Will Fuller makes a leaping catch over a Georgia Tech defender for a 46-yard touchdown pass from DeShone Kizer. Damien Dennis/The Pit
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]fter losing quarterback Malik Zaire and running back Tarean Folston, many doubted the Fighting Irish would be able to take care of 14th-ranked Georgia Tech.
But when it was all said and done Saturday evening, the 8th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish took care of business, 30-22. And despite the eight-point difference on the scoreboard, things were much further apart than they appear.
Georgia Tech, which features a difficult triple option offense to defend against, was a slight favorite to win over Notre Dame at home. But, the Irish had a plan.
“We wanted to be very aggressive,” Head Coach Brian Kelly said postgame. “I think we were probably as aggressive as any defense that we had watched on film.”
A team known more for their ground-and-pound attack, Georgia Tech mustered just one more yard than Notre Dame on the ground at 216 yards. The second half, the Yellow Jackets became more frantic and put up 121 passing yards after not having a completion in the first half.
“We were not doing a very good job. It was like popcorn. One guy you’d get fixed, then the other guy would mess up,” Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Johnson said about the Notre Dame defense. “Against good players, you can’t have missed assignments or whatever.”
Georgia Tech tallied 15 points in the final minute of the game, but still fell to Notre Dame.
“I think our team executed it up until maybe the last couple of minutes where we probably lost a little bit of our focus,” Kelly said.
Notre Dame was led by redshirt-freshman quarterback DeShone Kizer, his first collegiate career start. Many worried that he couldn’t fill the shoes of Zaire, but he showed promise in his performance.
Kizer connected with Will Fuller on a 46-yard pass down the far sideline, with Fuller breaking away from the Georgia Tech defender for the touchdown.
The touchdown would be Kizer’s sole score of the day, in which he finished 21-of-33 for 242 yards.
Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas pitches the ball to Qua Searcy to avoid being tackled for a loss against a tough Notre Dame defense. Damien Dennis/The Pit
The quarterback’s performance was not flawless however, as he was picked off in the endzone by D.J. White on a pass intended for Corey Robinson. The Yellow Jackets marched down the field after the interception, allowing Patrick Skov to run 5 yards for a touchdown to even things up.
Kelly said that Kizer didn’t blame anyone else for the interception and learned from it.
“I love the way he is able to move on and process it and get back to playing the game,” Kelly said.
The next drive for Notre Dame, the Irish brought it right back to Georgia Tech with an 82-yard scoring drive of their own, capped off by a 17-yard run by C.J. Prosise.
After freshman kicker Justin Yoon failed to convert the PAT, Notre Dame held a 13-7 lead entering the half. Yoon redeemed himself just shy of the three minutes into the third with a 29-yard field goal to make it 16-7.
Prosise scored two more times for Notre Dame in the fourth quarter, including a 91-yard touchdown run to mark the largest run at Notre Dame Stadium.
“You know, I was just doing my job, working my fundamentals the whole day and it just opened up,” Prosise said about the huge run. “I saw the crease and I just took off. I mean, definitely a great honor to have that and my name be in here forever.”
Prosise finished the day with 198 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries.
Fuller finished with 131 receiving yards, making it the seventh game in his career with over 100 yards through the air and third straight. The last time – and only time – an Irish receiver opened a season with three 100 yard receiving games, was Tom Gatewood in 1970.
The junior said he didn’t have to worry about changing his style to fit Kizer’s at all.
“We just got to do our job. They get the ball to us and we catch it,” he said.
Georgia Tech’s Skov caught a 24-yard pass with 48 seconds remaining in the game, combine with a two-point conversion to make things 30-15. The Yellow Jackets then recovered an onside kick and 26 seconds later, Skov caught another 15-yard pass to make things 30-22.
Justin Thomas finished 8-for-24 in passing for 121 yards. He was held to 27 yards on 11 carries.
Notre Dame will host UMass next weekend with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
