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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Fall to #8 Notre Dame, 30-22

By Jonathan Savitske

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The #14 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were unable to replicate their excellent performances through the first two games against Notre Dame on Saturday, falling to the #8 Fighting Irish in South Bend by a final score of 30-22.

The Jackets made the game interesting in the final minute of the 4th quarter, as QB Justin Thomas threw a 24 yard TD pass to Patrick Skov with 48 seconds left, leaving the Jackets in a 30-15 deficit. Following the recovery on an onside kick by Harrison Butker, Thomas threw another TD pass to Skov, this one for 15 yards, making the game 30-22. Alas, the Ramblin’ Wreck was unable to recover their second consecutive onside kick, securing the victory for the Irish.

-= Related: Georgia Tech: Hardest Schedule Left in Nation =-

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets offense never really gained any traction against a Notre Dame defense that previously struggled against triple-option offenses. Brian VanGorder’s defense limited the Jackets to only 1 touchdown on Saturday before the fourth quarter, a 5 yard run by B-back Patrick Skov in the second quarter.

Notre Dame lost their starting quarterback Malik Zaire last week for the season, putting Sophomore DeShone Kizer under center. Kizer impressed on Saturday, throwing for 231 yards and touchdown to WR Michael Summers, to go along with 1 interception.

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Following the injury to starting RB Tarean Folston in Notre Dame’s first game of the season, RB C.J. Prosise has filled in nicely. Prosise had an impressive game for the Irish, rushing for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Georgia Tech defense, including a 91 yard run with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, which was essentially the dagger that secured the Notre Dame victory.

You can’t fault the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ defense in this game, even though they allowed 30 points. Ted Roof’s defense was the only reason the Yellow Jackets stayed competitive in this game, only down 13-7 going into the fourth quarter.

B-back Patrick Skov had arguably the best day for an offensive player, rushing for 1 TD and catching two TD passes at the end of the game to inject some late drama into the contest. Through the first 3 games of the season, Skov has become the Jackets most prominent weapon on offense other than QB Justin Thomas.

Kick Harrison Butker missed two important field goal tries, which would have given the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at least a tie going into half-time. Freshman B-back Marcus Marshall did not see his first series until the fourth quarter, despite the fact that Skov only rushed for 51 yards in the game before the Jackets late game drives. The Notre Dame defense did their best to take away the dive play on Saturday, limiting the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ running back corps and QB Justin Thomas’s options.

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Speaking of Justin Thomas, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ Junior QB did not impress on Saturday. Thomas added a little excitement into the end of the fourth quarter, throwing for two touchdown passes to make the game interesting. He rushed for only 21 yards on 11 carries. He finished with 121 yards and two TD’s through the air. Against a staunch Notre Dame defense, Thomas was unable to get anything going on Saturday.

This is tough loss for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, as this will essentially end their quest for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Fortunately, this was an out of conference game, and will not inhibit their ability going forward to contend for an ACC Coastal Division Championship or ACC Title.

Saturday’s game against Notre Dame will serve as a learning experience for Paul Johnson and his team for the rest of the year. With the country’s hardest schedule going forward, it will not get any easier for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, as they head to Duke next week to take on Head Coach David Cutcliffe’s Blue Devils.

Next: Georgia Tech: 5 Players to Watch vs. Notre Dame

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