Print Edition of The Observer for Monday, September 11, 2017

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Georgia 20, Notre dame 19 | monday, September 11, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Seeing Red Irish come up one point short to Georgia in prime time as offense stalls in second half

SARAH OLSON | The Observer

Irish junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush is tackled by two members of the Georgia defense during Notre Dame’s 20-19 loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Wimbush was 19-for-39 passing for 211 yards, but was held to one rushing yard on 16 attempts. Wimbush was sacked three times, as the Georgia pass rush made its presence known.

A signature win continues to elude Brian Kelly Marek Mazurek Assisstant Managing Editor

The first rule of being a successful football coach is to win. The second rule is to win recently. In his seven seasons at Notre Dame, head coach Brian Kelly has shown he can win. He took over a team that finished 6-6 in 2009 and turned it into an undefeated season and an appearance in the national title game just three years later. But since then, the wins have been harder to come by. A season with a playoff appearance written all over it fell apart due to injuries and a devastating loss to Florida State in 2014. The Irish did make the Fiesta Bowl in 2015, but consecutive losses to Stanford and Ohio State left a sour taste in the mouths of Irish fans. And last year was … well, we don’t need to get into that. see MAZUREK PAGE 3

By MICHAEL IVEY Sports Writer

It seemed like a dream scenario. After stopping Georgia on 3rd-and-short, the Irish forced the Bulldogs to punt the ball back to them with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter. The Irish (1-1) were trailing by one, and all they needed was to get into field-goal range for a chance to win. Notre Dame looked to be in good shape after junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush threw a 17-yard completion to junior wide receiver Chris Finke. But the Irish hopes of a late comeback came crashing down the very next play when Wimbush fumbled the ball after being sacked by Georgia senior linebacker Lorenzo Carter. Georgia (2-0) recovered the loose ball and ended the game in victory formation. It was a fitting end to a game that was dominated by defensive play. “Well, they are a team that battles,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said on the play of defense. “I thought that, first of all, our defense, other than a couple of missed hits on plays, was, you

know, the type of defense that can continue to go out there week-after-week and give you the kind of effort necessary to win football games. I think that we were able to, from an offensive standpoint — 19 points wasn’t enough tonight. We put ourselves in some tough situations, but I just liked their grit and resolve and going out there and competing for four quarters and having the chance to win a football game against a quality opponent in the University of Georgia.” The first half of the game told a similar story. On the first drive of the game, Notre Dame converted a 3rd down thanks to a pass interference penalty on Georgia. After Wimbush completed a 29yard pass to graduate student wide receiver Cameron Smith, the Irish drive stalled after a pass to junior running back Josh Adams fell incomplete. Junior kicker Justin Yoon converted a 39-yard field goal to give Notre Dame an early 3-0 lead. After two short offensive possessions from each team, the Bulldogs tied the game on redshirt sophomore kicker Rodrigo Blankenship’s 27-yard field goal with 6:36 left to play in the first

quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 30-yard rush from senior tailback Nick Chubb and a 31-yard pass completion by freshman quarterback Jake Fromm. These would be the only two scores of the first quarter, as both defenses forced the other team to punt after quick threeand-out possessions. Notre Dame would break the tie early in the second quarter when Wimbush capped a fourplay, 32 yard scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Georgia responded by going on a 12-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass from Fromm to junior wide receiver Terry Godwin to tie the game, 10-10, with 6:45 left in the half. Notre Dame had a response of its own, however, driving 40 yards on six plays to set up Yoon’s 42-yard field goal to give the Irish a 13-10 lead with 4:14 left in the half. Georgia did have a late attempt to take the lead before halftime. But on the third play of the drive, Fromm’s pass was intercepted by senior linebacker see LOSS PAGE 2

Defense shows vast improvement despite loss By DARCY DEHAIS Sports Writer

In a game that lacked excitement on the offensive end, the Notre Dame defense proved Saturday it has made massive strides since last season’s 4-8 ending. Despite the 20-19 loss, the Irish defense stood strong against a tough Georgia side, which was marked by a powerful run game. Georgia entered the matchup with a 31-10 win over Appalachian State under its belt — a game in which the Bulldogs averaged 7.3 yards per pass and completed 11 of their 20 attempts in the air. Notre Dame’s defense held up well against the Bulldogs’ offensive game, forcing two turnovers in the first half and coming up with big stops on several third downs. Compared to a defensive side that allowed an average of 182.4 rushing yards, 196.4 passing yards and 27.8 points per game see DEFENSE PAGE 3


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