Game Thread | (2) Georgia at (7) Notre Dame

(2) Georgia vs. (7) Notre Dame

Caesars Superdome| 4:00 PM ET |ESPN | Line: Georgia -1.0 | Total: 45.5

Game Week Articles | Roster | Depth Chart | Schedule

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame WR Jordan Faison
Faison was a huge factor in Notre Dame's win over Indiana. His 44-yard reception in the fourth quarter essentially sealed the victory for the Irish. Georgia's corners have been up and down this season and have given up a lot of big plays. Notre Dame needs to be able to take advantage of that and the best candidate to do so is Faison.

Georgia LB Jalon Walker
The Butkus Award winner is a solid player off the ball, but he's a game wrecker off the edge on 3rd downs. He was dominant in both wins against Texas. Notre Dame does not want to be in many 3rd and long situations against Georgia's pass rush because of the problems Walker presents.

Notre Dame DT Gabriel Rubio
With Rylie Mills out, Rubio is going to have to step up and play the most snaps of his career. He'll have to do it against a very good group of interior linemen for Georgia. Notre Dame will need Rubio to play at a very high level because Georgia would be happy to grind out this game running the football.

Georgia QB Gunner Stockton
Stockton filled in admirably when Carson Beck went down in the SEC Championship game. This is a different kind of test and their coaching staff will likely have to loosen the reins a bit and get him to throw the football down the field more often. Inexperienced quarterbacks have struggled against Al Golden's defense. We'll see if Stockton can prove to be the exception.

Notre Dame S Xavier Watts
No one wins these games without their best players making a difference. Watts seems to make a big difference in every game and they'll need him to do it again if Notre Dame is to win their biggest game in the last two decades.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman:
“We have to be able to run the football. That creates a lot of openings in the pass game. And although we might throw for more yards than we do the run sometimes, it doesn't matter. It's a philosophy of being able to run the football. And I think Georgia has a similar mindset. They've got big old linemen that are tough, that can drive you off the ball. Do a really good job of trying to take advantage of what you are giving them defensively. And so those are similar things that we do. We want to get the ball to our playmakers in space, no matter who those playmakers are, and let them make plays. And so I think there is some overall general philosophy similarities between the two offenses; but obviously, there's some differences, too.” 

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock: 
”Obviously, it's a challenge to, you know, you're trying to simulate as much as you can, and we go good on good, which gives us some idea in spots of what they'll be like. But consistently being able to replicate it is probably the one of the bigger concerns that I have just because those guys are twitchy and they're cat quick up front even, and their back ends can run. And you know, simulating that with the look team and the scout team is good, but it's not obviously the game day speed is going to be a little bit different than that. We're going to have to make sure we get our feet on the ground.” 

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden:
“We just don’t flinch at the end of the day. We feel badly for whoever has been injured, in this case Rylie [Mills]. Rylie’s meant a lot to this program, and the Coach [Marcus] Freeman Era — not just necessarily our defense, but the era itself. Just being a leader. He’s improved so much this past year. Really just in about every category he’s improved. We feel badly for him, but at the same time, we just don’t flinch. We move forward. It’s time for somebody else to have an opportunity, and I know they’ll be ready.”

Notre Dame LB Drayk Bowen:
“That’s just something I try to do each and every week and I hope our defense is as physical as we can be. It’s exciting for me, just because that’s how I was raised as a physical linebacker. Defense isn’t a soft part of the game. When you want to be a physical presence on the field you gotta be physical in every aspect.” 

For Your Nerves 

Irish Sports Daily

Under Armour Navy Notre Dame Fighting Irish SlipSpeed Running Shoes