Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from statement win over Virginia Tech

1. The Irish offense is at its best when it’s dynamic

With Wimbush under center, one of the most substantiated knocks against the Irish offense was their one-dimensional play. Wimbush had the ability to run circles around opponents with a dominant offensive line, but couldn’t get it done when opponents such as Miami and Stanford forced him to beat them through the the air.

The reintegration of running back Dexter Williams into the offense has given the Irish an additional boost, particularly in last week’s matchup with Stanford. However, the Irish run game was nonexistent in the first half of their matchup with Virginia Tech. Williams would again give the offense life with a 97-yard run, but the overall inefficiency of the run game put the Irish in a rough spot.

It was no secret that this matchup would be the toughest test of the Irish run game so far. If the injury to left guard Alex Bars wasn’t enough, the Irish would be coming into Blacksburg to face off against one of the nation’s top run defenses. While Book picked apart the defense early, the Hokies were able to dedicate more personnel to coverage with little threat from the run game.

The Irish were finally able to manufacture some breathing room after Williams’ long run, highlighting the effectiveness of maintaining a strong presence on the ground. The schedule gets a little easier from here on out, but Notre Dame can’t get complacent in relying on Book to get it done alone.