4. Can DeShone Kizer lead Notre Dame (No. 8) over Georgia Tech (No. 14)?
Notre Dame’s offense has taken a few knockout blows already this year. First, starting running back Tarean Folston was lost for the season in Week 1. Then starting quarterback Malik Zaire was lost for the season in Week 2, and then on Tuesday word came out of South Bend that starting tight end Durham Smythe will not play again in 2015 after he underwent surgery to repair a torn MCL.
These devastating losses means the Irish will now rely heavily on Kizer, a sophomore quarterback who has never started at this level of competition before.
Talk about pressure.
Thankfully for Notre Dame, if Kizer’s heroics in Week 2 are any indication, he is immune to pressure. With the game on the line against Virginia last Saturday, Kizer threw a perfect strike to receiver Will Fuller with just nine seconds remaining in regulation to win the game with a 40-yard touchdown.
The Fighting Irish, and Kizer, have a big test on the schedule at home against Georgia Tech this Saturday. The Yellow Jackets feature the nation’s top-ranked rushing offense and No. 2-ranked scoring offense, and there is a chance Notre Dame could be in serious trouble trying to shut down the relentless flood of talented running backs Georgia Tech rotates on a regular basis.
Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson hopes his team is up for the challenge of taking down the Irish in South Bend. He also realizes this game could be somewhat of a trap for his program, given the positive media attention to this point.
”Certainly, it’s a huge step up in competition,” Johnson said, per the Associated Press. ”It’s really a tough place to play. They have a great home-field advantage, a lot of tradition, and some really good football players. … Sometimes, when everybody is telling you you’re all this and the cat’s meow, that’s a trap and you better not fall into it.”
This is the first really big game on the Week 3 schedule, and fans should be in for a treat. It can be viewed nationally on NBC starting at 3:30 p.m. ET.