The stage is set, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish , the Georgia Bulldogs , New Year’s Day, the Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame football continues their championship hopes in round two of the college football playoffs, and has a chance to make a statement against the SEC champion. A lot is on the line.
This Georgia Bulldog team is an interesting one, possessing outstanding talent like usual, but they also have some concerns to consider. Here are some early things to know about this Georgia squad, including the strengths, the weaknesses, and the oddities they bring to the table.
Quarterback situation
The big topic of conversation is quarterback Carson Beck , who suffered a UCL injury in his throwing elbow during the SEC Championship game against Texas a few weeks ago. Not only is Beck out against Notre Dame, but it sounds like he is going to be out the rest of the playoffs having already been exploring surgery options. While not confirmed, it sounds like Tommy John surgery could be in his future.
That means that Irish fans need to be prepared for redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton , who is viewed as a more athletic quarterback compared to Beck, but obviously has very little college experience. He heads into this game with just 51 career passing attempts, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Notre Dame will have to confuse this young quarterback, and make sure this isn’t a potential breakout for Stockton.
Historic rushing attack
The word “historic” tends to have positive undertones, but you can also be historic for the completely wrong reasons. That is the case for the Georgia rushing attack, which is one of the worst Bulldog units we have seen in the last 30 years. As a unit, they are averaging just 129.2 yards per game on the ground, and 4.2 yards per carry…