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

1. The Irish front seven combine for seven sacks

The Virginia Tech offensive line has allowed eight sacks through four games this season, blanking William and Mary before collapsing against Old Dominion. The Hokies have allowed four sacks in two games against ACC competition, limiting a stout Florida State front to only three. However, the worst is far from behind them.

They will now face off against a Notre Dame defensive line that is among the league leaders in quarterback pressures. The trio of Daelin Hayes, Khalid Kareem, and Julian Okwara currently lead the league in edge pressures despite limited starting experience on behalf of Kareem and Okwara. While not all of these hurries have been converted into sacks, a constant pressure is valuable.

Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery exploded for four sacks (the Irish would finish with five) against Stanford, suggesting a potential upcoming surge in performance from the senior. It all starts up front when it comes to building a competitive defense, and for Notre Dame, this line’s play has translated into significant success for a defensive unit trying to establish its dominance.

Notre Dame has been somewhat generous through the air, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been getting to the quarterback. With Josh Jackson out and the much less elusive Ryan Willis under center, the battle up front will likely be a point of emphasis for Kelly as his Irish look to prolong their undefeated start.