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Taking care of Indiana sends Notre Dame into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals against SEC powerhouse Georgia.
Friday night’s 27-17 win saw the Fighting Irish dismantle the Hoosiers’ second-ranked scoring offense and hammer away with one of the Bowl Subdivision’s most underrated running games.
Indiana managed just 278 yards on 61 plays. In three games in past month against opponents ranked in the top 20 nationally in total defense — Ohio State, Michigan and the Irish — the Hoosiers averaged a measly 3.9 yards per play.
Notre Dame was able to gain yardage in chunks on the ground, something no opponent had done against Indiana all season. The Hoosiers allowed an FBS-best 850 rushing yards during the regular season on 2.5 yards per carry but were gashed for 192 yards on 5.5 yards per carry against the Irish.
Look for the Irish to use the same recipe from Friday’s win in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia.
Here are the biggest keys to this quarterfinal matchup:
Will Carson Beck play for Georgia?
The odds are extremely low that Beck is available for the Bulldogs after suffering an injury late in the first half of the SEC championship game against Texas. While the year hasn’t gone as planned for a player picked to challenge for the Heisman Trophy, Beck remains the Bulldogs’ best option under center; his questionable availability damages Georgia’s chances of reclaiming the national championship.
Without Beck, look for Georgia to embrace a different playing style under backup Gunner Stockton. This was seen in the second half and overtime in the Texas win. Stockton is more mobile than Beck and allows the Bulldogs to take the offense in a new direction. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Stockton makes this offense more one-dimensional due to his inability to deliver at Beck’s level in the passing…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/georgia-faces-notre-dame-previewing-120441174.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-12-21 12:04:00
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