Notre Dame Shows Georgia Tech How Elite Really Looks

If you haven't noticed the progress this team has made then you don't know football. Coach Collins said something similar to that a few losses back and it rings true. If you consider going backward "progress."

Georgia Tech faced 8th ranked Notre Dame this afternoon and was more than happy to hand the Irish their 10th win of the season to a score of 55-0. It marks a 5 straight 10 win season for Notre Dame. A first in their illustrious history. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech is setting their own pace to a historically bad defense of their own.

If there were any small victories today for Tech it was the first drive when they limited Notre Dame to just a field goal after allowing a big kick return and a 38-yard pass to Kevin Austin to start. Quez Jackson and Jordan Dominick both recorded sacks to stall the drive. Too bad it was all the points Notre Dame would need for the victory.

The offensive line was truly bad all night in this game. Props can be given to Gibbs, Yates, and Smith for trying to weave around defenders but they were fighting a losing battle. The Irish defense is good and it exposed how porous the blocking has really been all year. Notre Dame tallied 6 sacks on the night. William Lay had multiple plays where he simply didn't block his assignment not to mention a few false start penalties.

Yates never got into a rhythm and only completed 14 passes for 96 yards and one interception where Yates threw the ball to avoid a sack but instead tossed it right to linebacker Jack Kiser who scored. Tech's lone attempt at the endzone was a 47-yard field goal that was blocked with more inept blocking on special teams as the root cause.

Defensively, Georgia Tech allowed yet another 500-yard game by an opponent which makes three in a row and the 5th for the season. Notre Dame QB Jack Coan completed 15 passes for 285 yards among eleven different receivers. Tight End Michael Mayer caught three for 86 yards and was never accounted for on most of his routes.

Sure, there were injuries to this team coming into the game but that hardly seems an excuse for such a thrashing. It’s almost the final week of the regular season so every team is dealing with starters missing at this point. Notre Dame is a national contending team and Georgia Tech proved they are nowhere near competing with top teams. Georgia will make that more evident next week.

Progress wasn’t anywhere on the field this week and probably won’t be there next week. Progress won’t be in the win column at the season’s end which will certainly be a 3-9 record. Wins over Kennesaw State, a Duke team no conference wins, and UNC who has fallen from their loft expectations to start the season. There isn’t a signature win to hang a hat on but there are some ugly and embarrassing losses. Collins said there is progress but only someone who has kept their eyes shut can see it.