by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Oct 05, 2021
Game time: 7:30 p.m., October 9, 2021
Venue: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA
Where to watch: ACC Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Virginia Tech -1
BetMGM: Notre Dame +1
Caesars: Notre Dame +1
Season record
No. 14 Notre Dame: 4-1
Virginia Tech: 3-1
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Notre Dame - Virginia Tech preview and analysis
Recent form
Notre Dame: lost 24-13 vs. No. 5 Cincinnati
Virginia Tech: won 21-10 vs. Richmond
There’s no law outside of South Bend that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are required to win after a tough loss.
So by unofficial decree, it should be noted that the Virginia Tech Hokies will return to their ranked ways after this weekend when they take down the Irish in Blacksburg on Saturday.
The Hokies are coming into this week off a disappointing 21-10 win at home against the Richmond Spiders, one week after losing their first game of the season against the West Virginia Mountaineers by six.
Virginia Tech (-29) surely didn’t cover against the FCS squad, but anything would’ve helped after that dud in Morgantown two weeks ago. The Hokies went from lighting the world on fire after the upset of the North Carolina Tar Heels in Week 1 to suddenly unranked in the blink of an eye.
Braxton Burmeister played a relatively clean game, throwing for 212 yards and a touchdown, but the Virginia Tech running game is what surprisingly struggled against the Spiders. Virginia Tech combined for 106 yards on 33 carries and only one touchdown; a 2-yard scamper from Connor Blumrick that pushed the lead to the 11-point final with 5:08 remaining in the third quarter.
The Virginia Tech defense did its job in holding Richmond to just 237 total yards of offense despite the Spiders having a 6:03 edge in time of possession. Richmond also didn’t turn it over. All in all, a very weird game.
Not as weird as it’s looking for Notre Dame right now. It was only a matter of time before the Fighting Irish would drop a game this year, and it came last week against a very good Cincinnati Bearcats team by 11 at home. The four-game homestand for Notre Dame ended up being like the Goofy’s Sky School ride at Disneyland (we’ll call that Wisconsin game a home game for logistic purposes).
Notre Dame went 3-1, but narrowly escaped against Toledo, won by two touchdowns against Purdue and holding that offense in check, and then the four-score win over the Badgers in the Shamrock Series.
But after the loss to the now-fifth ranked team in the country, there are those calling for leading passer Jack Coan to now be benched for the rest of the year in favor of talented freshman Drew Pyne. The Connecticut native went 9 of 22 for 143 yards and a touchdown against Cincinnati at Notre Dame Stadium; a far cry from the 75 percent clip against Wisconsin the week prior when Coan went down with an injury. Coan was 14 of 22 for 114 yards and an interception against Cincy.
The problem for Notre Dame, as has been the case for most of this season, is stopping talented quarterbacks. Desmond Ridder threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way, while leading receiver Alec Pierce torched the Notre Dame defense for six receptions for 144 yards.
Notre Dame was held to 84 rushing yards on 28 carries, while Michael Mayer was the only Irish receiver to have more than four receptions.
Prediction
I’d call last week just a mental letdown for Virginia Tech. There was no way they were going to lose to Richmond, but it wasn’t a surprise they didn’t cover. They’ll be up for the challenge against a ranked Notre Dame team. Also keep this in mind: Notre Dame is likely starting a freshman quarterback, on the road, in Blacksburg, at night, with Enter Sandman blaring. A win for Pyne would be one of the biggest moments in Notre Dame history. Not today. Virginia Tech by 13
Betting trends
Notre Dame is 1-2 this season against the spread as a favorite and 13-10 in its last 23. Straight up, the Irish have won their last 23 in a row as a favorite. At the very worst, Notre Dame is a solid moneyline pick.
Virginia Tech is 3-1 in its last four ATS as a home dog. Straight up, the Hokies are 12-4 in their last 16 home games.
Players to watch
Notre Dame: Running back Kyren Williams is going to need to play much better in taking the pressure off Pyne should he start. Williams had only 45 yards on 13 carries and had a touchdown last week.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies defense has been strong since the UNC game in shutting down Sam Howell, and expect Jermaine Waller to play a big part in that. Waller leads the Hokies with three interceptions this season.
Statistical leaders
Notre Dame:
Passing: Jack Coan -- 1,100 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Kyren Williams -- 289 yards, 3 TD
Receiving: Michael Mayer -- 360 yards, 3 TD
Virginia Tech:
Passing: Braxton Burmeister -- 746 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jalen Holston -- 159 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Tre Turner -- 250 yards, 1 TD
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
