It was a sad day for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and for me as well. While I didn’t expect greatness this season, I certainly didn’t expect what I saw on Saturday. It appears all the Irish fans’ preseason concerns surrounding the team’s ability to bounce back from losing so many starters and so much talent were well founded. Notre Dame lost 33 – 3 to a Georgia Tech team who brought their trademark swarming defense and an increase in offensive firepower to South Bend, Indiana.

Just minutes before kickoff we learned that Demetrius Jones would be the starting quarterback for the Irish. I believe his athletic ability played a big part given they were facing a defense like Georgia Tech. Unfortunately that athletic ability didn’t help in the areas of making quick decisions, holding on to the ball, and completing a pass down the field. Evan Sharpley got his shot when he came in at quarterback in the latter stages of the first half, but he didn’t fare very well either. Sharpley completed his first 2 passes and it was good to see the ball in the air. However, Tech stepped up again and he was sacked by a free safety that took 5 seconds to get to him from 20 yards away. The offensive line for Notre Dame was continually beaten as the Georgia Tech linebackers blitzed and either hurried or sacked the Irish quarterback time after time.

Notre Dame Tight End John Carlson didn’t receive his first pass until 7:21 remaining in the third quarter even though he had 47 catches last season. Carlson then received two more passes taking Notre Dame to the 1 yard line of Georgia Tech, but the Irish were unable to bring it home and had to settle for a field goal.

Mental errors made a big difference in the game as well. After the Irish successfully stopped Tech’s offense in their own territory, Justin Brown committed a personal foul at the end of the third down play. Georgia Tech receives a first down and continues on into the end zone just a few plays later. Brown should not even be suiting up for the rest of the season if you ask me. Quarterback fumbles, bad punts, blocked kicks – they all played a part in making this loss much worse and harder to stomach.

One bright side for the Irish is their defense which is looking good compared to last year. To be fair, they did give up 196 yards to Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice. Still, their defensive mentality seems to have changed drastically due to the hiring of new defensive coordinator, John Bond, and his aggressive style. The Irish running backs also had flashes of good play – namely James Aldridge and Armando Allen. Travis Thomas should go back to linebacker as I didn’t see any more promise from him at running back than he displayed a couple of seasons ago.

Jimmy Claussen who has been dubbed “the savior” of Notre Dame football came into the game during the fourth quarter. While he connected on 4 of 6 passes and seemed to stand strong in the pocket, it’s hard to say if that’s enough to cause Charlie Weiss to give him the nod next Saturday against Penn State.

While it’s true the season is still just starting, it’s also clear the Fighting Irish have a lot of work to do and may have to go back to the drawing board entirely. While defense is key, you can’t win a game if you can’t score. And Notre Dame showed no signs that they can move the ball and get into the end zone. In the meantime, we Irish fans will do our best to keep our chin up, not scream at the TV too loudly, and try not say “wait till next year” just yet.