Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame: Game Preview, Matchup Breakdown, and Final Score Prediction

The time has finally arrived.

Georgia Tech faces arguably their toughest opponent to date today when they face No. 12 Notre Dame and they will be doing so without starting quarterback Haynes King. The Yellow Jackets are going to be turning to Zach Pyron for this game as they try and upset the 12th ranked team in the country.

Notre Dame comes into this game with their fair share of injuries as well. The big news for the Fighting Irish this week was around cornerback Benjamin Morrison, a projected first round pick. Morrison is out for the season and that is a big loss for Notre Dame. However, they still have talent back there and both head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive coordinator Al Golden are two of the top defensive minds in the game and will have their guys coached up.

So who wins this game and why? Let's preview it.

Georgia Tech's Offense vs Notre Dame's Defense

This battle is going to be defined by who can overcome injuries most effictively. Will Pyron fill in for King and have success against one of the nation's best defenses? Or will guys on Notre Dame's defense step up in place of their star players and make life tough on Pyron?

Pyron started two games for Georgia Tech in 2022, a road win vs Virginia Tech and then a loss vs Miami the next week. Pyron played a lot in a road loss against Florida State, though he did not start the game (Zach Gibson did). Pyron got injured in the loss against Miami late in the third quarter and did not play the rest of the season. While King does pose as a threat in the run game, Pyron is a skilled runner as well. Georgia Tech has mainly used him as a short-yardage player this year, but in his start against Virginia Tech in 2022, he carried the ball 17 times for 66 yards. It should be noted that Georgia Tech is a much better team in terms of talent than they were when Pyron started and played in 2022.

Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is going to have to open the offense up today vs Notre Dame. While the running game will be important, Pyron has to make throws against Notre Dame. He only threw the ball once after he came in last week for King and it seemed like the offensive got very conservative. That is not going to work vs the Fighting Irish.

The good news for Pyron is that the Georgia Tech run game is one of the best in the country and has had its two best games of the year in the last two weeks. Last week, Georgia Tech ran for 371 yards vs North Carolina and the week before vs Duke, they ran for 245. The guy leading the charge is Jamal Haynes, who is starting to play his best football. Haynes has 536 yards rushing this season, averaging nearly six yards per carry and also having seven touchdowns. Chad Alexander has emerged as the No. 2 back this year and forms a nice 1-2 punch with Haynes. You also have to account for Pyron in the run game as well.

He is going to have two of the best receivers in the ACC to throw to as well. Malik Rutherford (40 rec, 509 yards, 2 TD) and Eric Singleton Jr (399 yards, 30 Rec, and 1 TD) can burn defenses deep if they stack too many in the box. Notre Dame has some young players in their secondary and it will be interesting to see if Faulkner dials some plays up to test them.

The tight end position for Georgia Tech has some injuries right now, but freshman Luke Harpring is starting to emerge and make plays. He had two catches last week and could play a role today.

The Georgia Tech offensive line is one of the nation's best. They have allowed only one sack (1st in the country) and they lead the way for the ACC's top rushing attack. Notre Dame's defensive line has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but they have talented players such as Howard Cross and Rylie Mills and Duke transfer RJ Oben up front.

Coming into the game, Georgia Tech is 59th in the country in passing offense, 7th in redzone offense, and 25th in rushing offense.

This is going to be the best defense that they have faced though. Notre Dame is 10th in third down defense, 20th in interceptions, 6th in passing yards allowed, 46th in rushing defense, 8th in scoring defense, 25th in sacks, 87th in tackles for loss per game, 5th in defensive passing efficiency, and 11th in total defense. This is an elite secondary even without Morrison. Jordan Clark is one of the best nickels in the country and while Leonard Moore (freshman), Christian Gray (sophomore), and Karson Hobbs (freshman) are young, they are very talented. The young corners also have the benefit of playing with the best safety in the country, Xavier Watts.

This matchup is going to hinge on how successful Georgia Tech can run the ball vs Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have struggled to stop the run between the tackles and there is nothing more that Brent Key would love than to just pound the rock today. Pyron is capable of making plays through the air with the receivers and playmakers around him. On paper, Notre Dame has the edge, but don't think that Georgia Tech can't make things happen today on offense.

Georgia Tech Defense vs Notre Dame Offense

Georgia Tech's defense is much improved from a year ago, especially in their run defense. New defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci and this defense staff has this group playing well, but they still have trouble in certain matchups, specifically against strong passing attacks.

That is not what they face today though. Notre Dame struggles to throw the ball consistently, but they have an elite run game. This will be a huge test for how far this Yellow Jackets offense has come.

The Fighting Irish come into this game ranked 108th in passing offense, 45th in redzone offense, 50th in sacks allowed (nine given up), and 16th in rushing offense.

Quarterback Riley Leonard is similar to Haynes King in a lot of ways, including their ability to run the football. Leonard is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the country and is second on the team with 405 yards on the ground , averaging 6.2 yards per carry and leads the team with eight touchdowns. Through the air, Leonard has 974 yards and six touchdowns, completing 66% of his passes.

Jeremiyah Love and JaDarian Price represent one of the top running back tandems in the country. Love has ran for 426 yards and averaged a whopping seven yards per carry. Price has 260 yards and three touchdowns, while also averaging over six yards per carry. Love, Price, and Leonard represent a huge challenge for the rush defense.

The receivers are the weak part of Notre Dame's offense. Clemson transfer Beaux Collins has 21 catches for 266 yards and one touchdown this year. Jaden Greathouse has 159 yards on 14 catches and one touchdown. Those two are solid, but this is not a scary group of players on the outside. Tight ends Mitchell Evans and Cooper Flanagan are also guys to watch out for.

Notre Dame has been one of the best schools in the country at producing offensive lineman for the NFL, but they have had some injuries this year. This is a better run-blocking unit than pass blocking, but can Georgia Tech find their pass when they need it?

This Georgia Tech defense is not perfect, but they have made serious strides compared to where they were last year.

The Yellow Jackets are ranked 28th in third down defense, 110th in turnovers created, 82nd in passing yards allowed, 23rd in rush defense, 41st in scoring defense, 114th in sacks, 71st in tackles for loss, 105th in passing efficency, and 36th in total defense. Stopping the run is clearly the strength of this unit and that is going to. be the task today vs this powerful Notre Dame run game.

The defense line has had trouble getting pressure, but they have been good in run defense. Jordan van den Berg, Zeek Biggers, Romello Height, Thomas Gore, Makius Scott, Sylvain Yondjouen (who had his best game of the season last week), and other guys have done well against the run this year. Linebackers Kyle Efford and Trenilyas Tatum are included there. Can these guys have success on early downs and force Notre Dame into long passing downs? If they do, will the coverage hold up against an average receiver group from Notre Dame or can the Yellow Jackets get some pressure on Leonard? Stopping the run is the biggest key today, but the secondary and pass coverage have a lot to prove if they can stop the run.

Last week against North Carolina, big plays were how the Tar Heels moved the ball and scored. Down-to-down, the Yellow Jackets defense was better, but big catches from JJ Jones or long runs from Omarion Hampton set the Tar Heels up. Georgia Tech has to prevent big plays today and not let Notre Dame be explosive.

While this is not defense, the Georgia Tech special teams can't have any mistakes this game. They have struggled kicking the ball and also gave up a punt return for a touchdown last week vs North Carolina. Those kind of mistakes cost you against top-15 teams.

X Factors

Playing complementary football and limiting mistakes. Pyron is capable of winning this game for Georgia Tech, but it will be a big challenge. Establishing the run and preventing explosive runs on defense are going to be massive for Georgia Tech. This is a better matchup for the Yellow Jackets defense than some teams they have already faced, but they have to be up to the task of stopping Notre Dame on the ground. Play complementary football, run the ball, and force turnovers.

Prediction

I don't think this is going to be a blowout, even with King out. Pyron is a good quarterback and has the talent to make plays, even against a good defense like Notre Dame's. The defense has made enough improvements where you can hope they keep you in the game. The Yellow Jackets do well as an underdog with Brent Key as the head coach and let's not forget two years ago when Key led Georgia Tech to an upset over North Carolina with his top two quarterbacks out. This is the kind of situation that Key has gotten Georgia Tech to thrive in. It would not surprise to see the Yellow Jackets shock the world today, but I am rolling with Notre Dame. At the end of the day, they are the more talented team and they will be able to limit the things that Georgia Tech is good at today.

Final Score: Notre Dame 27, Georgia Tech

Additional Links:

Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame: Three Notre Dame Defenders To Watch On Saturday Against The Yellow Jackets

Notre Dame Players to Watch on Saturday Against Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame: National Analyst Makes Prediction For Saturday's Game