after contact. The enthusiasm was tempered when Mason played in only one of his team’s first five games because of injury and other undisclosed reasons. He returned last week in the 48-27 loss to Boston College to carry six times for 27 yards.

In Mason’s absence, prime recruit Jahmyr Gibbs (5-11, 200) became the top running back with 69 carries for 308 yards and two scores. However, his per-carry average dropped to 4.5 after finishing with only nine yards on eight attempts in last week’s loss to Boston College. Where he has been especially dangerous is as a receiver, snaring 15 passes for 206 yards and a team-high three touchdowns.

Gibbs was the No. 70-ranked recruit overall last year by Rivals, eight spots higher than Notre Dame’s Chris Tyree.

Speaking of freshmen, fellow four-star recruit and dual-threat quarterback Jeff Sims is Georgia Tech’s second-leading rusher with 275 yards at 4.0 yards per tote. Sophomore backup running back Dontae Smith has averaged 6.9 yards per carry on his 28 tries, helping Tech rank a solid 39th in rushing offense (among 101 teams) with 180.7 yards per game.

Notre Dame’s run defense has quietly become one of the best in the land with its combination of a strong rotation along the front seven with excellent star power from its two All-America candidates — sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton and senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who are one-two in stops with 22 and 21, respectively, with the latter's six for lost yardage pacing the team. The 94.8 yards allowed per game by the 5-0 Irish ranks 13th nationally — although head coach Brian Kelly himself indirectly acknowledged that perhaps the level of competition was not the highest (the first five Irish opponents are a combined 9-22).

Advantage: Notre Dame