Irish blueprint: How Notre Dame took down Georgia in Sugar Bowl

It was ugly, it was physical, it was low scoring, and it was ... a Georgia loss?

Recent college football seasons would suggest there's no better team in the country than the Bulldogs to win that style of game. Yet it was Notre Dame that outdid the SEC champs Thursday in the Sugar Bowl to post arguably the program's biggest win in the last 30 years.

The overall statistics aren't flattering - Riley Leonard's 90 passing yards are the lowest by a winning team in College Football Playoff history. However, three things stood out to help the Fighting Irish secure the win and book a semifinal date with Penn State.

Win the trenches

Notre Dame physically dominated Kirby Smart's Georgia team on the line of scrimmage. You can count on one hand - maybe even just one finger - how many times that's happened during Smart's tenure with the Bulldogs. The Irish have sent plenty of linemen to the NFL in recent years, but the program would always seemingly fail to assert itself physically when given a chance against an SEC opponent. That didn't seem to bode well for a quarterfinal matchup against arguably the most physical team in college football over the last eight years.

But Notre Dame didn't get that memo, immediately getting after quarterback Gunner Stockton in his first career collegiate start and forcing a fumble out of bounds. The final number for the Irish's vaunted defense was four sacks, nine tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles.

The biggest matchup in Notre Dame's history since the 1988 national championship was undoubtedly the 2013 BCS title game versus Alabama. That contest was over mere seconds after it started, with the Crimson Tide physically dominating en route to a 42-14 win. Thursday showed that this Notre Dame team is a far cry from that outfit and can physically stack up against anybody in the country.

Force turnovers

Notre Dame has played 14 games on the season and has forced at least one turnover in 13 of those. The one without a takeaway? The shocking home loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2. Simply put, you're going to have a bad time if you let the Irish take the ball away.

That was highlighted most prominently on a lethal pass rush late in the second quarter that essentially decided the game.

The sack and fumble recovery gave the Irish incredible field position, and they wasted no time cashing in that chance. The ensuing touchdown pushed Notre Dame to a 13-3 lead at half - a shocking turn considering it was tied 3-3 just minutes earlier. That puts the Irish at 148 points scored off turnovers this campaign - 42 more than the next-best team at the FBS level.

That turnover was one of two forced by Notre Dame on the night, while the offense kept control of the ball and didn't let Georgia get a takeaway.

Make plays on special teams

Georgia has shown its resolve numerous times this season in erasing deficits, including the Bulldogs' last game out in the SEC championship. The second-half plan Thursday started by forcing a quick Notre Dame punt to flip the field and get Georgia on track. Well, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth, and you can consider this Notre Dame's haymaker.

The 98-yard touchdown was certainly the highlight of the special teams unit, which dominated all night. They nearly blocked multiple punts and repeatedly kept the Bulldogs pinned.