Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from tough loss to Georgia in Week 4

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ATHENS, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 21: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish prepare to snap the ball in the fist half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

1. The Irish put up a fight, and they’re still alive

Notre Dame doesn’t have a great track record in big games. Time and time again in recent years, when the Irish get into a big spot, they come up flat.

While the Irish lost, they weren’t just manhandled. More than in any of the recent big matchups, whether it be the 2012 BCS title game or last year’s playoff semi-final matchup, Notre Dame still had a chance late.

Ian Book was unable to convert a fourth down, but the Irish were close to even potentially driving to win the game as time expired. They haven’t been in that spot, in a game with that much hype, in a long time.

Brian Kelly’s team has only one loss. The season is still young. There’s a big game opportunity with a trip to Michigan, and the schedule also still features ranked Virginia, as well as USC, Stanford, Navy, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. It’s not a monster resume, but if the Irish win out, and some other teams at the top lose, they could still sneak their way back in.

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For a team that’s built up a reputation for lying down in these types of games, Saturday was an impressive turn away from that trend.

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