RAPID REVIEW: Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 13

BOX SCORE

The mini-playoff showdown is set versus No. 1 Clemson next Saturday following No. 4 Notre Dame's (6-0) methodical 31-13 victory at Georgia Tech (2-5) The Tigers had a much tougher go of it, having to rally from a 28-10 deficit versus Boston College before prevailing 34-28.

The Fighting Irish defense asserted their dominance and pitched a shutout through three-and-a-half quarters (the first Georgia Tech score came on a fumble return by the defense) and limited the Yellow Jackets to 238 yards total offense while recording nine tackles for loss, five of them sacks.

Notre Dame's attack produced 227 yards rushing and 199 passing (426 total). Fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book completed 18 of 26 passes for all the yards, classmate Javon McKinley grabbed five passes for 93 yards, and sophomore running back Kyren Williams totaled 100 yards, 76 rushing and 24 receiving, scoring twice on short runs.

• In the game's first 19:13, Notre Dame possessed the ball 16:32, but led only 14-7 because of a fumble by Williams that was stripped by safety Juanyeh Thomas and then scooped up by cornerback Zamari Watson that he returned a school record 93 yards for a touchdown to help knot the score on the first play of the second quarter.

Overall, Notre Dame controlled the clock 20:33-9:27 in the first half while out-.gaining Tech 240-66 but still held only a 17-7 lead. One of the top teams nationally in time of possession average, the Irish finished at 36:54 to Georgia Tech's 23:06.

• Notre Dame built its advantage to 31-7 by scoring a touchdown on its first series of the second half and then early in the fourth quarter on short power runs by Williams and junior running back C'Bo Flemister, respectively.

• Georgia Tech's touchdown in the fourth quarter (the two-point conversion failed) with 7:15 left were the first points yielded by Notre Dame this year in the final 15-minute stanza.

On the third play of the second half and trailing only 17-7, Georgia Tech freshman quarterback Jeff Sims connected with wideout Jalen Camp for a 39-yard gain to the Irish 22-yard line. But after an offside penalty by the Yellow Jackets, on the next play fifth-year senior vyper end Daelin Hayes had a strip-sack of Sims, and senior defensive tackle Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa recovered the loose ball at his 35-yard line.

A 14-yard scramble by Book on third-and-3 and a 31-yard pass to McKinley set up Williams’ four-yard score with 10:43 remaining to extend the advantage to 24-7, which at that point became insurmountable for the Yellow Jackets.

Notre Dame continued its excellence in third-down efficiency, but specifically on offense today by finishing 10 of 15. It converted all four opportunities on the opening 81-yard drive that took 15 plays and milked 8:44 off the clock. It also converted a third-and-5 on the second touchdown drive and then two third-and-3 situations on the other two touchdown marches.

Hayes was a force off the edge from the outset, forcing two fumbles on his third-quarter quarterback sacks, one of which we list as The Turning Point (above), barely missed a couple of other sacks and held the point strongly against the run as well. He was second in tackles with five, four of them solo.

Sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton also had a strong game with a team high six stops (five solo), two for loss and a pass broken up.

This was Notre Dame’s 30th consecutive victory against an unranked team, breaking the school record 29 set from 1990-94 under head coach Lou Holtz. Only Alabama, which has not lost to an unranked team since 2007, has a longer current such streak with an NCAA record 94 (likely 95 after playing Mississippi State on Saturday night).

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