Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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28 SEPT. 18, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED DEFENSE DELIVERS Heading into the 2017 season, Notre Dame's offense was expected to be the team's dominant unit, but through two games the defense has carried the Irish. Notre Dame held Georgia to 326 yards on 72 plays (4.5 yards per play), and outside of two long runs kept the Bulldogs offense in check. For the second straight game, the Irish de- fense was disruptive, finishing with six tackles for loss and three sacks while forcing two turnovers. "We played very well," senior line- backer Nyles Morgan said. "Guys were where they should have been. Guys were executing our defense. Coach [Mike Elko] put out a great scheme for us, and we followed that to a tee." Morgan tied for the team lead with seven total stops and 1.5 tackles for loss, and he added his first sack of the season as well. He and senior rover Drue Tranquill were two standouts for the Irish defense, but the senior captain felt the play of the line gave the defense a chance to thrive. "They held up pretty good," Mor- gan said. "They were doing their job, doing their assignments. That al- lowed us as linebackers to come free. The front seven did very well." It is still early, but the hire of Elko to run the Irish defense has paid imme- diate dividends. Notre Dame gave up 397.2 yards per game and 5.7 yards per play under former coordinator Brian VanGorder. Through two games in 2017, the Irish are allowing just 328.0 yards per game and 4.5 yards per play. OFFENSIVE LINE UNDERPERFORMS Notre Dame's offensive line is con- sidered the strength of the team, and the battle between the Irish line and the Georgia front seven was consid- ered to be the premier matchup of the game. Georgia easily got the better of the competition. Notre Dame rushed for just 55 yards on 37 attempts (1.5 yards per rush), and the Bulldogs sacked junior quarterback Brandon Wim- bush three times, including a crucial third-down sack on Notre Dame's final possession that forced a fumble Georgia recovered. It was a poor offensive performance in just about every facet of the game. "We didn't protect as well as we'd like, we didn't throw it as well as we'd like, we didn't coach it as well as I would like," head coach Brian Kelly said following the loss. "When you lose by a point in a really, really good game, a lot of great things happened, but a lot of great things didn't happen for us when we needed them." Georgia's defensive line proved to be too much for the Notre Dame offense. "Georgia was better than us up front," Kelly said. "We felt like if we could get the ball into the sec- ond level and into the secondary, we could have some success, but we didn't have the chance to do that. "They did a really good job up front. I've got to give them credit. They made it hard for us to establish a good rhythm offensively on first down and got us behind the chains." Fifth-year senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey, one of two preseason All-Americans up front for Notre Dame, also sang Georgia's praises following the loss. "They're a great football team with a great front seven," McGlinchey stated. "We knew they were going to try to stop the run, and they did that all day. We've got to execute bet- ter throughout the game. There are things that were there that we didn't finish off on. GEORGIA GAME NOTES BY BRYAN DRISKELL Senior rover Drue Tranquill contributed five tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and had an interception in the loss to Georgia. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • On the Tuesday prior to Notre Dame's contest against Georgia, head coach Brian Kelly noted that sophomore safety Alohi Gil- man's appeal for immediate eligibility was denied. Gilman and Notre Dame hoped the sophomore Navy transfer would be granted immediate eligibility, but with his waiver be- ing denied he will practice with the team this season and be eligible to participate in games in the 2018 campaign. • Freshman wide receiver Michael Young hauled in a four-yard reception during the fourth quarter for the first catch of his career. • Junior running back Josh Adams set career highs with six receptions for 60 yards, leading the team in both categories. • Sophomore end Daelin Hayes made the first fumble recovery of his career during the second quarter. • Senior defensive tackle Jonathan Bon- ner set a career-high with 1.5 tackles for loss against the Bulldogs.