Players Of The Game: Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech

Notre Dame improved to 6-0 on the season as the Fighting Irish earned a 31-13 victory over Georgia Tech.

There were plenty of standouts, but four stood above the rest.

OFFENSE - Robert Hainsey, Right Tackle

Notre Dame didn’t have a sexy performance on offense against the Yellow Jackets. It was a slow, methodical, tough and grimy win. It was a game where the Irish blockers paved the way to success, and no one was as good as Hainsey.

Hainsey was solid in the pass game, not allowing a sack or a hit on the quarterback, but it was his performance in the run game that earned him top billing honors in this game. Hainsey was a force on the edge against the Jackets. If you go back and look through the best runs of the game, the vast majority were run right behind the veteran right tackle. Notre Dame finished the game with 227 yards on the ground, and Hainsey deserves a lot of credit for that performance.

The Pittsburgh native did a tremendous job pushing the Georgia Tech edge out wide on outside zone and stretch plays, which opened up big run lanes to his inside. Hainsey was also a force on base and down blocks, playing with excellent pad level and getting good movement off the ball.

DEFENSE - Kyle Hamilton, Safety; Daelin Hayes, Defensive End

Hamilton Stats: 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass break up
Hayes Stats: 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

Notre Dame had a pair of big-time playmakers on defense against the Yellow Jackets. Hamilton and Hayes were not only the top stat producers, they both made vital plays in the shut down performance.

Hamilton single-handedly ended one Georgia Tech drive by sniffing out a screen on first-down and then ending the drive with an impressive tackle for loss on fourth-down. Hamilton was around the ball all game, playing the alleys well in the run game, making plays in the backfield and making plays in coverage. Hamilton’s lone pass break up was in the end zone, and he sniffed out Georgia Tech’s fourth-quarter two-point conversion reverse attempt.

Hayes had a career-high two sacks in the win, and both forced fumbles, one of which the Irish defense recovered. The veteran had another fourth-quarter pressure that was originally ruled a fumble but was later overturned and ruled incomplete. It was a fourth-down play, so it was a big-play for the defense either way. He wasn’t just a force as a pass rusher, as Hayes also graded out well as an edge run defender and in coverage.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Jonathan Doerer, Placekicker

Stats: 1-1 field goal (32 yards; 4-4 extra points

Doerer was a perfect 5-for-5 on kicks, which is what you want from your placekicker. He gets the nod here as much for his kickoffs as he does his place kicking. Georgia Tech only returned one of Doerer’s six kickoffs, despite only two going into the end zone for touchbacks.

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