Notre Dame Football: Irish look to remain undefeated at Virginia Tech

Despite a 38-17 win over No. 7 Stanford, Notre Dame football isn’t out of the woods yet with a matchup vs. No. 24 Virginia Tech looming.

Ian Book, who was never supposed to make any noise as a Notre Dame quarterback, has taken over for Brandon Wimbush and excelled in two games as a starter. After putting on an offensive clinic against Wake Forest, Book once again thrived against a tough Stanford defense. Now, Virginia Tech stands as the only Top 25 team remaining on Notre Dame’s schedule.

There are still plenty of tough games remaining on the Irish’s schedule, with matchups against Northwestern, Florida State, Syracuse, and USC following a two game home stand against Pitt and Navy. However, of all those teams it is the Hokies who pose the greatest threat at this point in the season.

These two programs have only met once before, with the Hokies edging out a Notre Dame team that would finish the 2016 season with a 4-8 record. With little history between the two programs, Virginia Tech would like nothing more than to etch their names in Notre Dame history with a win. Here’s how to watch the Irish attempt to prolong their undefeated season on the road.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 6
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Venue: Lane Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ABC Go, WatchESPN, or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

It’s been a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the Virginia Tech defense so far in 2018. Should you choose to run the ball against the Hokies, you’ll be greeted by a monstrous defensive front that limits opponents to 2.6 yards per carry. However, targeting their secondary is a different story, one that ends well for most who do so. In this case, it’s an easy game of pick your poison.

In turn, the pressure is going to be on Book to build a lead without much of a run game. It’s not too tall of a task considering Virginia Tech’s dismal secondary, but coming out flat could prove costly. As for the Hokies, it’s in their best interest to put as much pressure on an offensive line that will be without left guard Alex Bars. The more uncomfortable Book is, the greater the chance of an upset.

Betting Odds

Odds provided by OddsShark

Point Spread: Notre Dame -6.5
Over/Under: 56.5

Prediction

At the end of the day, the result of this game will directly correlate with Book’s success. We know what we have in both defenses, and while Book shouldn’t be considered a wildcard, a hostile road atmosphere can bring about drastic change. Despite this, look for Book to come out on top of a weak secondary that has already allowed two receivers to record over 140 yards.

Final Score: Notre Dame 27, Virginia Tech 13