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Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from road victory against Virginia

By Dante Pryor

Nov 6, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly leads players onto the field before the game against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly leads players onto the field before the game against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

3. The Irish are hitting their stride at the right time.

Notre Dame football’s loss to Cincinnati highlighted their injury issues. Tackle had been a turnstile as the Irish could not stay healthy at the position. It began with tackle Blake Fisher to start the season. The Avon High School product was slated to be the first true freshman to tackle in school history before an ACL injury took him out for the season.

Blake’s replacement, Michael Carmody has been in and out of the lineup because of injuries. It has taken most of the season to get the correct offensive line combination, but the Irish have it right. The running game has found its stride.

The Irish are averaging 207 yards in their last five games after running for 87 combined yards against Wisconsin and Cincinnati.

Wide receivers Avery Davis and Joe Wilkins were both lost for the season with injuries against Cincinnati. Young receivers Lorenzo Styles and Deion Colzie have contributed in the absence of Notre Dame’s veteran receivers.

Most important, Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees seemed to have settled on playing Jack Coan and only Jack Coan at quarterback. Deciding on one quarterback no matter what has yielded dividends for the Irish offense.

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