Only a few days remain till the Sugar Bowl. Georgia will play the resurgent Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who easily defeated overmatched Indiana in the opening round, in its first playoff match of the 12-team College Football Playoff era.
Here are seven important Notre Dame players to be aware of before the New Year’s Day game for Georgia supporters whose focus has been nearly exclusively on the SEC this season.
Riley Leonard, a quarterback.
Last season, Leonard made his national debut by leading Duke to an upset victory over Clemson early in the season. He ended up in South Bend, where he has managed one of Notre Dame’s more successful teams in recent years, after being one of the prizes in the portal last winter. The Irish have won 11 in a row with an average margin of victory of more than 30 points since suffering a crushing home defeat to Northern Illinois in September.
Leonard has been successful, even though his stats don’t particularly stand out. He has completed about 67% of his passes and scored 17 touchdowns versus six interceptions. The Irish’s attacking prowess is mostly dependent on his legs. He is Notre Dame’s second-leading rusher and has run for at least 30 yards in every game but one. His capacity to prolong plays has been essential. Leonard recovered from an opening-drive interception to play a clean game the remainder of the way, demonstrating his experience and comfort level in the first round.
The most crucial aspect of this game may be how Georgia’s defence responds to Leonard’s running. The Bulldogs have been harmed by the running prowess of quarterbacks Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, and Haynes King. The Irish will undoubtedly attempt a similar offensive against Georgia. But will Leonard be able to throw enough against Georgia? In 13 games, he has only passed for more than 203 yards three times, mostly because Notre Dame hasn’t needed it. Leonard must take on additional play-making duties if Georgia stifles their rushing attack, like it did against Texas.
Following the Irish’s victory over Indiana, Leonard remarked, “I think this is special for us.” “There are many of us, including me, a guy who went 3-9 (at Duke) my first year and was pleading for a bowl game. I have to come full circle now to be playing in a Sugar Bowl, and it’s awesome.
Jeremiyah Love will be back soon.
One of the best running backs in the nation, Love has a chance to be named a preseason All-American for the next campaign. On 142 carries, he has gained 1,057 yards and 16 touchdowns (7.4 yards per carry). When facing ranked opponents, his average yards per carry rises (8.1). Against Indiana, he rushed eight rushes for 108 yards and a touchdown, including a 98-yard gallop that put Notre Dame on the scoreboard.
Although Love was controlled outside of that run, his ability to hit a home homer is priceless. That explains why, despite having a lot less carries than many of his predecessors, he ranks 35th overall in rushing yards. He trails only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, in yards per run (7.5).
According to Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, “he is the engine that kind of sparks this thing to go in a real positive direction.” He seems to find a way to run for 98 yards, make an explosive play, or hurdle someone every week. What are you looking for? I’m honoured to have him here, but it’s sort of a dealer’s choice.
Jadarian Price, running back.
Georgia’s running defence will undoubtedly face another challenge in this game. Notre Dame’s other talent is one of the reasons it doesn’t need to overburden Love. Price actually carried the ball more versus Indiana because Love wasn’t feeling well and had an illness. He has been productive even though he wasn’t as successful (32 yards on 11 runs). On 100 carries, he has 683 yards and seven touchdowns.
Love remarked of the Irish running backs, “We have a lot of dawgs in the room, obviously have some stallions.” J.D., Kedren (Young), Aneyas (Williams), Devyn (Ford), and I are all excellent backs with a variety of positions. We have a fantastic room of backs, and everyone performs when their name is called.
A youthful but promising offensive line is running behind the backs. Although Notre Dame has historically been criticised for their toughness, these Irishmen have shown that they are not easily intimidated by teams.
Targets include Jordan Faison, a receiver.
Against Indiana, Faison caught seven passes for 89 yards; this was only the second time he had ever caught more than two passes. However, the Irish were aware of the potential value of his explosiveness and wanted to involve him. Leonard will frequently search for Faison when attempting to outperform Georgia’s secondary.
Denbrock remarked, “He’s a guy for us offensively that has to touch the football.”
Transfer to Clemson Despite having some drop troubles and only managing two catches for 18 yards against the Hoosiers, Beaux Collins is Notre Dame’s top receiver. Jaden Greathouse, the team’s second-leading receiver, only managed one catch for eight yards. Mitchell Evans, like usual, is a future NFL tight end for the Irish. With 289 yards and three touchdowns, Evans was the team’s third-leading receiver and a sound blocker. Against Indiana, he had two catches for 17 yards.
Georgia’s issues with its pass catchers have received a lot of attention. Since the Irish don’t have a top weapon that could really put the defence to the test, their quick success and Faison’s rise are vital.
Lineman on defence Howard Cross III.
Cross made an impact in the opening round after recovering from an injury. Coach Marcus Freeman described his senior lineman, Howard, who had four sacks in nine games, as a “huge piece.” Given the absence of teammate defensive lineman Rylie Mills, Notre Dame will need him to have a career-best performance in the Sugar Bowl. It will be very challenging to replace Mills, who played a crucial role in the Irish defence.
Security Xavier Watts
With an interception deep in Notre Dame territory, Watts, who is perhaps the team’s most talented defender and among the nation’s greatest safeties, stopped Indiana’s opening drive. The senior, who can play both back and closer to the line of scrimmage, is a defensive coordinator’s dream. Given his background as a receiver, he has the second-highest number of interceptions in the country with six. When it came to defence, Watts was everywhere in the opening round.
Freeman remarked, “He was major.” He was on the verge of getting a couple balls out, had the interception, made some huge tackles, and tracked the ball carrier well. He is a leader in the world. He lines everyone up. He speaks. He performs the game in the manner that you require. He is an essential component and a major part of what we are attempting to do.
The cornerback Leonard Moore.
An terrible blow to Notre Dame was the loss of No. 1 cornerback Benjamin Morrison earlier in the season. Morrison was a player of All-American calibre. However, Moore, a true freshman from Texas, has emerged as a standout player for them. Continuing his season, Indiana made six attempts at Moore in the first round, but only completed one.
Moore, who weighs 191 pounds and is 6 feet 2 inches, has incredible speed. He is a sound tackler and closes quite fast. Given that Moore was a three-star recruit by 247Sports, it has the makings of a fantastic development narrative. He plays a significant role in the nation’s third-ranked passing defence, which will be difficult for quarterback Gunner Stockton to overcome for his debut start.
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