Irish Fall To Bulldogs, 20-19

Notre Dame got a good look at SEC football and the Irish offense was on its heels almost the entire game dealing with the defensive speed of the Georgia Bulldogs. The Irish didn't get into an offensive rhythm all game and lost a defensive battle to the Bulldogs, 20-19 on Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium.

"Great atmosphere tonight,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. “Shame either team had to lose that game, because it was really hard fought. Got a lot of respect for the program we just played and a lot of respect for the head coach. Got a lot of respect for the team.”

Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush completed just half of his 40 pass attempts for 210 yards and ran for a second-quarter touchdown. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm was 16 of 29 for 141 yards with both an interception and a score in his first career start. Bulldog running back Sony Michel had 73 yards on the ground with a score for the Bulldogs while Josh Adams had just 53 rushing yards for the Irish. 

“I thought Fromm played with good poise,” said Smart. “I never felt like it got too big for him. Even after the fumble -- and I was frustrated, wasn't frustrated with the fumble, I was frustrated he didn't fall on the ball. You're going to have fumbles, but just get on the ball and get another opportunity. Then the decision on the comeback route to Isaac there, he knows better than that. But luckily that one didn't cost us. He got away with one there. And he's a competitor. I'm proud of the kid.”

After racking up over 409 rushing yards against Temple, the Irish managed just 55 total on Saturday night as Georgia controlled the trenches nearly all game.

Trailing by a point with 3:34 to play, the Irish took over at their own 25-yard line, but got nothing going as and punted the ball away after three straight incompletions. Needing the defense to come up with another big stop, the Irish got just that as they stopped a third-and-short, forcing the Bulldogs to punt. Notre Dame got the ball back at its own 18-yard line with no timeouts and 1:57 left on the clock.

Wimbush hit Chris Finke for a 17-yard gain to get the Irish going, but Wimbush was hit and lost the ball on the next play and the Bulldogs fell on it to seal the win.

“They battled,” said Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly. “Played hard. Proud of their effort. I mean, they continue to do exactly what I ask them to do. The credit should go to Georgia today. They made the plays in critical times; when they needed the big plays, they came up with them. In a one-point game, there's going to be a play or two that decides the game, and credit goes to Kirby Smart and the Georgia football team for making the critical plays when they were needed.

“Nevertheless, I'm proud of my football team and the way they competed. They are going to learn from this game and they are going to grow from it, and they are going to be better because of it. Still, the loss hurts. It stings. But like I said, we'll grow from it.”

The Bulldogs kept the Irish in the game as they were called for 12 penalties, totaling 127 yards.

Notre Dame led 13-10 at the half. Georgia started the second half with possession and got over midfield rather easily and then Michel took it even further, taking a nice 17-yard burst inside the Irish 35-yard line. The Bulldogs were unable to get the game tied as Rodrigo Blankenship missed a 44-yard field, maintaining the Irish lead. 

The Irish got right into it on their next drive as Wimbush found Adams for a nice gain down the left sideline. The drive stalled around midfield and the Irish punted again, giving the Bulldogs the ball back with 10:45 to play in the third quarter. But the Bulldogs continued to struggle on offense and Nyles Morgan sacked Fromm on third down to force another Bulldog punt.

The Irish struggled to gain yardage but got a break on a pass interference call and Wimbush then completed his next two passes, getting the Irish into the red zone. The Irish settled for another Justin Yoon field goal, this time from 37 yards out to give them a 16-10 lead with 6:22 left in the quarter.

The Bulldogs put together a few short-yardage plays before a big run by D'Andre Swift got them into the red zone. Michel then punched it in two plays later with a run off the right side to give Georgia its first lead at 17-16 with 4:34 left in the quarter.

A couple of nice gains got the Irish into Bulldog territory but the drive stopped abruptly as Wimbush was sacked and lost the ball giving the Bulldogs possession near midfield. But they failed to gain any traction and punted it away, giving the Irish the ball with just seconds left in the quarter.

The Irish got the ball near midfield after an impressive scramble from Wimbush to pick up a first down on third down. Another big third-down conversation, this time a pass from Wimbush to Finke got the Irish into the red zone. The Irish then got another field goal from Yoon from 28 yards to give them a 19-17 lead with 10:21 left in the game.

The Bulldogs took over but it was a quick possession as they punted it back to the Irish about two minutes later. The Irish then gave it right back as Wimbush was stopped on third down trying to scramble for a first down. The Bulldogs took over at their own 25 with 6:47 to go.

The Bulldogs got over midfield on a short third down run by Michel, setting up a beautiful pass by Fromm to Javon Wims to put them in the red zone. The drive stalled after that as the Irish defense stood tall forcing the Bulldogs into a field goal from Blankenship to give them a one point lead.

Both Michel and Nick Chubb averaged over four and a half yards per carry and allowed the Bulldog offense to keep at least one effective running back on the field.

The Irish opened the game with possession at their own 25-yard line but stalled after an incompletion and a play of no gain but picked up the first down on third down after a penalty. On the next play Wimbush found Cam Smith for 29 yards getting the Irish across midfield.

The Irish were unable to find the red zone but settled for a Yoon 39-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 advantage with 12:48 to play in the first quarter. 

Georgia appeared to take the kickoff all the way down inside the Irish red zone but the return was called back due to a holding penalty. The Bulldogs drive only got one first down before punting it away as the Irish defense looked ready to play from the get-go.

The Irish started the ensuing drive on their own 32 but were able to get over midfield rather easily thanks to another key penalty. But the drive stalled after that and the Irish punted it away. The Bulldogs started their second drive on a big run by Chubb getting them over midfield. 

Fromm hit Terry Godwin for a big gain down the left sideline getting the Bulldogs into the red zone for the first time in the game. The Irish came up with a big stop forcing the Bulldogs into a field goal, tying the game at 3 with 6:36 left in the quarter. 

The Irish started their next drive deep in their own territory but the Bulldogs continued the momentum by forcing the Irish into a punt for the second straight possession. The Irish defense then came up with another big stop as Nick Coleman made a nice open field tackle on third down. The Irish took over at their own 15-yard line. 

Wimbush and Co continued to struggle on offense as they went three and out on their third straight possession giving the Bulldogs the ball back. The three and out trend continued as the Irish took over at their own 27 just seconds into quarter two. 

Wimbush went to the sideline as he got poked in the eye and Ian Book came out and was stopped on a third down carry as the Irish punted yet again. On the first play of the Bulldog drive, Chubb fumbled the transfer and the Irish took possession at the Georgia 32. 

Wimbush finally completed a good pass on a screen to Adams that got the Irish inside the five. Two plays later, Wimbush took it himself into the end zone to give the Irish a 10-3 lead with 12:24 to play in the half. 

The Bulldogs finally got a successful drive going as they crossed over midfield after a few good running plays. Michel and Chubb started to get into a rhythm as the Bulldogs got deep into Irish territory. The Bulldogs ultimately punched it in on a spectacular catch by Godwin that tied the game with 6:45 remaining in the half.

A 32-yard pass from Wimbush to Alize' Mack got the Irish into Georgia territory but the Irish drive stalled and they settled for a 42-yard Yoon kick to give them a 13-10 lead with 4:14 left to go in the half. The Irish forced a punt on the next possession and took over with time running out in the half.

The Irish were forced into another punt as Wimbush continued to have a tough half. The Bulldogs took their time on the next drive winding the clock inside a minute until Drue Tranquil picked off Fromm to give the Irish the ball with little time left. Unfortunately the Irish were unable to score and they went into the half up by three. 

Despite a tough half, Wimbush still threw for 114 yards on 9 of 16 attempts while Fromm was 8 of 15 for 69 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Chubb was the leading rusher in the half with 40 yards on seven carries while Adams had just 26 yards on 10 carries for the Irish. Adams was also the leading receiver for the Irish with four catches for 39 yards while Godwin had two grabs for 36 yards and a score for the Bulldogs.

Player of the Game: Michel was very strong when called upon and picked up a lot of key first downs, especially in the second half. 

Unsung Hero: Fromm looked very comfortable in his first career start and rarely made any poor decisions leading Georgia to their first win at Notre Dame in team history. 

Up Next: The Irish travel to the Northeast to challenge the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon at noon.