The 12th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish begin a two-game stretch of playing in NFL stadiums this weekend when they travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to take on the 5-2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Here is how the Jackets have fared so far this season:
vs Florida State (in Ireland) (24-21, W)
vs Georgia State (35-12, W)
at Syracuse (31-28, L)
vs VMI (59-7, W)
at Louisville (31-19, L)
vs Duke (24-14, W)
at North Carolina (41-34, W)
Georgia Tech is amidst a cultural shift in the football program that can be credited to Head Coach Brent Key. Key was an offensive guard for Tech from 1997-2000 and was named First Team All-ACC his senior year. Following his playing days, he immediately found an interest in coaching. Key served as a Graduate Assistant for two years with Tech before joining the University of Central Florida staff. At UCF, Key served as an assistant head coach from 2012-2015. Key finally received the call from Atlanta to rejoin the Yellow Jacket staff before the 2019 season, where he remained in an assistant head coaching role. In 2022, Georgia Tech fired Head Coach Geoff Collins after five games. Key was named the interim Head Coach to finish the ‘22 season but was promoted to the official Head Coach before last season. As head coach at Georgia Tech, he has led the Yellow Jackets to a 16-12 record.
Last year during Key’s first full year as the head coach, Georgia Tech finished 7-6 with a Gasparilla Bowl win against his former school, UCF. That was the first time that Tech finished with seven or more wins in a season since 2018.
While things have gone better than expected so far this season, the offense and the entire Georgia Tech fanbase are awaiting injury news regarding starting quarterback Haynes King, who appeared to hurt his throwing shoulder in the fourth quarter of last week’s win at Chapel Hill. He did not return after the injury and Coach Key listed King as day-to-day on Monday. If King is unable to play Saturday, this would be a huge loss for the Jackets as they seem to fall apart offensively when he is not healthy. Tech had a comfortable ten-point lead before King’s injury and it disappeared very quickly. The Yellow Jackets were saved when star running back Jamal Haynes took a 68-yard run to the endzone with 16 seconds remaining to secure the win.
As an offensive unit, Georgia Tech has been above average. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 440.6 yards (32nd among FBS teams) and 32.9 points (tied-41st among FBS teams) per game with a balanced approach.
Georgia Tech has found major success in the red zone over halfway through this season. They have scored on 26 of 27 (96.3%) red zone opportunities, which ranks seventh among FBS teams. Additionally, 21 of the 26 scores are touchdowns. Notre Dame does feature a top-20 red zone defense so this could be a key to success for Saturday.
Part of the reason Georgia Tech has found this red zone success is because they do not turn the ball over. The Jackets have committed just two turnovers all year, an interception by King and a fumble. Credit should be given to King’s development from a year ago when he threw 16 interceptions (led ACC) in his first full season as a starting quarterback. Regardless of who plays Saturday, the Irish defense will be hungry to force turnovers.
Additionally, the Jackets have been elite on fourth down attempts, converting 10 of 13 chances (76.9%), which ranks 14th among FBS teams. Expect Key’s offense to be aggressive on Saturday.
Georgia Tech’s passing offense has been solid so far this season. Redshirt junior quarterback Haynes King has been very efficient as a passer. The former Texas A&M transfer led the ACC in passing touchdowns (27) last year while throwing for almost 2,900 yards. As previously mentioned, he had 16 interceptions, but this year he has been clean with the ball.
King has completed 136 of 191 (71.2%) pass attempts which places him as the most accurate passer in the ACC and top-ten nationally. His 152.94 passing efficiency ranks 34th among FBS passers while his 19.43 completions per game ranks 43rd. He is averaging 224 passing yards per game, a career-high, while throwing eight touchdowns and just the one interception that was previously mentioned. King also plays a large role in the running game so his potential absence could be even more costly.
However, backup quarterback Zach Pyron is a capable runner, although he is more of a short-yardage, power rusher. The redshirt sophomore has three games of starting quarterback experience, all of which occurred in his 2022 true freshman season. During the three-game stretch, Pyron threw 49/82 for 565 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions. Pyron completed his only pass attempt last week for a seven-yard gain. Like King, Pyron is capable of being a dual-threat quarterback but Notre Dame’s defense would be a massive test for the less-experienced signal caller.
Georgia Tech’s leading receiver is redshirt junior Malik Rutherford. The 5-9, 170-pound option had a solid season last year when he finished with 46 receptions for 502 yards and four touchdowns. He is experiencing a breakout campaign this year as he has already totaled 40 catches (Second in the ACC) for 509 yards (Fourth in the ACC) and two touchdowns. Rutherford has four games with seven or more receptions and two games with over 100 receiving yards this season. Also, his 5.7 receptions per game is tied-36th among all FBS offensive players.
The Yellow Jackets second-leading receiver is sophomore Eric Singleton Jr. As a true freshman last season, Singleton led Georgia Tech in receptions (48), receiving yards (714), and receiving touchdowns (6) while being named a First-Team Freshman All-American by FWAA, ESPN, The Athletic, ON3, and 247 Sports. The 5-11, 190-pound weapon is currently second on the Jackets in receptions (30) and receiving yards (399), while adding three touchdowns, two receiving and one rushing. He has had five games this season with at least four receptions and 40 yards.
Behind Rutherford and Singleton, Georgia Tech has received solid pass production from receivers Avery Boyd and Chase Lane and running back Jamal Haynes. Boyd, a senior, is enjoying his best career season with 14 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Lane, also a senior, is on pace for his best career season as well with 13 receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown. Lane has been healthy and on the field but has not seen any targets in the past two games. Finally, versatile running back Jamal Haynes is a capable pass-catcher but he is not heavily utilized in the pass game. He has recorded 15 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown as a receiving option this season.
Since Key’s arrival to Atlanta, Georgia Tech has featured a dominant rushing offense. Last season, the Jackets led the ACC in total rushing thanks to talented rushers and an elite offensive line. They returned just as skilled as last year, currently averaging 204.4 rushing yards per game as a team which is 25th in the country.
The Jackets leading rusher is elite redshirt junior running back Jamal Haynes. Last season was a whirlwind for Haynes as he made the transition from receiver to back, a move that has paid dividends. The back became Tech’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six seasons last year as he earned Third Team All-ACC honors. This season, Haynes has rushed for 536 yards and seven touchdowns on 96 carries. Haynes’ seven rushing and eight total touchdowns both rank tied-18th among FBS players. He has exploded the past two weeks rushing for over 125 yards in each game against Duke and UNC.
Similar to Notre Dame, Georgia Tech receives rushing production from their quarterback. Starter Haynes King rushed for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago on 120 attempts. This season, King has carried the ball 62 times for 353 yards and six touchdowns. The Jackets' second-leading rusher had 107 yards and two touchdowns with his legs last week against UNC before exiting with an injury. If King is unable to go Saturday, this leaves Tech without, essentially, their leading passer and number two rusher.
As mentioned before, backup quarterback Pyron is not afraid to tuck the ball and run, however, he is more of a power back. Pyron has 17 rushes for 60 yards and four touchdowns this season.
The final rushing threat to highlight in this Georgia Tech offense is sophomore running back Chad Alexander. The 5-9, 185-pound back has appeared in five games and totaled 202 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries this year. Alexander had his best rushing performances the past two weeks, with over 50 yards in each game against Duke and UNC.
The last piece of the puzzle that is the Georgia Tech offense is the line. This group allowed the fewest sacks in the ACC a year ago and has only allowed one sack this season. A ridiculous stat considering the Jackets have already played over 50% of their games. They are also only allowing 4.14 tackles for loss per game which ranks 24th.
Key players on this elite unit include Keylan Rutledge, Joe Fusile, and Jordan Williams. Rutledge, the starting right guard, is a junior transfer from Middle Tennessee who was named First Team All-Conference USA last year. At the left guard is walk-on turned captain Joe Fusile. The redshirt junior was named honorable mention All-ACC while being the Jackets' highest-rated run blocker a year ago. Next to Rutledge at the right tackle position is senior Jordan Williams, a 6’6 315-pound beast that thrives in pass protection. The Irish defensive line will have their hands full going against, potentially, the best offensive line they will face all season.
Notre Dame’s defense is battle-tested and will be ready for whomever the Yellow Jackets throw in at quarterback. The potential loss of Haynes King would be costly but this Georgia Tech squad led by Coach Key will not quit. The top-20 Irish defense will have to find a way to get past this elite offensive line to give Notre Dame a chance to win.
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