It’s easy to hate Notre Dame when your team is playing them. Even the announcers are one-sided. I would’ve expected more from Dan Hicks and Doug Flutie. In all white, Tech’s Russell Athletics uniforms look extra ugly compared to even these Under Armour Irish unis. Why does GT have modernistic stripes but old-style lettering? Wayne Price and Steve Hawkins and Curt Swilley made the trip.
After the entire Notre Dame offense illegally pushes the ballcarrier forward, Tech forces a punt, helped by an illegal motion penalty (1-0). But so do the Irish. A decent boot with no return. First down. Poor Jacket tackling, like last week. Quick whistle and an intentional grounding call (2-0). Instead of a replay the biased announcers describe what happned, noting the ACC officiating crew. Twice in a row the GT DB gets turned around: bomb, score. The PAT doinks in. 7-0 Irish. Also 7-0 LSU over Auburn.
GT 3 & out. Early jitters? Another great punt with no return. ND 3 & out. Golden 15 yard return. CPJ has “a quiet confidence?” What? GT 18 yard gain, then JT for 9. Jackets convert on 4th down. A second uncalled late hit out of bounds by ND. But Butker misses a chip shot. Still 7-0 as the quarter ends. In Baton Rouge it’s 14-0.
On the ND sideline the leprechaun calls defensive signals. If ND is ranked 8 and GT 17, why is Tech favored? Every time NBC goes to commercial, so does CBS. The Stanley Cup makes an appearance. The 40th anniversary of the GT/ND Rudy game. The teams should've worn patches.
GT defense forces a second straight 3 & out. GT first down. Unlike last week ND has showed up for this game. GT motion (2-1) Shanked punt – mistake number three. For GT to win they can’t afford these. On 3rd & goal DJ White intercepts. Skov is getting mugged – no protection from the refs. Two long Snoddy runs and a roughing the passer (3-1). 80 yards in 4 plays to tie it 7-7. LSU up 17-0.
After consistently kicking the ball out of the end zone against Alcorn and Tulane, Butker only has enough leg to reach the goal line in northern Indiana. He does not make the team better. On 3rd & 9 ND passes for ten. Obvious ND receiver push off: no call. ND answers, but misses the PAT: 13-7.
LSU drives 95 yards, capped by a Fournette 40 yard TD run. Danielson compares him to Herschel. The sophomore only trails the UGA great by about 30,000 college and pro yards. Good luck with that. Auburn trails 24-0 at the half.
GT fails on offense and gives ND another possession before halftime. Motion (4-1). ND receiver catches a passes and takes FIVE steps before being hit and fumbles. GT ball with 47 seconds. Interference (5-1). Sack. Incompletion. Obvious interference. ND DB injures himself celebrating. Why doesn’t GT run? With plenty of time Butker misses again. What should be a tie game is instead a 13-7 game at halftime.
Auburn opens the half with a 65 yard Jeremy Johnson QB draw. But LSU answers with another nice Fournette special. 31-7. Is LSU that good or is Auburn that bad? Perhaps Herbstreit wuz right.
When did ND get astroturf? Doesn’t seem right. Neither does the loud jungle music. Is this the Georgia Dome? ND noseguard jumps (6-1). JT fumbles. Another GT mistake. ND motion (7-1). An almost sack turns into a ND completion and field goal. 16-7. The game is slipping away.
Another GT pass. GT drives. JT scores, but GT was holding (7-2). With no hope of a field goal CPJ goes for it on 4th & 17. Could’ve been a tie game with a decent kicker.
UGA kicks off. Anna’s first game as a student. SC drives. Already getting a little chippy down there, says Nessler. Dawgs hit hard.
GT forces a punt. Slow whistles in South Bend and Athens. Greyson is passing. Chubb first down. Hicks first down. Justin Thomas first down gets GT out from the shadow of the goal post. McKenzie first down. Poor pass by Lambert. GT punt. Marshall Morgan gives UGA the lead 3-0.
LSU leads 38-14. Great shots from the blimp. The GT defense makes one stop then allows a big gain. ND drives. After three quarters ND leads 16-7, then quickly 23-7. GT needs to run more. LSU 45-14.
Cocks drive but are finally called for movement. The call is against UGA (0-1?). GT penalty (7-3). The Jackets are falling apart. ND has the momentum. Only now is Marshall put in. Snoddy stumbles. Timeout. First down SC. And GT. SC 45 yard field goal makes it 3-3.
GT is going backwards. Dawgs drive. Auburn scores: 45-21. GT holds. ND punts. Commercials on three networks. JT incompletion. And another. GT is 1-12 in 3rd down conversions. ND holds (8-3) then reels off a 91 yard TD run. 30-7.
At the same time Chubb scores. 10-3 Dawgs.
JT completion. He’s a little like Flutie, but a quicker runner without Doug’s monster arm. GT converts a 4th down with 2:40 remaining. First down but Snoddy stumbles again. SC punts to the twelve. It’s a final in Baton Rouge. On 3rd & 6 JT passes to Skov for a touchdown and GT coverts the 2 pointer, but it’s 30-15 Irish with 45 seconds remaining. My “Butker is really in CPJ’s doghouse” tweet garners a response from Letterman writer Mike McIntee.
Two Lambert completions. He’s 9 for 10. Sony Michel TD: 17-3 Dawgs.
GT recovers the onsides kick and JT completes three straight - the second for another Skov TD reception. Final score 30-22. Three field goals would’ve won it.
SC drives and scores, thanks to imaginative Spurrier playcalling. But UGA rings the QB Orth’s bell. 17-10 Dawgs.
Great beef jerky commercial: the Amish dude gets pictures of the other guy’s mother through the mail.
More Lambert completions. A hard SC hit dazes the GA receiver. Greyson to Malcomb for the touch with 17 seconds remaining in the half. But a long kickoff return allows SC to kick a 51 yard field goal. Could be key. Halftime score: 24-13.
Dawgs comes out and drive, taking 1:45 to score on a Michel reception. He may be better than Chubb. 31-13.
QB Orth promptly throws an interception. 45 yard return to the ten. Not to jinx them but Dawgs are playing like the number 7 team in the country. Another TD pass to Michel. 38-12 just two minutes into the half.
SC drives but Dawgs hold. UGA drives but a botched center snap turns the ball over. SC goes for it on 4th down from their own 21. Bad decision. Two Chubb runs make it 45-13.
SC QB Nunez, from Osborne High in Cobb County, hoisted SC on his back, rolling into the end zone to cut the score to 45-20.
Lambert completes his 20th straight pass, a new UGA record. He’s on pace to break Tee Martin’s FBS record. Chubb crosses the 2000 yard mark in only his 16th game, second only to Herschel’s 14 game record. SC defense loses it’s cool, even fighting itself. Sideline reporter Holly Rowe steals Nessler’s word “chippiness.” Another SC personal foul. Superfan Chuck Hartman must be beside himself. Keith Marshall comes in and rushes for six: 52-20 with 8 minutes remaining.
UGA recovers the pooch kick but was offsides – on the other side of the field. Bryce Ramsey finally appears with five minutes remaining. He runs down the clock – and punts! Ball game: 52-20 Dawgs.
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