Instant Replay
What did we just watch?
Golden Domers dump Georgia - For much of the first half, Georgia and head coach Kirby Smart had to have felt great about how they held up against seven-seed Notre Dame.
Then, the mighty Bulldogs had a disastrous 54-second stretch that included a Fighting Irish field goal and a Notre Dame forced fumble and subsequent touchdown. Immediately after the halftime break, Notre Dame ripped off a 98-yard kickoff touchdown to put the Golden Domers up 17 points, which almost felt at least double that in real-time.
Those pivotal plays made all the difference and Notre Dame went on to win by a final score of 23-10.
Notre Dame did an excellent job of dancing with who they brought, meaning they stuck to the run game and let quarterback Riley Leonard bail them out with his legs. Despite not needing to pass a ton, Leonard made some timely plays in the QB run game and finished with 80 yards on the ground. The defense was also fantastic and did a great job of stifling the UGA run game and getting adequate pressure on Gunner Stockton.
If I could point to one or two big issues for Georgia, it was that the Bulldogs could not run the ball consistently enough to help out their backup quarterback. Stockton played pretty well all things considered, but mustering just 62 non-sack adjusted yards in the ground game is just not good enough.
The other big problem area for Georgia, and I don’t say this lightly, is that I felt like Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman outcoached Kirby. It always felt like the Fighting Irish were a step ahead, and I felt like Freeman and Company did a nice job of deploying some dark arts to keep the Dawgs off-balanced. It was a really good game for one of the game’s brightest young coaches.
With the victory, Notre Dame moves on to face Penn State in the College Football Playoff Semifinal. I’m really excited to watch that one. Penn State poses some wholly unique problems for the Fighting Irish and I think that game will be a fun chess match.
The Brent Musburger Gambling Guide
My official locks of the week. (Lines are locked in at the time of writing)
+2 units on the season
Notre Dame vs. -1.5 Georgia - -1 unit
What I’m Reading
SID Sports - Don’t forget to subscribe to Griffin Olah’s SID Sports newsletter. As a former Divison I sports information director, Olah has a great grasp of the sport and I really enjoy his work.
2201 Kimball Ave | Cameron Morgan - 2201 Kimball Ave is essential reading for all followers of Kansas State football. As a lifelong K-State fan and former player, Cameron brings a unique and thoughtful approach to the analysis of the Wildcats' football team. His newsletters are rational and insightful and I genuinely learn something new with every newsletter.
Split Zone Duo | Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson and Steven Godfrey - SZD is essential reading and following for CFB ball knowers. Godfrey, Richard and Alex are the Holy Trinity for college football analysis and insight. Each member brings a unique flavor to the conversation, which makes for insightful and downright hilarious banter about the sport we all love. If I had someone ask me where to start for smarter college football coverage, SZD is where I'd send them.