Article Jackets Fall in South Bend

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SOUTH BEND, IN – When looking for an assessment of Saturday’s performance in South Bend, one did not need to finesse an answer from Georgia Tech players and coaches following the game. Patrick Skov’s version was unsurprisingly blunt, “We didn’t execute. We had a great opportunity today to put some good things on film and we did the opposite. We put a lot of bad things on film.”

Skov’s summary was a seal on an offensive performance that many would just as soon file away and forget. Georgia Tech’s “prolific offense”, as oft repeated by Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly, was stymied by a stout Irish defense throughout the game. The end result was a 30-22 Irish victory.

The Yellow Jackets’ offense, which had not tasted a single three-and-out in its first two games, was forced to punt after three plays on its first two drives of the game. “I thought right from the start we kind of got rattled a little bit,” said Head Coach Paul Johnson. “When it wasn’t going good at first, we didn’t respond very well… I think you have to give Notre Dame some credit. They had something to do with that.”

The Irish defense certainly played a role, consistently skirting blocks on the interior and the edge, turning it into pressure on quarterback Justin Thomas in Georgia Tech’s backfield. The Yellow Jackets entered the game converting 67% of its 3rd down attempts, albeit against admittedly lesser competition. On Saturday at Notre Dame the Jackets did not convert its first until 12:25 in the 4th quarter, failing on their first nine 3rd down attempts.

“In the first half, we got third and two, and we go the wrong way,” said Johnson. “[The offense] was like popcorn. One guy you’d get fixed, then the other guy would mess up. Against good players, you can’t have missed assignments.” The Yellow Jackets finished just 3 of 15 on third down for the game.

Defensively the Jackets faced a similar challenge of experience and athleticism on the other side of the ball. The results were mixed. On one hand Georgia Tech allowed 457 yards for the game, with 215 coming on the ground and 242 thru the air. Those are certainly not numbers that coaches will tout as a success.

On the other hand 173 of those yards came on three plays. New Notre Dame starting quarterback DeShone Kizer found comfort by way of the jump ball on two 3rd and long attempts in the first half, the first a 46-yard touchdown strike on 3rd and 20 and the second for 36 yards on 3rd and 7, both to All-American wide receiver Will Fuller. Backed deep in their own territory in the 4th quarter Irish running back C.J. Prosise found a seam and sprinted 91 yards for Notre Dame’s final touchdown.

While big plays should not be ignored and might be the result of a calculated risk-reward style of defense, it is easy to wonder if preventing those three alone would have improved the overall feel and outcome for the Jackets. Not to be dismissed in the vein of momentum-changing plays is Special Teams, where the Jackets struggled. A pair of missed field goal attempts hurt and two shanked punts failed to flip the field.

“It was disappointing the way we played,” said head coach Paul Johnson. “[We have to] go back, try to correct it, move on, and get ready for conference play.”

The season is still young and many, if not all, of Georgia Tech’s goals remain on the table. If Saturday’s contest against Notre Dame was a measuring stick for the Yellow Jackets stand, the conclusion from the game is that Notre Dame is better. As of today.

Is Notre Dame a top 10 team? Their resume is as good as any. “Nobody’s beat them,” said Johnson. Has Georgia Tech passed its tests against inferior competition? In flying colors, as they should. There is a lot of ground between the two ends of the spectrum.

Assuming Tech can avoid debilitating injuries there is still reason for optimism on The Flats. Next up is a trip Duke. It’s an opportunity for the Jackets to bounce back from Saturday’s loss and avenge last year’s upset at Bobby Dodd Stadium at the hands of the Blue Devils. It’s also another opportunity to see what the 2015 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are made of.

Other News and Notes
  • Georgia Tech fell to 0-11-1 against Notre Dame when the Irish are ranked in the AP top 10
  • Notre Dame became the first team to hold Georgia Tech in the red zone this year with a first quarter missed field goal. The Yellow Jackets were 12-for-12 with 12 TDs in the red zone going into Saturday.
  • D.J. White's interception with 6:56 to play in the second quarter was the first turnover of the year forced against Notre Dame
 
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