Georgia’s defense clinches a signature win at Notre Dame

Before we get into the specifics of what happened Saturday night in South Bend, Indiana, let’s not bury the lead here.

The Georgia Bulldogs won a huge game against Notre Dame, and the fans wearing red and black invaded a visiting stadium and made it their own. It wasn’t the prettiest win in the history of football, but who cares. The one-point Georgia win was big.

Everything in college football revolves around recruiting, and you can’t tell me recruits watching that game didn’t come away impressed. They had to love the fight in the Georgia team, and they had to love how the fan base supported the Bulldogs until the bitter end.

That being said, this game includes the proverbial good, the bad and the ugly for Georgia.

The good was great, and that’s the Georgia defense. Coming in, Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush and running back Josh Adams made folks believe Georgia’s defense would be greatly challenged. Instead, the Georgia defense shut them down.

Wimbush was 19-for-39 with 211 yards passing, and he got only 1 yard net on 16 rushes. Adams, who ran for 161 yards last week against Temple, had just 53 yards on 19 carries. Adams’ longest run was for 7 yards.

Georgia’s defense was relentless. J.R. Reed, Roquan Smith, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy were the stars for the Bulldogs. Head coach Kirby Smart must be smiling at what his defense looks like through two games.

Reed, a transfer from Tulsa, led the team with nine tackles. Smith continues to improve his NFL stock, as he was all over the field.

Carter and Bellamy are the biggest surprises. Georgia needed other linebackers to step up and complement Smith, and through two games Carter and Bellamy have done just that. For Georgia to have an elite defense, it was time for Carter and Bellamy to finally live up to their potential and be disruptive.

How long have Georgia fans waited to see Carter emerge as a defensive threat? Late in the third quarter, as Notre Dame led by one point, the Fighting Irish were driving on the Georgia 35-yard line. Carter then sacked Wimbush and recovered a fumble to create another stop for Georgia.

In the fourth quarter, after Georgia had taken the lead and needed a big play, Wimbush was sacked by Bellamy and then fumbled. Fittingly, it was Carter who recovered the ball to clinch the game for the Bulldogs.

Those were the signature plays for Carter and Bellamy, but there were more. They, along with Smith and Reed, were all over the place Saturday. Twelve of Notre Dame’s 19 points were on field goals, and the only time Notre Dame scored a touchdown was after Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm fumbled on Georgia’s 32-yard line and gave Notre Dame great field position.

Georgia’s future opponents will watch this tape and be struck with fear. Georgia, for the first time in years, looks to have a championship-caliber defense.

The bad for Georgia can be summed up in two words: Jim Chaney. The Georgia offensive coordinator continues to make Georgia fans ask, "What is he doing?"

Forget the excuses of a freshman quarterback and an evolving offensive line. There are no excuses for some of the questionable calls Chaney made Saturday.

What was the strategy on the drive at the end of the first half? Georgia got the ball back with 1:40 on its own 44-yard line. The Bulldogs possibly could have made a few plays and gotten into field goal position to maybe tie the game. Instead, Chaney’s clock management was awful and the play-calling was worse.

After Georgia got the one-point lead in the fourth quarter, it needed a first down on third-and-2 to clinch the game. Instead of giving the ball to Nick Chubb, Chaney elected to go for a dive with fullback Christian Payne, who went only 1 yard and Georgia then had to punt. That was a head-scratcher.

Sure, there are still questions about the offensive line, and yes Fromm played like a freshman. But no one is impressed by what Chaney has done with the Georgia offense in the 15 games he has coached. This team has a special defense, and it could have a special season if the offense becomes a scoring machine.

Georgia has special running backs, as Chubb and Sony Michel, along with freshman D’Andre Swift, are great talents. Fans will continue to scream at Chaney to simply "run the ball" instead of trying to be cute. So, Mr. Chaney, could you please retire the stupid "wild dog" play. It just doesn’t work.

If defense wins championships, the Georgia defense makes us think this team could at least win the division championship. To do more, Chaney must do better figuring out how to use the talented skill players he has on the Georgia offense.

Oh, and the ugly was all the Georgia penalties. The Bulldogs committed 12 penalties for 126 yards. Great teams don’t shoot themselves in the foot like that. If that happens in a bigger game, Georgia will be embarrassed for giving a game away.

Georgia’s fans deserve credit. The players had to be inspired by what they heard in the stands. Sure, Notre Dame is not a powerhouse now, but it was a big win with big plays on a national stage. And even with the wrinkles that still exist on offense, Saturday night was a great night for the Bulldogs.

This story was originally published September 10, 2017 at 8:57 AM with the headline "Georgia’s defense clinches a signature win at Notre Dame."