Week Three

Week three saw the Irish travel to Sanford Stadium to face the #3 team in the nation Georgia. The Irish and the Bulldogs have faced off two times prior to this meeting with Georgia winning both of the prior meetings the first in 1981 a game in which Georiga won 17-10, and again in 2017 in which the Bulldogs traveled to South Bend and beat the Irish 20-19. Coming into the game the Irish were big underdogs with nobody really giving them much of a chance against the Bulldogs. Georgia and the Irish came into the game with strong starts to their seasons which both of the schools being undefeated to this point. The Irish beating Louisville and New Mexico in their first two game, and the Bulldogs beating Vanderbilt, Murray State,  and Arkansas State in their first three games. This would be a big game early in the season with potential playoff emplications for both teams.

The Irish got the ball first and on their first drive they ended up punting after a seven play drive that only went 20 yards and just under 3 minutes of possession time. The Bulldogs did not start any better on their first drive only lasting five plays and 3 minutes and 36 seconds of possession time then punted. The Irish then got the ball with good field position to start their next drive but it would not amount to much as after a one yard run by Senior running back Tony Jones Jr., a false start penalty and a couple incomplete passes by Senior quarterback Ian Book the Irish attempted to go for it on fourth down and did not convert on the play. The next drive for Georgia did not go anywhere and they ended up punting. The Irish took over on their own side of the field with just over 2 minutes left in the first quarter. The Irish got 2 first downs and the ball out to their 42-yard line  before the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter the Irish started on their own 42-yard line after a run for no gain, a fumble recovered by the Irish to keep possession and a false start penalty the Irish were left with a 3 and 11 on their own 41-yard line they then threw a completion which left them way short of the first down and had to punt the ball again. The Irish would would have a 46 yard punt which Georgia’s Senior punt returner and wide receiver Tyler Simmons would fumble after catching the punt and the Irish would recover the fumble and get another chance to put some points on the board the fumble was recovered by Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool. The Irish would take over with a first and goal on the Georgia 8-yard line the first play would be a 3 yard completion to Graduate student wide receiver Chris Finke, next an incomplete pass which would get flagged for defensive pass interference in the end zone which put the ball on the 2-yard line and an automatic first down. Then after an incomplete pass Ian Book would run for a yard making it third and goal on the 1-yard line. The next pass would be incomplete and then the Irish once again went for it on fourth down this time however the Irish scored a touchdown on a pass to Junior tight end Cole Kmet who would be returning from a broken collarbone. Georgia would respond on their next drive and score a touchdown on a 3 yard run by Junior running back D’Andre Swift. The score would be tied with the Irish getting the ball back on their own 25-yard line with 2 minutes and 27 seconds left in the first half. Ian Book led the Irish down the field with 4 straight completions which got the ball down to the Georgia 12-yard line then after a false start penalty and another 5 yard completion the Irish sent out Junior kicker Jonathan Doerer to attempt a 27 yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the half he made it and the score was 10-7 with the Irish leading going into halftime.

The third quarter which would end up being dominated by Georgia started with the Bulldogs getting the first possession and ending up punting after a 7 play drive. The Irish would get the ball and after 3 plays Ian Book would be intercepted and Georgia would take over at the Irish 22. The Irish defense would be tough and only held the Bulldogs to only a 40-yard field goal by Senior kicker Rodrigo Blankenship which tied the score at 10. After a Notre Dame punt on the next drive the Bulldogs would again get the ball and drive down the field and end up with a field goal this time a 31 yard field goal giving them the lead 13-10. The Irish would again punt on their next drive and Georgia would get the ball with 2 minutes and 11 seconds left in the third quarter. Starting on their own 18-yard line the Bulldogs would get the ball out to the 45-yard line before the end of the third quarter. The score going into the fourth would be the Irish 10 and the Bulldogs 13.

The fourth quarter would start with the Bulldogs still in possession and driving the ball down field. Four plays into the fourth quarter the Bulldogs would extend their lead after a touchdown pass from Junior quarterback Jake Fromm to Graduate student wide receiver Lawrence Cager. After another interception by the Bulldogs they would kick a 43 yard field goal and the score would be 23-10. The Irish would get the ball back with 3 minutes and 42 second to score 13 points and tie the game. They would get closer on this drive after they scored a touchdown on a pass to Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool which would leave 3 minutes and 12 seconds left. The Irish forced a three and out on the next drive giving them a chance to drive down the field and score a touchdown to win the game or at least tie the game. They would start the drive with great field position on their own 48-yard line with 1 minute and 51 seconds left in the game. The Irish would get a quick first down to the Georgia 40-yard line after that the drive would stall out and they would end up having to go for it on fourth down to extend the game. Ian Book would have his pass deflected which would fall to the ground and end any chance the Irish had to score a touchdown. Georgia then took a knee and then the clock ran out. The final score was 23-17 with Georgia winning their fourth straight game to open the season.

The Irish next game is on September 28^th at home against the #18 University of Virginia Cavaliers at 3:30 pm.