Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons why Irish will beat Virginia Tech

Notre Dame football took down No. 7 Stanford to improve to 5-0 on the season, but will face yet another top 25 opponent on the road vs. Virginia Tech.

Notre Dame was firing on all cylinders in their 38-17 victory over Stanford, furthering their playoff hopes while dealing a crushing blow to those of Stanford. Now, head coach Brian Kelly and his Notre Dame squad will look to prolong their undefeated season in the team’s second road game of the 2018 season.

However, the Hokies aren’t prepared to lay down and die despite the loss of quarterback Josh Jackson. Backup Ryan Willis, who replaced Jackson in the Hokies loss to Old Dominion, gives the offense a chance despite the new-look offense. Needless to say, this could be one of the more competitive games of the weekend as both programs will be playing with something to prove.

Here are five reasons it’ll be the Irish who pull it out.

5. The Hokies have one of the nation’s worst secondaries

While there’s still plenty of time to make amends and turn things around, the Virginia Tech secondary has struggled mightily this season, ranking 123rd in opponent passing yards per game. While the defense as a whole has delivered at times this season, it has rarely been a result of the secondary’s play.

The Virginia Tech defense as a unit put up good numbers in the first two games of the season, holding Florida State and William and Mary to a combined 20 points. Following the cancellation of the Hokies matchup with East Carolina, Virginia Tech allowed 49 points to an Old Dominion team that put up a respective 10, 20, and 25 points on Liberty, FIU, and Charlotte.

Through four games, Virginia Tech’s secondary has allowed four receivers to record over 90 yards. Curiously, all four of those receivers belonged to either William and Mary or Old Dominion, with DeVonte Dedmon, Nick Muse, Travis Fulgham, and Jonathan Duhart recording 96, 92, 188, and 142 yards, respectively.

Notre Dame’s offense will test the Hokies secondary more so than any opponent to date, guided by a strong receiving corps led by Miles Boykin and a solid group of tight ends. Tech’s secondary has been somewhat competent against ACC competition this season, but a matchup with this Notre Dame offense could get ugly.