Notre Dame knew the battle against Georgia Tech would be a physical one. There was considerable hype surrounding the Yellowjackets as a rough and tumble team of brawlers. As it turned out, the Fighting Irish defense did the bullying as they shut down the Tech running game and eased to a 31-13 victory. Notre Dame scored in all three phases with three rushing touchdowns, a field goal by Zac Yoakam, and a late pick-six by safety Adon Shuler.

Once again, the Irish defense allowed an early touchdown before going into lockdown mode. Jacket quarterback Zach Pyron was sharp in the opening period as he led a march down the field. Tailback Jamal Haynes scored from one yard out after he recovered his own fumble on the goal line as the quarter expired.

Riley Leonard went to work for the visitors as they took control of the game. He scored rushing touchdowns on consecutive drives to put the Irish ahead by 14-7 just before intermission. Georgia Tech tried to answer but a muffed snap doomed a field goal attempt by Aidan Birr, who did not have a good day.

Notre Dame kept the momentum in the third quarter. The defense forced a three and out before Leonard went back to work. Passes to Jaden Greathouse and Beaux Collins set up a short scoring plunge by Jeremiah Love, who played like a man among boys all afternoon.

Pyron responded with a 60-yard completion to Abdul Janneh into the red zone. Riley Mills had his first of two sacks on the next series to force another field goal attempt by Birr. This time, Bryce Young swatted down the kick and Tech walked away empty handed.

Unfortunately, the Irish offense could not put the game away. Leonard began to misfire and Notre Dame squandered a 23-yard run by Jadarian Price with a series of mistakes and head-scratching play calls. The Jackets took over after a failed fourth down scramble by Leonard. Realizing that his running game was going nowhere, Tech Coach Brent Key ordered Pyron to throw the ball. Two plays later, Xavier Watts picked him off at the Notre Dame 44-yard line.

Leonard ‘s pursuit of a clinching score went awry after a holding penalty negated a scoring run by Love. Notre Dame had executed a fake punt where Love ran for a first down during this sequence but the drive did not result in a touchdown. The Irish settled for a 42-yard field goal by Yoakam, who extended the lead to 24-7 with ten minutes remaining.

Notre Dame teed off on Pyron as Georgia Tech’s situation become more desperate. It seemed as though a different Jacket player was being helped off the field on every play as Drayk Bowen, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Jaiden Ausberry, and a host of Irish defenders made crushing hits. Pyron was staggering around like Rocky Balboa as he absorbed shot after shot.

The Irish pulled out all the stops to score in the final minutes. They ran a successful fake field goal as holder Tyler Buchner darted for a first down at the Jacket 22 yard line. Unfortunately, Georgia Tech dug in a forced a 46-yard kick by Yoakam. It sailed wide right with under three minutes left.

Pyron provided an assist for Notre Dame’s clinching score on the very next play. His pass sailed over the head of his intended receiver and into the hands of Shuler. The sophomore ran untouched for 36 yards into the end zone for a 31-7 advantage. Tech exploited the Irish reserves in the final seconds to tack on a meaningless score.

This victory was another strong statement by Al Golden’s defense. You could almost hear the shouts of “No mas” from the Tech sideline as their pain and frustration grew during the second half. Notre Dame’s offense remains a work in progress, though. Leonard’s competence is limited to quick slants and screens. He is unable to execute an intermediate or deep passing game that might command respect from a future opponent. His receivers and linemen are part of the overall problem as well. Those plays require time to develop and proper execution that has not yet occurred. The Jackets were able to stuff a high percentage of running plays because their safeties were not burdened by a credible aerial threat.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions.

• Can the Irish slow Georgia Tech’s downhill running game? Tech gained a measly 54 yards rushing. Most of them were the result of scrambles by Pyron. Haynes managed only 15 yards on eight carries.
• Which quarterback will have greater success in the passing game? Pyron had more yards but he paid a heavy price. He threw two interceptions to one by Leonard. The Irish signal caller had a better game until midway through the third quarter. After that point he regressed badly.
• Can Notre Dame’s young offensive line handle the beefy front four? The line had a mixed performance. Pass blocking was okay (not great) but the running game barely got off the ground (okay, that pun was pretty bad).
• Will either team be able to pressure the passer? Pressure? Notre Dame nearly killed Leah Pyron’s eldest son.
• Can the Irish receivers get open against the smallish Tech secondary? Possibly, but Leonard rarely found them. Love and Price consistently to run over these undersized DBs though.
• Will special teams play have a bearing on the outcome? That’s a great question if I do say so myself. The Irish had a blocked kick and ran their own successful fake punt and field goal. The Yellowjackets muffed another three point attempt all by themselves.
• Can Notre Dame force turnovers against the stingy Yellowjackets? By shutting down the run and forcing Tech to throw 36 passes, the two Irish interceptions seemed inevitable.
• How will the young Irish cornerbacks perform under the spotlight? There were a few breakdowns but Moore and Hobbs are very exciting prospects. The team’s dire injury situation means their future is now.

Looking ahead, Notre Dame will travel to New Jersy next week to play a surprisingly good Navy team. All remaining games appear to be winnable on paper, which we know guarantees exactly nothing. This Irish team will go as far as its stout defense and youthful offensive line can take it. I believe we have now determined Leonard’s ceiling as a passer. That knowledge should keep everyone’s playoff related expectations firmly grounded in reality.