There was a rather, uh, stark difference in the quotes coming out of South Bend and Athens on Saturday afternoon, as both Notre Dame and Georgia finished their “preseason” and could now talk openly about their coming clash.
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book: “We’ve been talking about this game for a while. We’ve been looking forward to it. It’s time.”
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Typical Georgia player in postgame scrum: “First let’s enjoy this great 55-0 win against Arkansas State, analyze the film and then perhaps at a later date we can discuss next week’s opponent.”
Yes, I’m making that quote up, but the composite is pretty close. D’Andre Swift called Notre Dame “the next game. It just so happens to be a big one.” Jake Fromm granted that “you know it’s going to be one of the biggest games ever, but you just don’t think of it that way, you just come in and go to work.” There was very little desire by anybody to turn this into the biggest game ever, a term Fromm used almost ironically. The Process is strong with this one. Every game is the biggest game ever.
But this is a big game. So rather than spend the entirety of this second glance breaking down what Georgia did so right against Arkansas State, let’s treat it as a lookahead. I also scanned the Notre Dame-Louisville game (because the New Mexico game isn’t as worth it), studied up more on the Fighting Irish, and yes, I re-watched Georgia’s dismantling of Arkansas State.
Here we go:
Georgia’s defense and its matchup with the Notre Dame offense
First the takeaway on Notre Dame: It has explosive ability, especially at quarterback, and can do some damage against Georgia’s defense.
The Fighting Irish are averaging 50.5 points over its two games, and while it hasn’t exactly played the ’85 Bears, neither has Georgia. The Fighting Irish know how to move the ball and score: They put up 591 yards and eight touchdowns against New Mexico, and averaged 6.5 yards per play against Louisville, which has yielded 3.6 yards per play in its other two games.
Here’s the key worry for Georgia: Book can scramble, uncorking a 32-yard run the first series against Louisville. Georgia hasn’t really faced a mobile quarterback yet this year, and after last year’s experience with Alabama’s Jalen Hurts — and Texas’ Sam Ehlinger — it’s an open question how this group will do. Most of the players involved in those two games are still the key players now. Nakobe Dean has the sideline-to-sideline ability, a la Roquan Smith, that Georgia was missing last year, but Dean isn’t an every-down player yet. It’s going to be a big game for players on the edge, including Mark Webb, the cornerbacks, edge rushers and Richard LeCounte. J.R. Reed is good but he can’t make every tackle.
Here’s where Georgia can make some headway: Notre Dame has allowed four sacks in two games, and 13 negative plays. (Georgia has only yielded six in three games.) So perhaps that matches up badly with Georgia’s newfound emphasis on havoc?
Georgia is now up to 21 tackles for loss this season, which is in the top third nationally. Not huge, but you’re seeing the defense affect play more and more by pressuring and hurrying the offense. Some examples of that and outright havoc from the shutout of Arkansas State:
• The first play was a 3-yard loss, which was less havoc than the entire left side of Georgia’s defense reading an RPO correctly, and the short pass going nowhere. But the next four plays were instructive: Georgia kept bringing pressure, and while the first three times it didn’t work, the payoff came on a second-down sack, when Tyler Clark broke through with the help of blitzers Monty Rice and Tae Crowder. Remember two years ago, how Georgia’s defensive contain was so key in stopping then-quarterback Brandon Wimbush and Notre Dame’s offense? The contain defense was great in this game against Arkansas State’s RPO and short passes. They went nowhere.
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• Quay Walker started on Georgia’s second drive and on the second play was sent on a blitz — resulting in a sack, off a clear path to the quarterback.
One play later, Georgia created double havoc: Jermaine Johnson knocked down QB Logan Bonner from the blindside as the ball got off, and Tyson Campbell stepped in front of the receiver to knock it away.
• One series later on third down, Georgia sent five pass rushers and then a sixth, J.R. Reed, came up when the QB began to scramble, forcing an incompletion.
Those plays are why havoc rate needs to include pressures. That wasn’t a negative play or a pass breakup, but the offense certainly felt like it was havocked.
The key point for this week: Does Notre Dame, a better team with better athletes and a better quarterback, take Georgia’s defense off its game and turn those pressures into explosive offensive plays? Or does Georgia’s newfound aggressiveness translate well no matter the opponent?
Some other general Georgia defensive observations:
• Campbell and Stokes were very good in one-on-one coverage. They also shut down Vanderbilt’s receivers. (Kalija Lipscomb had all of 8 receiving yards.) Two years ago, Notre Dame had more proven receivers, namely Equanimeous St. Brown, but Deandre Baker and company held him to just two catches for a measly 16 yards. This time around the Irish do have a trio of seniors who have made some plays so far: 6-4 Chase Claypool (9 catches for 190 yards in two games), 6-2 Javon McKinley (3 catches for 96 yards) and 5-9 Chris Finke (3 catches for 59 yards), plus 5-10 sophomore Lawrence Keys (4 catches for 35 yards) in the slot. There may not be the great No. 1 receiver, but it’s enough options that Stokes, Campbell, Webb and whoever else is in the secondary are going to have to be consistent.
• Crowder was all over the place against Arkansas State. While the coaches certainly seem to be working Quay Walker and Dean in, that’s probably to build a four-man committee. Crowder is a lot like Brian Herrien: They may not have the upside of the youngsters, but they still bring plenty to the table, especially veteran savvy and leadership.
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• While they subbed a lot at linebacker and defensive line (as usual), and even occasionally at cornerback, safeties Reed and LeCounte hardly left the field until the game was well in hand. When they finally did, Lewis Cine had some good moments, flashing the potential that’s the reason he’s being groomed to replace Reed next year.
Georgia’s offense and Notre Dame’s defense
Notre Dame’s run defense is, ahem, suspect, yielding 212 rushing yards, including six double-digit runs, to New Mexico. Through two games the Fighting Irish are giving up 4.96 yards per rush attempt, which ranks 107th in the country.
Georgia, meanwhile, is averaging 7.61 yards per rush, fifth-best in the country. So … yeah.
Notre Dame’s pass rush is good, not getting a sack against New Mexico but forcing three interceptions. However Georgia’s offensive line, you may have heard, is also good.
In fact, Georgia has allowed only one sack through three games. That’s a testament as much to the line as it is to Jake Fromm getting rid of the ball, because several times other teams — namely Vanderbilt — have beaten Georgia’s O-line with stunts and blitzes. But that didn’t happen against Arkansas State.
As for Georgia’s running game, there’s no new ground being broken in saying that it should be a huge advantage against Notre Dame. Not only do you have the elusive Swift, but you can go four deep — even five if you want to include Kenny McIntosh. But only three should be necessary to frustrate and wear down the Notre Dame defense if all goes as planned.
What about the passing game? That’s an intriguing matchup: Notre Dame has four senior starters in the secondary, plus highly-regarded freshman Kyle Hamilton. While Georgia’s run game is strength vs. weakness, Georgia’s passing game is more budding strength vs. definite strength.
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That brings me to one point I wanted to dissect: Fromm said after Saturday’s game that they want to improve their third-down percentage: They were 4-of-10 against Arkansas State, and are now 13-of-27 this season, which still ranks a respectable 31st nationally at 48.2 percent. (Notre Dame is only 6-of-22, 27.3 percent, 121st in FBS).
When you look at the third-down foibles (such as they were) on Saturday, they’re a mix of issues. Not all on the passing game, not all on one area at all:
• Georgia had to settle for field goals in the first quarter twice. The first time the culprit was actually the run-blocking on second down, which saw a 1-yard loss. The second time Fromm missed on first and third down.
• Georgia did score a touchdown on third down — Swift’s 48-yard catch and run — but you wonder whether that was more about the opponent, and if just dumping off to Swift against future opponents will yield a first down, much less a touchdown, (But let’s be clear, there are worse options than checking down to D’Andre Swift!).
• Later, Fromm slightly overthrew Matt Landers on a deep route on third-and-3. Now, as for whether Landers should have extended further, a la George Pickens last week on a similar pass, it’s easy to sit at home and say a receiver should have tried harder when we’re not out there running that route, taking those steps and dealing with that cornerback. But … it sure looked like Landers could have extended further for the pass.
• Finally, there was a third-and-5 at the beginning of the second half where Fromm had to scramble, apparently the coverage downfield too good. Georgia ended up converting on fourth-and-2.
Third down will certainly be worth watching against Notre Dame. But that’s assuming Georgia gets there very much.
First and second down will be more interesting. Does Notre Dame load the box, not because it doesn’t respect Fromm but because it doesn’t respect its own front seven? And how does Georgia’s play-calling react? It may not need to change much: Fromm actually passed more on first down (11 times) than it ran (10 times) against Arkansas State.
More offensive notes:
• There has been a noticeable sure-handedness about Georgia’s receivers this season. Kirby Smart pointed out the lack of drops after Saturday’s game. (Perhaps knocking on wood as he did so.) That’s with a very inexperienced group, and Lawrence Cager, who had the reputation for the occasional drop at Miami but made another good grab for a touchdown Saturday. It does help that the guys have been very open and the quarterback throwing to them is so accurate, and so good at anticipating the time when the receiver will get open. But it’s also a credit to receivers coach Cortez Hankton, who coached up Ivy Leaguers and Vanderbilt receivers and is doing a good job teaching the technical aspects to more purely-talented receivers.
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• Even without Isaiah Wilson, Georgia’s offensive line had a really good day, especially in pass blocking. And the run blocking, while still solid, could be explained by Arkansas State having a couple good interior linemen, both of whom could get an NFL look. Of course this was Arkansas State, not Notre Dame, which has very good edge rushers. So if Wilson can play next week he will play. Before the game the strength and conditioning staff spent a lot of time on the field with Wilson, who tested his ankle by sprinting in straight lines and also cutting.
• Good tweet observation by former Georgia O-lineman George Foster, who you should be following on Twitter if you’re not already because he’s smart and funny and insightful: “Swift always gets the corner. For those that wonder the difference between college and pro. That’s it. You won’t get the corner on everyone in the pros.”
• There’s a luxury having a savvy veteran quarterback: Take a first-down play on the first drive, when Fromm clearly ran through his progressions, didn’t see his first two or three reads open, and checked down to Cager on the outside. A mere 5-yard gain, but with a less poised quarterback, and a worse offensive line, that could have been a sack and a drive-killer. And when James Coley knows he has a quarterback with that ability he can take more chances.
• The 32-yard completion to Pickens was not a back-shoulder throw: Fromm confessed that he underthrew it as he was hit — the pass rush came from both sides — but Pickens adjusted in the air and came back to get it. Fromm also underthrew Pickens on what could have been a 29-yard touchdown pass on the third series. It ended up being knocked away. Fromm also could have checked down to Eli Wolf over the middle. Obviously, this is nit-picking considering the way the rest of the game went for Fromm and Georgia, but the margin for error may decrease as the season goes on, starting this week.
• After Herrien went 19 yards on his first carry, knocking down a would-be tackler early on, he was rewarded by getting the ball right away to punch in the touchdown from 3 yards away. Those two plays again show why Herrien, who may not have the upside of the other three top tailbacks, will remain a part of the rotation, and a key one. He is the most physical of the backs right now, and could be the go-to guy on a number of short-yardage and goal-line plays. I think the staff realizes that Zamir White is the second-best back, but Herrien has a key place in the gameplan, as does James Cook, as more of a tailback-receiver type.
• For as much attention as Dominick Blaylock got for his game — the most receiving yards for a Georgia player since Isaiah McKenzie in 2016 — much of it came after Tyler Simmons went down with his shoulder injury. Simmons was hurt after catching two straight passes, and it seemed like Fromm was making a concerted effort to get Simmons the ball after he only caught a couple passes the first two games. If Simmons can play this week, he’ll start and still get most of the action, especially in blocking situations, but it’ll be interesting to see how much more Blaylock is worked in because he’s certainly a talent. (Blaylock’s 60-yard catch-and-run touchdown saw him show off that great coordination and acceleration, helped by a good downfield block by Cager.)
• Simmons’ injury, incidentally, came on what could have been called a personal foul on the Arkansas State player, but on a closer look I understand why it wasn’t called: The tackle began in bounds, he had Simmons in his grasp and they just went down. It did not appear malicious.
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• Wolf had a nice block to help spring Swift’s 39-yard run in the second quarter. It went to the left of Andrew Thomas and Solomon Kindley, who overmatched their defenders.
Final thought
Georgia has done exactly what it should do against weaker competition. It also matches up very well with Notre Dame, so when you look at the two-touchdown line on the game you’re tempted to bet heavy on Georgia to cover. But Book’s running ability is the wild card here, not because by itself it could win the game for the Fighting Irish, but because it could extend plays and open up the field. It could give Notre Dame a chance. Georgia needs to contain him, and if it does, it should have the advantage most everywhere else.
(Top photo by Jim Hipple / UGA Athletics)