Game Thread | No. 9 Notre Dame at Virginia

No. 9 Notre Dame (8-1) at Virginia (6-3) 

Scott Stadium | 7:30 p.m. ET | ABC | Notre Dame -6 | O/U: 63

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Shootout in Charlottesville (maybe)

If Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong plays (and can stay in the game), Saturday night could be with offense as Notre Dame and Virginia meet. And if Armstrong can’t go, it could be an interesting night as the Cavaliers are more than capable of scoring points with explosive playmakers and a plethora of personnel groupings. 

Notre Dame will need to continue to build on the growth in the run game over the last month as Virginia is one of the worst run defenses in the country. It's worth noting Virginia is coming off a bye week (like every ACC opponent Notre Dame faces) so there will be wrinkles the Irish will work through early. 

On defense, Notre Dame will need to force a couple turnovers and stop the run no matter who is the quarterback. 

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame RB Logan Diggs 
With the way Virginia struggles to stop the run, this might be a game where more than just Kyren Williams gets to eat. It would be a smart idea to take the over for Digg's rushing yards. 

Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong
Will he or won't he play? If he plays, will he or won't he run with broken ribs? Virginia needs him to keep their excellent offense humming.

Notre Dame WR Lorenzo Styles
With Avery Davis out for the season, Styles is moving to the slot and should see more targets after only being thrown to once last week. 

Virginia WR Keytaon Thompson
The former quarterback at Mississippi State is a jack-of-all-trades for Virginia. He'll be running the ball in the Wildcat and is great at breaking tackles after the catch.

Notre Dame DE Isaiah Foskey
Foskey has been the best pass rusher for the Irish and they need him to hit home again in this game. Turnovers could play a big role and he's been great at forcing fumbles when he arrives at the quarterback.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame QB Tyler Buchner: 
“I think he (High School OC Danny Mitchell) had a lot of the tempo stuff we’re doing and a lot of the zone-read scheme. It's football at the end of the day. A lot of the same concepts and general things, but this is at a much higher level.” 

Notre Dame OL Joe Alt:
"I started off my junior year at 220. I didn't know if I would be tight end or tackle. I started hearing tackle, so my main focus was to put on the weight, but properly. It couldn't be just eating. I had to lift and run. 

"It was about making sure I keeping the proper amount lifting and running ratio going and at the same time eating the right foods to put on muscle as much as possible. It was getting it in four days a week running, lifting and eating properly." 

Notre Dame DL Jacob Lacey:
"It's a matter of finally playing as a unit," Lacey said. "We have great players from the first guy to the third guy. Playing from the front to the safeties to the linebackers, we have guys who can make plays and who have been waiting to make plays." 

Notre Dame LB Drew White: 
"We have to stay disciplined," explained White. "They have a lot of motions and personnel. They have a lot of different looks and they're pretty unique in that. There aren't very many college football teams that really do that. 

"It's really about the fundamentals, communicating, making sure you're on your guy, block destruction and tackling. A lot of carryover from what we needed to fix from UNC. For our defense, it's like a revenge game. We're trying to sharpen our tools." 

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly:
”Kyle Hamilton is not ready to play. Let me be really clear on this because I think there is a bunch of narratives out there about Kyle. Kyle is not cleared medically to play. 

"Once he's cleared medically to play, he has every intention of playing. He just hasn't been cleared yet. Once our doctors give him the clearance - he's done everything that we've asked him to do. 

"I just want to make sure it's clear this isn't a young man that doesn't want to play, he's protecting himself for the NFL Draft or a bunch of that stuff. 

"Here's a guy that's in the weight room. He's doing all the things that an engaged captain of our football team would do, but he's not cleared right now. He's dealing with an injury that takes time and it's taken more time. When our medical people clear him, he'll be back. 

"I just wanted to be really clear as to what his situation is, so we don't have false narratives out there about what his intention is. He's been a great teammate and captain. We're really pleased with his engagement and everything he's doing. I hope that's crystal clear to everybody so we can move forward there." 

For Your Nerves