Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 123 BY BRYAN DRISKELL Kirby Smart's four national championships as the Alabama defensive coordinator are the main reason why he replaced Mark Richt fol- lowing the 2015 season. His success as a coor- dinator gave Smart an initial grace period, but expectations are high in Athens, Ga., and fans won't be overly patient with the Georgia alum. "The biggest storyline is the expectation of surpassing the underwhelming 8-5 season the Bulldogs endured last season," said Radi Nabulsi, publisher of UGASports.com. "Geor- gia fans want to see improvements in four areas: coaching, quarterback play, red-zone defense and offensive line play." Quarterback Jacob Eason passed for 2,430 yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman, but his erratic play factored into the Georgia offense averaging just 24.5 points per game. "Eason made some ridiculous throws last year. A few were incredible and a few were 'boneheaded,' to use Smart's post-game de- scription," Nabulsi said of the former five star. "Eason won the Missouri game and should have won the Tennessee game … but it often seemed he could not complete a pass deeper than 20 yards down the field." A jump in performance will have to come behind a line that loses three starters and with an unproductive group of pass catchers that lost leading receiver Isaiah McKenzie. "Georgia landed the No. 3 class in the na- tion," Nabulsi said. "The talent infusion in the trenches and the wide receiving corps should pay off in 2017." The UGA defense put up good numbers in Smart's first year, ranking 16th nationally in total defense and 16th in rushing defense. A glaring issue was Georgia's inability to keep opponents out of the end zone. "The Bulldogs finished the season allowing opponents to score 90.7 percent of the time in the red zone," Nabulsi said of Georgia's 113th ranked red-zone defense. Georgia returns 10 starters from a defense that was young and inexperienced in 2016. A boost should be provided by a line that enters the 2017 season with far more seasoning. "Georgia had only two upperclassmen play on the line last year," Nabulsi said. "The vast majority of the snaps were taken by a pair of sophomores and five freshmen. All those fresh- men made big plays at one point or another, but they also made mistakes. "Look for fewer mistakes and a possible All-American year for defensive line standout Trenton Thompson." ✦ 2017 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2016 Result Sept. 2 Appalachian State — Sept. 9 at Notre Dame — Sept. 16 Samford — Sept. 23 Mississippi State — Sept. 30 at Tennessee L, 34-31 Oct. 7 at Vanderbilt L, 17-16 Oct. 14 Missouri W, 28-27 Oct. 28 vs. Florida* L, 24-10 Nov. 4 South Carolina W, 28-14 Nov. 11 at Auburn W, 13-7 Nov. 18 Kentucky W, 27-24 Nov. 25 at Georgia Tech L, 28-17 * at Jacksonville, Fla. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Georgia leads 1-0 Last Meeting: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10 (Jan. 1, 1981; New Orleans) Head Coach: Kirby Smart, 8-5 (2nd year) 2016 Results: 8-5 overall, 4-4 SEC (T2nd East); beat TCU 31-23 in the Liberty Bowl Returning Starters: 15 (5 offense, 10 defense) 2017 Preseason Rankings: No. 12 by Lindy's, No. 13 by ESPN Football Power Index, No. 14 by Street & Smith's and No. 15 by Athlon. Did You Know?: Georgia is the first SEC regular- season opponent Notre Dame will face since beating Tennessee 41-21 in 2005 … The one previous meeting between Notre Dame and Georgia was the 1981 Sugar Bowl, and the Bull- dogs' 17-10 victory resulted in the program's lone national championship … Junior running back Elijah Holyfield is the son of former heavy- weight boxing world champion Evander Holy- field … Sophomore quarterback Jacob Eason is the son of Tony Eason, who played wide receiver at Notre Dame from 1984-87. Prediction: Notre Dame 26, Georgia 24 STRENGTH: Running Back Notre Dame will not face a better backfield in 2017 than the group of runners Georgia has col- lected the last four years. Athlon rates the Bull- dogs' running backs as the second-best unit in the nation, behind only Alabama. Senior Nick Chubb ranks second in school history with 3,424 career yards, trailing only Hall of Fame running back Herschel Walker (1980-82). Senior Sony Michel ranks ninth with 2,411 yards, and if he repeats his 2016 performance (840 yards) he will finish his career as the school's No. 4 all-time rusher. Chubb is a powerful runner that does a lot of damage between the tackles, but his career aver- age of 6.4 yards per carry shows he is more than capable of gashing teams for big plays. Michel complements Chubb's power with a slashing run- ning style and big-play ability. Both players are dangerous in the pass game, combining for 82 catches, 856 receiving yards and nine touchdown grabs in their careers. TCU saw firsthand how difficult this tandem can be last season, with Chubb rushing for 142 yards (8.4 per carry) and Michel racking up 126 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns in Georgia's 31-23 Liberty Bowl victory. CONCERN: Offensive Line Georgia's line struggled in 2016, but there is cau- tious optimism that improvements can be made. Head coach Kirby Smart noted multiple times during the spring that his front was playing a more physical brand of football, but questions still remain about the group. The Bulldogs have to replace three players who combined for 87 career starts. Georgia's best blocker last season was left guard Isaiah Wynn, but the senior is moving to left tackle. Wynn handled himself well on the edge in limited action, but at 6-2 he lacks the ideal length for play- ing the position. With Wynn moving to left tackle and last year's starting right guard Lamont Gaillard shifting to cen- ter, Georgia won't have a single returning lineman playing in the same spot he did a season ago. Redshirt sophomore Pat Allen is taking over at left guard, but the former Rivals250 recruit has played in just two games during his career. Redshirt freshman Solomon Kindley is slated to start at right guard, and while the 6-4, 341-pounder provides a serious size upgrade, he lacks any experience. Senior Dyshon Sims started two games at guard last season, but enters the fall as the starter at right tackle. He'll have to hold off five-star freshman Isaiah Wilson if he wants to remain in the starting lineup. GEORGIA BULLDOGS SEPT. 9 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM • SOUTH BEND RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Nick Chubb (1,130 yards, 8 TD) Passing: QB Jacob Eason (2,430 yards, 16 TD) Receiving: WR Terry Godwin (397 yards, 0 TD) Tackles: LB Roquan Smith (95) Sacks: DL Trenton Thompson, LB Lorenzo Carter and LB Davin Bellamy (5) Interceptions: S Dominick Sanders (3) X-FACTOR: Georgia has one of the best backfield in the nation, and senior Nick Chubb leads the way with 3,424 career rushing yards despite missing seven games of his sophomore season with a knee injury. PHOTO COURTESY GEORGIA