The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Irish set for super showdown
ATHENS, Ga. — Two years ago, this was the game that signaled Georgia’s return to national prominence.
Now, it’s a chance to solidify the Bulldogs’ standing as a perennial championship contender.
Thirdranked Georgia will host No. 7 Notre Dame on Saturday night to wrap up a homeandhome series that was announced to great fanfare five summers ago. It’s only the third meeting between the powerhouse programs — and the first time the Fighting Irish have played between the famed hedges at Sanford Stadium.
“It’s going to be a wild one,” Georgia tight end Eli Wolf said. “There’s going to be a lot of hype around this game, but don’t get caught up in it. We’re here to do one thing.”
In 2017, it was Notre Dame hosting the Bulldogs for the first time.
Cheered by thousands of redclad fans who descended on South Bend, Georgia emerged with a 2019 victory that propelled the team all the way to the national championship game in Kirby Smart’s second season as coach.
“We just started to buy in to the type of program Coach Smart wanted,” senior defensive end David Marshall recalled. “Once we did that, we started becoming a great team.”
For the return game against the Fighting Irish, Georgia has installed 500 extra bleacher seats at one end of the stadium, ensuring a record crowd of more than 93,000.
They probably could’ve sold another 100,000 seats, given the booming demand that drove prices into the thousands on the secondary ticket markets.
“I know our guys will be excited to play. I know it will be an awesome atmosphere,” Smart said. “Our fans never fail when it comes to support and being there. It’ll be a record crowd with the additional seats. But after that, it’s going to come down to football, and that’s what it always boils down to — who can block and tackle.”
Georgia (30) will be facing its first serious test after blowing out Vanderbilt, Murray State and Arkansas State by a combined score of 14823.
Despite its top 10 ranking, Notre Dame (20) is a twotouchdown underdog to the Dawgs.
“I try to stay away from the noise,” said Notre Dame linebacker Asmar Bilal. “It’s like any other faceless, nameless opponent. We’re preparing like it’s any other game at this point. Our goal