The Virginia Tech Hokies invade South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 19th. The very first battle between the to schools will go down at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on the NBC Network. As of Thursday, the Fighting Irish are a slight -1 point favorite and the over/under sits at 56.
This contest will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame and Virginia Tech have both played some of the same competition in 2016. So far, Syracuse, Duke and Miami are the three programs they both have faced.
In the three games against common opponents, both Notre Dame and Virginia Tech beat the Miami Hurricanes. Also, the Hokies defeated Duke and lost to Syracuse, and the Fighting Irish trumped Syracuse and got beat by Duke.
Virginia Tech (7-3):
Turnovers have plagued the Hokies over their last two contests. As a result, their offense has stalled and their defense has been on the field for to many possessions. The week prior, Virginia Tech mustered up only a field goal in the second half against Duke. Last week, they also failed to score in the first half against Georgia Tech.
Quarterback Jerod Evans needs to be on point if the Hokies want to pull out a victory in their inaugural match-up against Notre Dame. Evans has certainly done his part to keep Virginia Tech on the right path. In 2016, the Hokie’s signal-caller has thrown for over 2,500 yards with 22 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
The multi-dimensional quarterback is also quite the runner. In fact, Jerod Evans leads the Hokies in rushes with 132 and yards with 608. The outstanding athlete has reached pay-dirt six different times with his feet.
When Jerod Evans isn’t tucking and running the ball himself, he is handing it off to tail back Travon McMillian. In support of Evans, McMillian has 123 carries for 566 yards and another four trips to the end zone.
Two wide receivers have done most of the dirty work for Virginia Tech this season. Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips have reeled-in over 100 catches for over 1,400 and have nine touchdowns to show for their efforts. Tight end Bucky Hodges has been outstanding this year. The 6’7 250 pound mountain-of-a-man, has also caught 35 passes from Evans for over 500 yards and five more scores.
Defensively, the Hokies have been pretty darn good in 2016. They rank well into the bottom half of the FBS in four of the five major defensive categories. Virginia Tech is 15th in the nation in total yards allowed (329), 14th in the country against the pass (184.9) and 24th in points allowed, surrendering only 21 a contest.
Notre Dame (4-6):
In the Fighting Irish’s 44-6 win over the Army Black Knights, DeShone Kizer was 17 of 28 through the air for 209 yards with an interception before Malik Zaire took over for the fourth quarter.
When Kizer plays well, he plays very well. When the kid-under-center doesn’t, you get games like last weeks. As a whole, Kizer has racked-up almost 2,500 threw the air with 22 scores and eight picks.
The Fighting Irish like to stay balance on offense, so when they run the rock they look to tail back Josh Adams to produce. This year, he as amassed 653 yards and three touchdowns. DeShone Kizer is also a threat with his feet. The Notre Dame quarterback has another 440 yards via the ground and a team-high seven more trips to the back of the end zone.
DeShone Kizer isn’t afraid to spread the ball around to multiple receivers. Four wide outs have pitched-in for 125 catches for nearly 2,000 yards and 17 scores. Equanimeous St. Brown leads this group with 45 grabs for 777 yards and eight touchdowns. As a side note, wide receiver Torri Hunter Jr. is listed as questionable for this match-up with a bum knee.
Notre Dames defense has been a work in progress in 2016. They are improving, posting the 47th ranking in the nation for points allowed (25). They’re secondary is especially tough against quarterbacks, allowing only 188 yards per game through the air. That stat is good enough for 15th in the nation.
Trends and Notes:
The Hokies are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Fighting Irish are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.
The Over is 12-2 in the Hokies last 14 non-conference games.
The Under is 5-0 in the Fighting Irish last 5 games overall.
Game Prediction:
This gridiron battle is difficult to predict. Will Notre Dame revert back to their old ways, giving up big plays on defense? Or will Virginia Tech finally get back to moving the ball effectively against opposing opposition?
Considering that the Fighting Irish need to basically win out to reach a bowl, they should find ways to score against a Virginia Tech defense that was gashed by Georgia Tech last weekend.
I also like the fact that both quarterbacks can throw the ball down field effectively and move the chains with their feet. That alone, is enough for bettors to take the over 56 in this first-ever contest between these two struggling schools. As for the victor, well take your pick in this -1 point coin flip.
