Offense

Grade: F

On a day where the game plan was to run the ball, Notre Dame rushed 41 times for minus-8 yards, including seven carries for minus-7 yards by Travis Thomas, who's supposed to be a power back. The offensive line was no match for Georgia Tech's blitz, allowing nine sacks. The Irish lost three fumbles. The quarterbacks made very few plays.

Defense

Grade: C-

Almost any criticism of this group should be tempered by the knowledge that it was on the field far too long and had to defend a short field on several occasions. Still, the Irish couldn't seal the corners -- a must in the 3-4 defense -- and didn't force any turnovers. Safety David Bruton (nine tackles and a sack) had a good first start.

Special Teams

Grade: B-

Armando Allen's fumble on the opening kickoff return was correctly reversed by instant replay, and he showed explosiveness on his other runbacks. Punter Geoff Price had an off day, including a shank that led to an early Tech field goal. Kick coverage was pretty good and freshman kicker Brandon Walker made his first college field goal attempt.

Coaching

Grade: D-

Just about everything Charlie Weis tried to do Saturday backfired. He stressed adapting to the speed of the game and taking care of the ball all week and the Irish were terrible in those areas. Notre Dame didn't look prepared in many aspects of the game, especially on the offensive line. But at least Weis stood up and took the blame.