Primer: Riley Leonard Ascending as Notre Dame Preps for Key Matchup with Georgia Tech

Riley Leonard and the Fighting Irish passing attack finally hit their stride Saturday afternoon, and fans should be excited for the second half of this college football season. With all the upsets across the nation, Marcus Freeman still has this program positioned to make the first “12-team” College Football Playoffs. Notre Dame Football must take it one week at a time, as Georgia Tech, with whom the Irish have an under-the-radar series history, will be hungry to knock off the Irish for the first time since 2007.

Essential Game Info:

• Game Time: Saturday, October 19th at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
• Matchup History: Notre Dame is 30-6-1 all-time against Georgia Tech (Last Meeting 2021: Irish won 55 to 0)

Georgia Tech Details

• Conference: ACC
• Head Coach: Brent Key
• 2024 Record: 5-2 (3-2)
• 2023 Record: 7-6 (5-3)

Georgia Tech Storylines: 

Brent Key is improving this dormant Georgia Tech program. The Yellow Jackets have been struggling in the shadow of the Georgia Bulldogs for a long time. This program had sustained success under Paul Johnson, but it is hard to be an elite “power four” program with the triple option. In 2022, the program fired Geoff Collins and promoted Brent Key to head coach (interim at that time).

How have the Yellow Jackets matched up this season? They defeated Florida State in Ireland 24 to 21. They lost on the road to Syracuse (31 to 28) and Louisville (31 to 19). Recently, Georgia Tech is on a two-game winning streak with victories over Duke (24 to 14) and North Carolina (41 to 34).

Dual-threat QB Haynes King leads the Georgia Tech Offense. This season, King is 136 for 191 (71%), with 1,568 passing yards, 8 passing touchdowns, one interception, and 1 sack taken. He has 62 carries for 353 yards (5.7 yards per carry) with 6 rushing scores on the ground. King got banged up in the 4th quarter of Georgia Tech’s win over North Carolina and his status is uncertain for Saturday with Brent Key calling him “day to day” on Monday.  Zach Pyron finished the game for King and would likely start in his place against Notre Dame should King be sidelined. 

Running back Jamal Haynes leads the Yellow Jacket rushing attack. In 2024, Haynes had 96 carries for 536 yards (5.6 yards per carry) with 7 rushing touchdowns.

Notre Dame Storylines: 

Riley Leonard had a breakout game against Stanford. Before diving into the statistics against Stanford, anyone watching that game on Saturday could see a difference in the Irish offense. It was the most balanced attack this offense has maintained all year.

If the Fighting Irish want to go from a “good” to a “great” college football team, an elite passing attack to go along with a solid rushing game is the key opportunity. Onto the stats, Riley Leonard went 16 for 22 for 229 passing yards, with 3 passing touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Leonard had 6 attempts for 31 yards on the ground, with 1 rushing score.

Al Golden’s defense wreaks havoc in South Bend. Stanford scored on their opening drive of the contest, but the Fighting Irish did not allow a point against the Cardinal the rest of the game. The most points this group allowed in 2024 were the 24 points against Louisville, and most were caused by the Irish Defense being placed in horrendous field position.

The Notre Dame Defense has had a lot of attrition this season, especially with the loss of projected 1st round pick Benjamin Morrison, but they must continue to be the backbone of this team.

It will be a group effort between Leonard Moore, Karson Hobbs, and Jordan Clark to fill the gap left behind by Benjamin Morrison. But this is life; Notre Dame must find a way to move forward without him. After all, Morrison became a star as a true freshman; now, it’s Leonard Moore’s opportunity. 

Head-to-Head Matchups:

Notre Dame Offense vs. Georgia Tech Defense: The Fighting Irish Offense averages 401 yards per game, while the Yellow Jacket Defense allows 327 yards per contest. Riley Leonard is looking like the quarterback many thought he would be early on, and the Irish’s RPO game has excelled.

Georgia Tech has been giving up a lot of points this season, and they are catching Notre Dame at the wrong time.

Advantage: Notre Dame

Georgia Tech Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense: The Georgia Tech Offense averages 445 yards per matchup, while the Fighting Irish Defense allows 270 yards per game.

Brent Key’s team has an above-average offense, and I expect them to score some points in their own backyard (essentially). However, this will be the best defense they face all season, and I do not see Al Golden’s group giving up more than a few scores.

Advantage: Notre Dame

Special Teams: Notre Dame’s Mitch Jeter is 5 or 7 this season, with his longest conversion coming at 48 yards (two misses were blocked). Georgia Tech’s Aidan Birr is 6 for 11, with his longest conversion coming at 44 yards.

Advantage: Tie

My Prediction:

The Yellow Jackets made some noise by upsetting Florida State in Week 0, but they came back down to reality when we all found out that the Seminoles are an awful football team. It has been a long time since Georgia Tech has beaten Notre Dame, and they will be poised to break this drought. However, since this game is being played in the afternoon at an NFL stadium, that will help alleviate the environment to an extent.

When many fans were throwing Riley Leonard under the bus, I knew he could be a better passer, and Mike Denbrock is too good not to improve this offense. Over the past decade, the Irish Offense has typically progressed and reached its full potential during the second half of the season.

I expect Leonard and these receivers to build off of last week’s performance, along with a solid rushing attack. Notre Dame’s Defense will continue to put this program in a position to win. I have the Irish winning by 10 points, which is a conservative prediction.

Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Georgia Tech 24