SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Georgia Tech doesn’t necessarily have a dangerous defense, but the bigger problem in facing the Yellow Jackets is not getting many opportunities to take advantage of a group that allowed 6.32 yards per play in 2014.
Georgia Tech’s defense has an aggressive profile and picked off 18 passes and forced 16 fumbles in 14 games last year. Turnovers are huge for this defense, which can get off the field for chunks of 10 or more minutes by giving the ball to its methodically ruthless triple option offense.
The problem, to an extent, is Georgia Tech hasn’t had to show much defensively in blowout wins over FCS side Alcorn State and a bottom-tier Tulane program. But facing a redshirt freshman quarterback in DeShone Kizer making his first career start, Brian Kelly expects Ted Roof’s group to dial up the pressure and try to force those costly mistakes.
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“They're going to be aggressive,” Kelly said. “You've got a freshman quarterback, a veteran defensive coordinator. You've got a veteran secondary that is willing to take man-to-man coverage and get after the football.”
Georgia Tech didn’t lose a whole lot defensively from its group last year — safety Isaiah Johnson, linebacker Quayshawn Nealy and nose tackle Shawn Green were the big departures — and that extra year of experience certainly could improve this inefficient bunch. Opponents converted 45.56 percent of their third down opportunities against the Yellow Jackets last year, tied for the 14th-highest rate among FBS teams.
The Yellow Jackets’ opponents had 206 plays of 10 or more yards (113th among FBS teams) and 67 plays of 20 or more yards (100th). Opponents reached the red zone 53 times (95th), though only scored touchdowns on 52.83 percent of those possessions (26th).
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Still, Georgia Tech can largely live with giving up big plays if it means averaging about two turnovers per game, as they did last year (with a plus-11 turnover margin). Georgia Tech averaged a little over 34 minutes of possession per game last year and averaged about 29 seconds of possession per play. It’s a group that rarely goes three-and-out and is adept at grinding out long, grueling drives.
So while Notre Dame may be able to pick up a few big plays on Saturday, it can’t afford to turn the ball over. Fortunately, this offense hasn’t lost a fumble or thrown an interception since the second quarter of last year’s regular season-ending loss at USC, a span of 14 quarters.
“We’re not even really worried about what they’re going to bring to us,” wide receiver Will Fuller said. “We always go with, it’s how we execute. We have a very good, very talented offense and if we execute we’ll be fine.”