When the Georgia Bulldogs needed their offense to click on all gears in order to get past the defensive-minded Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Tuesday, Georgia’s rushing attack was stymied and nonexistent.
Georgia totaled just 62 yards on 29 carries (2.1 average per carry) as Notre Dame posted a 23-10 victory to advance to play Texas in the CFP semifinals in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.
Those 62 yards marked the third time this season the Bulldogs had been held below 100 yards … and all three times marked losses for Georgia (59 yards at Mississippi on Nov. 9 and 80 yards at Alabama on Sept. 28). Those were the only three losses of the season for Georgia, which finished 11-3.
Notre Dame entered the matchup with the nation’s third-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 13.8 points per game, and the eighth-ranked overall defense, surrendering just 295.3 yards per game. On Thursday, Notre Dame’s defense lived up to that billing.
Georgia’s lead running back, Trevor Etienne, posted just 38 yards on 11 carries against Notre Dame. He also had a key fumble that squashed Georgia’s hopes of scoring first against the Fighting Irish.
