updated 9:17 p.m. ET Sept. 1, 2007

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Tashard Choice helped Georgia Tech fans forget about the loss of Calvin Johnson. Notre Dame’s three quarterbacks had Fighting Irish fans longing for Brady Quinn.

Choice rushed for a career-high 196 yards and two touchdowns and the Georgia Tech defense had little trouble with Notre Dame’s new passers, forcing two fumbles by Demetrius Jones, sacking Evan Sharpley seven times and keeping Jimmy Clausen from doing any damage in a 33-3 victory Saturday. 

“I did not see this coming,” Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said. “I thought we would play pretty well defensively. I did not know we would run the ball as well as we ran it today.”

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis didn’t see it coming either. He said one of the biggest problems was the Irish weren’t ready for the speed of the game, and blamed himself for not having the team prepared.

“Who else are you going to blame but yourself? I’m the head coach,” he said. “It’s my responsibility.”

It was just the 15th season-opening loss in Notre Dame history and the most lopsided, surpassing the 31-10 loss to Pittsburgh to start the 1976 season. It’s also the first time the Irish failed to score a touchdown in a season opener since a 20-12 loss at Michigan in 1985.

The three points are the fewest points scored by the Irish under third-year coach Charlie Weis. The previous low was in a 14-10 win in the season-opener against Georgia Tech last season.

Weis said after the game he couldn’t remember the last time an offense he coached had failed to score a touchdown.

“We’ve had some rough games in the past, but it’s been a while,” he said.

Weis kept his choice of starting quarterback secret until game time, hoping that preparing for three quarterbacks would make it tough on Georgia Tech’s defense. It didn’t work. In fact, it almost looked as if Georgia Tech knew what was coming.

Gailey said the Yellow Jackets focused on stopping the run.

“We’re going to blitz you. We don’t care who you are,” he said. “We thought the challenge was to stop the running game to see if they could throw the ball well enough to beat us.”

Choice, the leading rusher in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season with 1,473 yards, rushed for more than 100 yards for an eighth straight game, breaking the school record set by Eddie Lee Ivery in 1978. He scored on a 22-yard run on a direct snap and set up his other 7-yard TD — also on a direct snap — with a 45-yard run.

“We just wanted to make a statement and come here to Notre Dame and let everybody know that Georgia Tech is going to be a team to reckon with this year,” Choice said.

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