Notre Dame Football: Irish face third top 25 team in Virginia Tech

2. Boykin approaches 200 receiving yards

While Virginia Tech’s defensive front has been nearly impenetrable to start the season, the Hokies secondary has been as exploitable as they come. After a 24-3 win over Florida State in a game where just about everything went right, Virginia Tech’s pass defense has been horrendous, ranking 123rd out of 130 qualifying teams in passing yards per game.

The majority of the damage has come from two surprising opponents in William and Mary and Old Dominion. The Hokies allowed both DeVonte Dedmon and Nick Muse to record over 90 yards in their matchup vs. William Mary, with respective longs of 59 and 71. Only one week later, Old Dominion’s Travis Fulgham and Jonathan Duhart torched the Hokies for a combined 330 yards.

Neither of those two offenses were nearly as potent as Notre Dame’s, especially under Book. Book has spread the ball around this season, but his favorite target has clearly been senior Miles Boykin. After combining for the game-winning touchdown over LSU in the 2018 Citrus Bowl, the Book to Boykin connection has generated 150 yards and a score in two games.

Boykin looks to be in line for an explosive outing this week, especially considering the effects Book’s spread the wealth approach has on opposing defenses. With the Hokies secondary forced to monitor Notre Dame tight ends (a position limited under Brandon Wimbush), a big day could be in store for the Irish’s No. 1 receiver.