Jake Fromm, No. 3 Georgia Outlast Ian Book, No. 7 Notre Dame in 23-17 Win

Jake Fromm and the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs defended their home field while holding off Ian Book and the seventh-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish 23-17 on Saturday night.

It marked the second time in three seasons Georgia has beaten Notre Dame in a September showdown. The Bulldogs previously pulled out a 20-19 victory in South Bend in 2017.

The win helps Georgia keep its perfect record intact while improving to 4-0. On the other side, Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes were dealt a blow as it falls to 2-1.

Notable Stats

Georgia

QB Jake Fromm: 20/26, 187 yards, one TD, zero INT

RB D'Andre Swift: 18 carries, 98 yards, one TD; three catches, two yards

WR Lawrence Cager: five catches, 82 yards, one TD

Notre Dame

QB Ian Book: 29/47, 275 yards, two TD, two INT

WR Cole Kmet: nine receptions, 108 yards, one TD

WR Chase Claypool: six receptions, 66 yards, one TD

Fromm, Swift Come Up Clutch for Bulldogs

The Notre Dame defense proved to be a formidable foe, but there's only so long Swift and Fromm can be contained.

With his team managing just three possessions during the first half, Swift helped keep Georgia in the game by averaging 4.7 yards per carry. It was his three-yard touchdown late in the second quarter that got the Bulldogs on the board:

Swift carried that momentum into the second half by carrying the ball seven times in the third quarter for 48 yards, adding an eight-yard reception as well. He provided arguably the highlight of the night when he hurdled Notre Dame defensive back Shaun Crawford:

Fromm took over shortly after, connecting with Cager for a 36-yard completion as well as a clutch 15-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-7:

Even when things looked bleak, Georgia stuck to its proven football: feed Swift and let Fromm make timely throws.

It's that type of balance, along with a stingy defense, that makes the Bulldogs so difficult to beat. Ultimately, they just wear teams down and find ways to make plays.

One-Dimensional Offense Dooms Book, Fighting Irish

Book struggled mightily in a 30-3 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, but in his first true test since, the senior came ready to play.

Facing a raucous Sanford Stadium environment, Book played well against a stingy defense, completing 16 of 24 passes for 146 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions in the first half. It was his ability to extend a play before making something out of nothing that helped Notre Dame strike first:

Book fell victim to a tough-luck interception early in the second half, which led to the game-tying field goal for Georgia. Overall, though, he played well enough for most of the night to give his team a chance to win on the road against top competition.

Book will want his fourth-quarter interception back, but he managed to put that mistake behind him and nearly lead an improbable comeback.

In the end, Notre Dame's offense proved to be too one-dimensional to pull off the upset. The Fighting Irish rushed for just 46 yards (18 of which were Book's), picking up 3.3 yards per carry. Eventually, the inability to run the football caught up with them against a talented defense.

What's Next?

Notre Dame will be back in action on Sept. 28, when it hosts No. 21 Virginia. Meanwhile, Georgia will be off until Oct. 5, when it resumes conference play with a road tilt at Tennessee.