Game Thread | No. 14 Notre Dame at Virginia Tech

No. 14 Notre Dame (4-1) at Virginia Tech (3-1) 

Lane Stadium | 7:30 p.m. ET | ACC Network | Virginia Tech -0.5 | O/U: 47

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Enter QB1 

All eyes will be on Notre Dame’s quarterback position as Brian Kelly hasn’t publicly announced a starter for Saturday night’s game at Virginia Tech. 

Jack Coan provides experience and the deep ball, while Drew Pyne gives the Irish offense more mobility and has been a boost of energy off the bench. That said, no matter who starts at quarterback, the Notre Dame offensive line needs to build off last weekend’s second half performance. It wasn't perfect, but there were signs of life from Jeff Quinn's unit. 

If the Irish can't find a running game in Blacksburg, it could be an interesting night as most of the season has been. Finding a run is critical for Notre Dame and they'll have a chance to make a statement as the Irish have their backs against the wall. 

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame DE Isaiah Foskey
Virginia Tech has some questions at the tackle spot and this could be an opportunity for Foskey to once again feast as a pass rusher.

Virginia Tech WR Tre Turner
His numbers are down this year, but he's a monster on contested catches. This shouldn't be a situation where he is single covered very often.

Notre Dame's QB1
Will it be Coan? Will it be Pyne? It sounds like Coan might get the nod because of experience. If the offense isn't better, the coaching staff is going to be under a lot of heat no matter who the pick is.

Virginia Tech LB Dax Hollifield
If Notre Dame's backs get too caught up trying to help the offensive line this week, Hollifield is going to be a problem. He's a very good blitzer with three sacks on the season.

Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer
He's not going to be 100% for this game, but is expected to play. If he's not making an impact, that puts a lot of pressure on Notre Dame's receivers to step up. Mayer has more than double the amount of receptions than the second-leading receiver on the team.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame RB Chris Tyree: 
”One thing learned from the game this past week was our love for each other and love for the game," said Tyree. "I think that coming out in the second half, we showed a lot of resilience, a lot of fight and just being able to build off of that for the rest of the season is what we're looking forward to."

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly on Marcus Freeman:
"He's got a great relationship with his players. Anytime a new coach comes in, I think it's about developing relationships, which he began that process in the spring and continues to build that throughout the season. 

"It's about consistency, relationships, trust and our process and delivering it consistently on a week-to-week basis. 

"I sit in all of the team meetings on defense and I get a chance to listen to him talk to the entire unit. He's on point. There's a good rapport. There's great camaraderie and really good morale. We're still building. We're at about the halfway point of year one with Marcus Freeman leading this defense. Stay tuned. There's going to be some good stuff to follow." 

Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente:
“The thing I took away from the Cincinnati game with Notre Dame is that every inch, every piece of turf is going to be hard-fought for. It’s going to be really difficult. Four yards is a big deal. We have to be emotionally prepared for that sort of game.”

For Your Nerves