Georgia DL healthy at right time ahead of challenging Notre Dame front
NEW ORLEANS — Kirby Smart has emphasized several times ahead of the Sugar Bowl that this one will come down to physicality. That trait is the first thing that stands out about Notre Dame to the nine-year head coach, and for the Georgia defensive line, it comes as a challenge.
The Bulldogs have been banged up all season but are healthier than they have been in quite some time thanks to three weeks off. Christen Miller, who missed the SEC Championship Game, said he’s feeling as good. Xzavier McLeod is playing his best football at the right time. Jordan Hall has returned to the field for the final five games and provided a spark. Then there’s Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson who have been veteran staples all season long.
“Injuries are a part of the game. Next man up, and the guys who have been injured have the right mindset in terms of attacking the training room and getting ready,” Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott said. “It’s a long grueling season. They’ve accepted that as a defensive lineman at Georgia and in this league, you’re never going to feel 100%, ever. How you deal with it is how you deal with it.”
No two players understand that better than Stackhouse and Hall. On one end there’s a fifth year senior in Stackhouse who has played in all 13 games totaling 25 tackles. On the other end is Hall who underwent a surgery on each leg and missed the first few months.
“It’s a burden I was willing to withhold as a player for my team, being available. It helps me and it helps the team as well,” Stackhouse said. “I never sought to back down no matter what mishaps or unfortunate factors that came upon me. I tried to make myself as available as possible to help the team. Everyone has knicks and knacks, that’s a part of the game, but anytime I feel like I’m hurt or banged up, I try to do my best to stay in the training room to get healthy and help the team.”
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“We have the most physically demanding job on the team, holding down double teams, playing combo blocks, and just physical contact every play, us and the o-line,” Hall added. “The main thing o-line and d-line and having a lot of guys down in that room and seeing them flourish in moments like that. Now we’re all back to together. It’s what we wanted at the beginning of the season.”
Getting healthy couldn’t happen at a better time going up against a run game like Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish offensive line has helped pave the way for the nation’s No. 11 overall rushing attack with 1,000-yard rusher running back Jeremiyah Love and dual thread quarterback Riley Leonard leading the way. Notre Dame ranks third in the nation for yards per carry.
“You always want to make your guys aware. Notre Dame, they’ve done a tremendous job with the way they’ve approached the game, and we try to be a team like that too,” Scott said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us because Notre Dame is about offensive line. We’re ready for it, and we’re excited about it.”
“We’re very familiar with the offensive line and respect them. We’ve faced a lot of good offensive lines and I think this one is going to be special. The Joe Moore Award, Joe Moore coached at Notre Dame so this is a special challenge for us with them holding pride in the offensive line at Notre Dame,” Stackhouse added. “They’ve watched film on us. We’ve watched film on them. They know we’re going to bring the heat and we expect the same from them too.”
Georgia and Notre Dame kick off at 8:45 p.m. ET New Year’s Day on ESPN. The Bulldogs enter at 1-point favorites per VegasInsider.
