6. Notre Dame showed off a championship-caliber defense against Georgia Tech
Don’t let the final score of 30-22 or Georgia Tech’s (No. 14) rushing total of 216 yards fool you — Notre Dame (No. 8) once again displayed championship-caliber defense on Saturday.
The scoreboard read 30-7 until the 00:48 mark in the fourth quarter. A garbage-time touchdown and successful onside kick that led to another garbage-time touchdown made the game seem much closer than it actually was.
Heading into the contest, the Yellow Jackets had averaged 457.5 rushing yards per game and had scored 15 rushing touchdowns. With just 216 yards allowed and one touchdown, the Fighting Irish held the Georgia Tech powerhouse running game masterfully in check.
On the other side of the ball, sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer looked like a worthy replacement to Malik Zaire, who was lost for the season last weekend. Notre Dame’s offense was sound, and Kizer once again displayed prowess throwing the deep ball to up-and-coming Heisman candidate Will Fuller.
That said, it’s going to be Jaylon Smith and Notre Dame’s defense leading the way as this program attempts to squeeze its way into the four-team playoff.