Georgia football Sugar Bowl stat breakdown

A statistical breakdown of the Sugar Bowl between UGA and Notre Dame

The Georgia Bulldogs play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, January 2nd, at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Both teams have had their struggles to get to this point. Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois (7-5) in Week 2, and that loss could’ve killed their College Football Playoff chances, but the Fighting Irish won out, including a blowout win against Army, to place in the 7th seed in the playoffs. Many people questioned Notre Dame’s inclusion into the playoffs, but the Fighting Irish silenced those doubters, winning their home playoff game against the Indiana Hoosiers 27-17.

Georgia has been up and down this season. The Bulldogs have looked far from the juggernaut of the early 2020s, with missteps on offense against Kentucky, Florida, and Ole Miss and poor defensive showings against Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech.

However, Georgia has had some of the most impressive wins against playoff teams, like Clemson, Tennessee, and Texas twice. The Bulldogs beat the Longhorns in the SEC championship game to become the second seed in the playoffs.

Here’s a statistical look at each team, provided by CFB Stats.

Scoring Offense: 

Notre Dame: 38.8 points per game (3rd)

Georgia: 33.2 points per game (29th)

Notre Dame has a significant edge on scoring vs. Georgia, who’s struggled to score against Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Texas.

Rushing Offense:

Notre Dame: 222.38 rushing yards per game (11th)

Georgia: 129.23 rushing yards per game (99th)

Passing Offense:

Notre Dame: 196.8 passing yards per game (101st)

Georgia: 284.6 passing yards per game (11th)

Total Offense:

Notre Dame: 419.2 total yards per game (39th)

Georgia: 413.8 yards per game (43rd)

Scoring Defense

Notre Dame: 13.8 points allowed per game (3rd)

Georgia: 20.4 points allowed per game (t-20th)

Rushing Defense:

Notre Dame: 133 rushing yards allowed per game (41st)

Alabama: 127.77 rushing yards allowed per game (35th)

Passing Defense:

Notre Dame: 162.3 passing yards allowed per game (3rd)

Alabama: 208.7 passing yards allowed per game (50th)

Notre Dame’s passing defense is a big argument that Joel Klatt makes on his prediction.

Total Defense 

Notre Dame: 295.3 total yards allowed per game (8th)

Georgia: 336.5 total yards allowed per game (35th)