Notre Dame heads down south for the second time this season, this time being Atlanta, Georgia. The Irish look to come out of Mercedez-Benz Stadium with a win over 5-2 Georgia Tech. Our staff make their official predictions below.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Clayton Stohler - First & Gold Podcast
Score Prediction: 37-24 Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s defense has its struggles. The jet motions, scheming players in the right position, and the ability to strike at any moment will prove to be ND’s biggest challenge all year long for Al Golden’s unit. What GT does well on offense, is something ND’s defense has struggled with all year. And that will show in this game.
The only problem for GT is that the Irish will firmly establish themselves as an offense that can exploit just about any defense across the country, especially those with secondaries that haven’t shown they can cause any form of disruption.
ND builds off of the things that they have slowly revealed throughout the year, and it all comes together at the right time. It will be a big day for Riley Leonard, Mitch Evans, and KK Smith as the offense bails the defense out in a game that will mean more for style points than people think.
Max Uretsky - Recruiting Analyst
Score Prediction: 36-19 Notre Dame
Haynes King being out for this game certainly changes some of the dynamics of how Georgia Tech likes to run their offense. They run a lot of designed QB runs but Zach Pyron is not the runner King is so they will probably lean more on their talented RB Jamal Haynes to carry the load. Notre Dame has been good to very good when it comes to stopping the run all year and will need to be once again against a team that averages over five yards a carry. Tech has only given up one sack all year and given the injuries that have piled up in the front seven for ND, they may struggle to generate a consistent pass rush.
When the Irish have the ball, we know they want to establish the run and utilize Riley Leonard's legs, but this Tech secondary has been burned on occasion this year and I will call for Leonard to have his best day as a passer, yes, passer, thus far this year with 300+ yards and a couple of scores.
Liam Farrell - Associate Editor & Senior Football Writer
Score Prediction: 38-14 Notre Dame.
Haynes King being out helps a newly depleted Irish defense. Notre Dame starts off slow once again, but Riley Leonard continues to grow as a passer. Jeremiyah Love continues his touchdown streak and the ND offensive line starts to become a strength of this team. Two bold predictions are that Leonard Moore will have an interception and Leonard will have a 50+ yard passing touchdown.
Brenden Duffy - Associate Editor & Senior Staff Writer
Score Prediction: 35-7 Notre Dame
Georgia Tech struggles without their star QB Haynes King, and Notre Dame's defense dominates an inexperienced backup. I would expect a similar offensive performance from last week for the Irish. GT has been good against the run but ND should be able to find their footing in this game.
Noah Wehby - Writer
Score Prediction: 38-10 Notre Dame
Notre Dame continues to put together statement wins. The offense has another really good game and looks very similar to their game against Stanford. The defense, even without Benjamin Morrison, plays a very complete game. Georgia Tech will be without their starting quarterback which will make Notre Dame’s life a lot easier.
Bruce Straughan - Recruiting Writer
Score Prediction: 35-14 Notre Dame
The announcement that Georgia Tech’s starting QB Haynes King has been ruled out changes the entire dynamic of this game. With him out, I see more of a dominance by Notre Dame whereas before I believe it would’ve been a little closer. With Notre Dame’s defense and stacked top secondary talent, I don’t foresee Benjamin Morrison being out for the season much of a factor in this game.
The offense has continued to show good progression weekly and I don’t foresee it stopping in this game. The offense will have a big day and I believe Mitchell Evans will get involved and get a Touchdown in this game.
Connor Regan - Long-Form Writer
Score Prediction: 33-16 Notre Dame
The Irish find a way to build off of their Stanford performance, but this time against a better team. There’s less flash and polish this go around, but Denbrock employs a similar balanced game plan to last week’s, and overwhelm an outmatched Yellow Jackets squad. With Haynes King out, the Irish defense will have an easier time containing Tech’s run game, and the one-dimensional offense should lead to a level of pressure in the backfield they’re not used to, forcing turnovers, sacks, and ill-advised throws from a career backup QB. Tech’s offense will rely on Jamal Haynes and field goals to keep this one competitive. Look for the Irish to have a slow start once again, but ultimately get things together in a win that feels more competitive than the final score may show.
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