The Virginia Tech Hokies are looking to bounce back this week after a shocking upset loss at home against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, but they'll have to do it on the road against a disappointing but talented Notre Dame team that, at 4-6, must win out to go to a bowl game this season.
While Notre Dame has a whole lot at stake, Virginia Tech will want to avoid their first two-game losing streak of the season while also knowing that a win gives them a good chance to get back into the top 25 next week. With that said, here are our keys to the game for the Hokies against Notre Dame.
Contain The Mobile QB
Virginia Tech has continued to struggle this season to contain mobile quarterbacks and they meet another one this week in Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer who leads Notre Dame with 7 rushing touchdowns, is second in rushing yards with 440 yards on the ground, and is averaging a solid 4.3 yards per carry. Notre Dame likely has seen how mobile quarterbacks have been able to do plenty of damage against Virginia Tech's defense once again this season from Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs to Duke's Daniel Jones. Going into this game, Brian Kelly and Kizer have both likely seen the tape and with conditions set to be less than ideal, both know that this could be a huge advantage for the Notre Dame offense against the Virginia Tech defense. Virginia Tech likely also knows that Notre Dame will look to exploit the Hokies' past issues with stopping a mobile quarterback, and must step up and improve in this area on Saturday. The Hokies will have to improve with keeping Kizer in the pocket and preventing him from breaking containment or chasing him down when he does. Tackling will also be a premium as the Hokies will need to make sure they are effective in wrapping up when Kizer gets his opportunities in space to limit what he does. Guys like Tremaine Edmunds and Andrew Moutapuaka will be critical not only for doing this but also for being decisive in going after Kizer as soon as they see he makes his decision to tuck the ball and run. If the Hokies can find a way to limit what Kizer can do with his legs, the Hokies will be in great shape to get a big win in South Bend.Establish The Running Game
The Virginia Tech Hokies have not been able to have the most success on the ground, but face a Notre Dame defense that hasn't been great this season and is giving up 4.1 yards per carry which isn't too bad but shows that they can be beat there. The Hokies haven't been the most consistent on the ground with featured tailback Travon McMillian having an up-and-down season while struggling to get some rhythm going. McMillian did play well in the one game in which the Hokies played in poor conditions with 17 carries for 76 rushing yards and a touchdown against North Carolina, but Notre Dame's rush defense is better and more talented than North Carolina's. However, the Hokies will need to establish the running game early and often in conditions that will not be ideal for Jerod Evans to attack Notre Dame through the air deep down the field without some extra space for receivers to take advantage of. Now, this doesn't have to all be about McMillian going up the middle but has to be a diverse running game whether it be working the read option with Evans, getting the jet sweep from the slot guys going, or even some speed options with a fake to the tailback and a receiver like Cam Phillips working as the pitch man for Evans. Establishing the running game will be important for Brad Cornelsen and the Virginia Tech offense as it was earlier this season in the hurricane in Chapel Hill. If Virginia Tech can get their rushing attack going as they did in Chapel Hill last month, Virginia Tech's offense will be able to be just as effective and make life very difficult for the Fighting Irish but if Notre Dame can prevent the Hokies from getting their traditional rushing attack going, Jerod Evans and the passing attack will face a huge challenge in poor conditions and also have to rely on a strong defensive performance to get a win in South Bend. The question is can the Hokies get that rushing attack going and have the confident, patient Travon McMillian running the ball as we've seen against Tennessee, North Carolina, and Miami.Don't Overthink the Conditions
Yes, the Hokies absolutely need to be prepared for these difficult conditions as they were when they faced North Carolina during Hurricane Matthew earlier this season. However, the Hokies still can't put too much emphasis on the conditions despite the importance it is for them to be ready for these poor conditions. The conditions will be a factor in this game, but the Hokies can not focus too much on just one unusual element in this game. Last week, Jerod Evans suggested that the Hokies focused too much on how they would have limited opportunities against Georgia Tech, leading them to press some after the Hokies struggled early. https://twitter.com/TheVTZone/status/797591747987697668 This has to be a red flag for the coaching staff and something they'll likely not only addressed but also looked to find a way to better emphasize things like that without trying to have players focus more on things like that than their own gameplan. Isaiah Ford didn't agree with the assessment from Evans on Monday but the fact that your starting quarterback is getting that feel has to be a concern for a coaching staff. While adapting to and handling the weather properly should be emphasized by the coaching staff as they did against North Carolina, they must make sure that they don't end up with players letting the weather getting to their heads and simply not playing football. Now this shouldn't be an issue, but one that the Hokies must make sure that this type of pressing doesn't happen if the Hokies struggle early in the difficult conditions. Stay up with The Tech Lunch Pail via Facebook and Twitter plus subscribe to our email updates for the latest on the Hokies.
You must login in order to comment on this post.
