Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons why Irish will beat Virginia Tech
By Jacob Wilson
4. A strong passing game could springboard the Irish run game
After losing star running back Josh Adams to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Irish coaching staff was tasked with replacing an NFL-caliber rusher with a fairly inexperienced group. The Irish have displayed a dedication to finding their next guy, converting Avery Davis from quarterback to running back while mixing in freshman Jahmir Smith on occasion.
However, it has been Tony Jones Jr. and Jafar Armstrong who have contributed the most so far, rushing for a combined 548 yards on 103 carries. Contributing nearly identically in the passing game, neither Jones nor Armstrong were able to gain separation and claim the starting job for themselves.
While both Jones and Armstrong were certainly serviceable, senior Dexter Williams threw his hat into the ring with a 161-yard performance against Stanford. Williams was certainly the favorite heading into the 2018 season as he fell only one carry shy of qualifying as the nation’s leader in YPC in 2017.
Statistically speaking, Virginia Tech boasts one of the strongest defensive fronts when it comes to limiting opponents in the run game. At the moment, the Hokies limit opposing rushers to an insane 2.6 yards per carry. Establishing a rushing attack on this defense won’t be easy, but the Hokies have yet to face an offense as versatile as this one.