Georgia football: 3 Notre Dame players who could cause problems

Georgia football’s taking on a ranked Notre Dame team, and the Fighting Irish is no pushover. Here are three guys that Georgia fans need to know from the Irish.

The stage is set for Georgia football and Notre Dame. ESPN College GameDay’s in town, it’s a prime time kickoff and a top-10 matchup. What more could you want in a game?

This game alone is the biggest one at Sanford Stadium in a long time, and it’s one fans’ have circled on their calendars for years.

Georgia fans know who are the playmakers for the Dawgs. But who are some Notre Dame players that could cause problems for Georgia on Saturday?

Of course, there is Ian Book, the starting quarterback that can sling it and use his arm. He currently has 553 passing yards and six touchdowns through the air. On the ground, Books got 23 carries for 127 yards and two scores.

However, he’s one that every Georgia fan should know to watch for on Saturday. Outside of Book, here are three Notre Dame players to watch out for as you’re watching the game.

1: Julian Okwara

The first players Dawg fans should know is defensive end Julian Okwara who wears No. 42. At 6-4.5 and 248 pounds, the senior from Charlotte, North Carolina hasn’t been nearly as productive the first two games as he was last year.

Okwara has one tackle on the year, and that came against Louisville. Last season, he had 26 solo, 12 assists, 38 total, 12.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and one forced fumble.

While it has only been two games for the Irish, it surprises me Okwara doesn’t have more tackles recorded.

However, he’s an outstanding pass rusher that Georgia’s offensive line needs to keep an eye out for on Saturday.  These three guys could cause some problems from the defensive line with Okwara leading the way. Those other two guys are Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem.

J.P. Scott, from Slap the Sign, said that these three guys might not record a ton of sacks, but they know how to cause havoc.

Right now Georgia’s offensive line has a 60-pound advantage over the Irish front seven. However, don’t underestimate a good defensive line, and Okwara is just the beginning of it.

He could explode this season in this game, so Georgia’s offensive line needs to make him irrelevant.

2: Chase Claypool

Chase Claypool is the next guy Georgia fans should note in their programs on Saturday. He is Book’s leading receiver after two games. Claypool wears No. 83 on the field and is another senior on Notre Dame.

At 6-4 and 229 pounds, he is a massive mismatch for Georgia’s secondary. However, the Dawgs defensive backs can handle a guy like Claypool.

This year, he has nine catches for 190 yards and one touchdown. He and Tommy Tremble are Book’s favorite targets as Tremble has four catches for 78 yards and a score as well.

Georgia must keep an eye on him if he’s on the field. Claypool knows how to make plays, and there’s a reason Book throws to him. With his size, if he gets thrown the ball, the defender better get ready to hold on or figure out how to get a pass breakup.

Claypool is a guy that can make secondary players get silly pass interfearnce calls on because he’s so dang big.

He will get plenty of targets on Saturday so Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell and the rest of that unit better get ready.

3: Kyle Hamilton

Does this name sound familiar to Dawg nation? It should because Georgia was after Kyle Hamilton hard on the recruiting trail. The Atlanta native chose the Irish over the Dawgs, and it seems to be working for him.

As a freshman, he’s already seen some playing time and someone who is under the radar. He wears No. 14 on the field and is 6-4 210 pounds. Hamilton is a big defensive back that will likely get put matched up against guys like George Pickens and Lawrence Cager.

He’s the same size as them, so it’ll be fun watching those matchups throughout the game.

Hamilton collected four tackles against Louisville with all four of them being solo ones. He’s still young, but he’s making noise as a freshman, and it’s good to see. Georgia’s wideouts can hang with Hamilton, and will likely beat him a few times.

However, this could be the game that Hamilton puts it together and makes some plays for the Irish.

These are three guys from Notre Dame that will likely make some plays happen on Saturday. Two of them are seniors looking for the first win against the Dawgs while one is a freshman hungry to stay on the field. Georgia’s got the playmakers to slow these guys down, but they’ll still find ways to make something happen.