Stacking Up: Notre Dame Offense vs Virginia Tech Defense
Notre Dame (4-1) fell out of the realm of the unbeatens this past weekend when it lost at home to Cincinnati. Notre Dame will hit the road in an attempt to get its season back on track when it heads to Blacksburg, Va. to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies (3-1).
We continue our coverage of this matchup by breaking down how the Notre Dame offense stacks up against the Virginia Tech defense, which has been quite stingy to start the 2021 season.
Notre Dame Rush Offense vs Virginia Tech Rush Defense
Advantage: Virginia Tech
Based on the way it has played the first five games of the season it's hard to envision Notre Dame getting the run game advantage nod on any defense all season. Notre Dame has been flat out abysmal at running the football, going over 100 yards in just two games. In both instances the 100-plus performances (132 vs. Toledo, 120 vs. Purdue) were the result of a long run.
Simply put the Notre Dame ground attack has been brutally bad this season. Virginia Tech has been solid against the run this season, but it hasn't been anything special by any means. In a typical season this would be a matchup Notre Dame would win, but this has been far from a typical season for the Irish ground attack.
In the video above we dive deep into the matchup and discuss what makes the Hokies good against the run and what Notre Dame can do to establish some success.
Notre Dame Pass Offense vs Virginia Tech Pass Defense
Advantage: Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech's pass defense has been its strength this season, both from a yardage standpoint and its ability to effectively get after the quarterback. Virginia Tech shut down the potent North Carolina offense and it has a lot of speed in the secondary.
Notre Dame's pass offense was outstanding in the first two games and its yards per game and touchdown numbers are impressive, but the rest of the numbers are unimpressive. Notre Dame must be more efficient with its passing game and figure out ways to get the pass game back on track.
Virginia Tech has the advantage based on overall numbers and results, but if Notre Dame can get back to what it was the first two games it will win this battle.
In the video above we spent a lot of time talking about how the offense can and must make changes to get its pass offense rolling. We discuss specifics in regards to how it can make adjustments and changes within the framework of what has already been established to get the quarterbacks on track and also get the skill players into more ideal situations.
Notre Dame Scoring Offense vs Virginia Tech Scoring Defense
Advantage: Virginia Tech
Notre Dame's overall numbers are abysmal. It's yards per game, yards per play, red zone offense and third-down offense are all in the bottom portion of the national rankings. Its scoring offense is also misleading, as the Irish have scored two defensive touchdowns and a special teams touchdown. If you take away defensive and special teams touchdowns the scoring average drops down to 26.6 points per game.
Virginia Tech has done a great job of keeping points down this season and has yet to allow 30 points in a game, and only one of its four opponents has gone above 17 points.
In the video above we discuss this matchup and also answer some questions before diving into a few bigger picture topics.
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Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2021 Roster
Notre Dame 2021 Schedule
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense
Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
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