Notre Dame has advanced to the Sugar Bowl, the quarterfinals of the college football playoffs, after defeating Indiana. The next opponent that the Irish will be taking on is an SEC powerhouse in Georgia, but just because the Bulldogs play in the best conference in college football and have been recently very successful, that doesn't mean Notre Dame has no shot. In fact, the Irish have a very good chance at moving on. That being said, Georgia is a very good team, but have shown some flaws plus the starting quarterback Carson Beck is out of the game. Either way, this should be a tough one for the Irish.
Keys For Notre Dame To Win
Take Advantage Of Carson Beck's Absence
Carson Beck being out of the game for Georgia hurts them, but the Bulldogs will have backup Gunner Stockton going in this one. What there is known about Stockton is that he has a big arm and throws far. That being said, this could work to Georgia's advantage as there isn't much tape on him which makes it harder for Notre Dame to prepare for playing him. On the flip side, with Stockton not having many game reps, this bodes well for the Irish as it means it will be hard for him to read the defense. If Notre Dame can get to Stockton then Georgia has no chance.
The Defense Steps Up
Losing Rylie Mills hurts and Georgia has a pretty good running game in Trevor Etienne and Nate Frazier, so the Irish's defense really needs to step it up in this one. While it was already discussed in another article, head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive coordinator Al Golden will have to find a way to overcome the loss of Mills. How they will set up remains to be seen, but while Notre Dame's is elite, it needs to remain as stout as possible.
Riley Leonard Needs To Be The X-Factor
Everyone knows that the running game for the Irish is as greats as it is especially with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, but Riley Leonard needs to step up big time here. Opposing defenses have a hard time deciding on whether to stop Price and Love or Leonard, but with Georgia likely to focus more on that duo, Leonard needs to use his legs whether in a passing or rush play as the Bulldogs struggle against quarterbacks like his caliber.
The Receivers Need To Be Options As Much As Possible
Aneyas Williams made himself known in the last game and Jordan Faison has stepped up and helped Leonard more with having options to throw to. While the receivers overall aren't an elite group of talent, they are certainly decent enough. That being said, if Leonard is going to be thrown into situations of throwing the ball more, the receivers need to be more available to make it easier on him.
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