In the week leading to Saturday’s game, Notre Dame’s past defensive struggles with triple-option rushing attacks was well-documented. It was a major reason why Notre Dame was a home underdog, despite being ranked in the top 10 nationally.
But it was the Fighting Irish defense that set the tone for a Notre Dame win that was more comfortable than the 30-22 final would suggest. They held a Tech team that came in averaging 457.5 yards rushing per game to less than half that (216 yards). Much of it was gained late, after Notre Dame was up 30-7 and the game was well in hand.
The Irish were aggressive, flying to the ball and trying to get it out of quarterback Justin Thomas’s hands quickly. They hit hard and forced the Yellow Jackets’ first fumble of the season. They used their stout interior lineman (who average over 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds) to plug the middle and stymie Tech’s vaunted rushing attack, holding the Jackets to a 4.6 yards/carry.
For most of the game, they beat blocks on the perimeter to prevent Jackets rushers Broderick Snoddy, Qua Searcy and Thomas from using their speed to get to the edge. Tech was just for 3-for-15 on third down, converting their first midway through the fourth quarter.
The Irish, who watched a lot of different tape to prepare, made a game plan that was designed to show Thomas multiple looks and fronts. Indeed, it confused the Jackets signal-caller, who was forced to call multiple timeouts early in the first and third quarters.
“We wanted to give him different looks that he hadn’t seen before,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “If he’s sure of what’s getting, he’s a very difficult player to defend.”
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