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Georgia Tech football defense dealt injury blow for Notre Dame clash

Originally posted on NCAA Football on ClutchPoints
By Jaren Kawada | Last updated Oct 19, 2024 2:03 PM ET

If Georgia Tech was not already facing an uphill battle in Week 8 against Notre Dame, they will now have to do so without one of their best players.

Top tackler and defensive leader, redshirt sophomore Kyle Efford, will miss the game with an undisclosed injury, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported. Efford has appeared in all seven of the team’s games thus far.

On top of being the team’s current leader in tackles with 52 stops on the year, Efford is undeniably the defensive leader as the starting middle linebacker. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, he led the team in tackles with 81 total on the season.

While he was already the star of the Georgia Tech defense, Efford was on pace to top his 2023 production in his second full year as a starter. However, the injury now puts a damper on that prospect. The injury to Efford is a huge blow to the Yellow Jackets who will already be without quarterback Haynes King for the game.

Georgia Tech faces Notre Dame in Week 8

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Kyle Efford (44) warms up before a game against Georgia State Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In search of their second upset win over a top-15 opponent on the year, Georgia Tech brings their 5-2 record into a non-conference game against Notre Dame on Oct. 19. The game is technically a neutral site game but will be played in Atlanta, much closer to Georgia Tech. The Fighting Irish, 5-1, are on a four-fight win streak and have not lost since shockingly dropping their Week 2 outing to Northern Illinois.

Georgia Tech enters the game after winning their last two contests over North Carolina and Duke. Since beating Florida State in Week 1 — who entered the game ranked No. 10 — the Yellow Jackets have faced one other ranked opponent, Louisville, and lost 31-19.

Notre Dame has also played Louisville in 2024 and beat them 31-24 in Week 5. A dominant win over the shorthanded Georgia Tech team could be enough to push the Irish back into the top 10 before Week 9, when they host Navy.

This article first appeared on NCAA Football on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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