NCAAF

Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

· NCAA - Football
Final
31 - 13

QB Leonard runs for 2 TDs as No. 12 Notre Dame leans on strong defense to beat Georgia Tech 31-13

Adon Shuler seals the game with a pick-six for Notre Dame

Jeremiyah Love added a TD run and defensive back Adon Shuler scored on a 36-yard interception return for Notre Dame (6-1). The Fighting Irish held Georgia Tech (5-3) to 64 rushing yards.

Leonard ran for 51 yards as Notre Dame extended its winning streak to five games. Leonard completed 20 of 29 passes for 203 yards with an interception in the game played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. He recovered from a first-quarter interception that helped the Yellow Jackets take a 7-0 lead.

“It’s very easy to get greedy and want to make the explosive play, but throughout my career, I’ve learned that just taking what the defense gives me is what wins ballgames,” Leonard said. “... Settle down, trust your eyes, trust your coaching and you get the job done. And we did a pretty good job with that.”

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Leonard “came back with the right mindset” after giving up the interception to cornerback Warren Burrell midway through the first quarter.

“He’s confident. ... He’s a confident individual because of the way he prepares. And, you know, he did a great job after that interception leading the offense.”

With Haynes King held out with a shoulder injury, quarterback Zach Pyron was sharp early in his first start for Georgia Tech since his 2022 freshman season.

Pyron completed his first nine passes, including six completions on a touchdown drive. Jamal Haynes' 1-yard scoring run as time expired in the first quarter gave the Yellow Jackets the 7-0 lead. Notre Dame led 31-7 before Pyron's 7-yard touchdown pass to Chase Lane with 33 seconds remaining.

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said Pyron's effort was “gutsy.”

“The guy is tough as nails,” Key said. “We’ve got to be able to step up around him and complement him and help him.”

Led by Leonard, the Fighting Irish owned the second quarter with nine plays of 10 or more yards. Leonard's first scoring run from the 1 capped a 14-play drive. He added another TD run from the 12, giving the senior 10 rushing scores this season.

Special teams woes Georgia Tech muffed a 39-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining in the half when David Shanahan dropped the snap. Late in the third quarter, Notre Dame's Bryce Young blocked a 35-yard attempt by Aidan Birr.

“Special teams for three weeks now have not been up to expectations,” Key said.

Leading 21-7, the Fighting Irish faked a punt and Love gained 27 yards to set up Zac Yoakam's 42-yard field goal, the first of his career. Yoakam filled in for Mitch Jeter, who missed the game with a hip injury.

The takeaway Notre Dame: Defense played the lead role, even after giving up Pyron's 60-yard pass to Abdul Janneh to the Notre Dame 16 late in the third quarter. A third-down sack of Pyron by Rylie Mills set up Young's blocked field goal. Safety Xavier Watts added a fourth-quarter interception, his third of the season.

Georgia Tech: Pyron couldn't maintain the momentum from his strong first quarter, throwing two interceptions and one scoring pass. He completed 20 of 36 passes for 269 yards.

Poll Implications Notre Dame could move up in the Top 25 following the impressive road win over the Yellow Jackets, who were coming off two straight Atlantic Coast Conference wins over Duke and North Carolina.

Up next Notre Dame: Plays in another NFL stadium next Saturday against No. 25 Navy at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.

Georgia Tech: Returns to its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule when it plays at Virginia Tech next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets?
  • TV Channel: Fighting Irish at Yellow Jackets 2021 College Football, week 8, is broadcasted on ESPN.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Yellow Jackets: 16.6%
Fighting Irish: 83.4%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

GT TD 1st Period 0:00 Jamal Haynes 0 Yd Run (Aidan Birr Kick)
ND TD 2nd Period 7:00 Riley Leonard 1 Yd Run (Zac Yoakam Kick)
ND TD 2nd Period 1:53 Riley Leonard 12 Yd Run (Zac Yoakam Kick)
ND TD 3rd Period 11:01 Jeremiyah Love 1 Yd Run (Zac Yoakam Kick)
ND FG 4th Period 10:01 Zac Yoakam 42 Yd Field Goal
ND TD 4th Period 2:37 Adon Shuler 36 Yd Interception Return (Zac Yoakam Kick)
GT TD 4th Period 0:23 Chase Lane 6 Yd pass from Zach Pyron (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/87.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originND https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/59.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originGT
23 1st Downs 18
4-12 3rd down efficiency 4-14
3-4 4th down efficiency 3-5
385 Total Yards 333
217 Passing 269
21/30 Comp/Att 20/38
7.2 Yards per pass 7.1
168 Rushing 64
39 Rushing Attempts 29
4.3 Yards per rush 2.2
5-37 Penalties 5-25
1 Turnovers 2
0 Fumbles lost 0
1 Interceptions thrown 2
35:45 Possession 24:15

Game Information

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Location: Atlanta, GA
Attendance: 59,021 · Capacity:
Full Standings

College Football News

College football conferences with the best bowl game records

College football conferences with the best bowl game records

The SEC is a dominant college football powerhouse, especially when it comes to bowl games. See which other conferences also have bowl success.

Sources: Steve Belichick expected to join North Carolina as DC

Sources: Steve Belichick expected to join North Carolina as DC

Steve Belichick is expected to join father Bill Belichick's North Carolina staff as the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.

Mason Rudolph evades pressure, fires TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Mason Rudolph evades pressure, fires TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Mason Rudolph avoids getting sacked and throws a short touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

Heupel speaks on Vols' first CFP appearance, where to go from here

Heupel speaks on Vols' first CFP appearance, where to go from here

Josh Heupel discusses what No. 7 Tennessee needed to improve on for a better result in the first round of the CFP and outlines his vision for the future of the program.

College football SP+ rankings after first-round CFP games

College football SP+ rankings after first-round CFP games

After the first round of the College Football Playoff, the championship odds are more bunched than ever.