The Virginia Tech football team welcomes mighty Notre Dame to Lane Stadium on Saturday night as part of Week 6 action. The Hokies (3-1) are coming off a bye week and extra time to prepare for the Irish (4-1), who just suffered their first loss of the season, falling 24-13 to Cincinnati last Saturday.
The Hokies are expecting a sold out crowd for this one before the hosts return to the thick of their ACC schedule.
Here’s everything to know:
Where to watch?
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game will air on the ACC Network.
What to know about VT
With an extra week of preparation, expect them to be ready. This comes after an underwhelming win over Richmond two weeks ago where the team looked far from sharp. But with the team in good health and looking to deliver another big win at home, they should be ready to roll, especially defensively. The Hokies’ ability to get after the quarterback will be key here, so expect Justin Hamiltin to dial up a bunch of different looks, especially if the Irish end up having to use multiple quarterbacks. This is a game that can set the Hokies up nicely to resume ACC play, or it could be one of those weekends where the team fails to meet high expectations once again. This could be the turning point in the season, either in a positive or a negative sense. The pressure is on.
What to know about Notre Dame
They are at a gut-check point in their season after being humbled by the Bearcats, and what’s even more complicating is facing the Hokies in Lane Stadium at night with an uncertain quarterback situation. Back-up Drew Pyne is expected to start as starter Jack Coan sprained his ankle two weeks back in that 41-13 win over Wisconsin. Even third-string quarterback Tyler Buchner has played, but coach Brian Kelly won’t publicly say who is starting yet, despite saying that he knows who it will be. Perhaps that is just a tactic to make the Hokies prepare a bit extra on the defensive side, but the Irish know they are going to need to likely win out to sniff the playoffs, so any mind games to get an advantage must be used.
Prediction
The Hokies get another big win at home, using a big defensive stop late to top the Irish.
Virginia Tech 24, Notre Dame 20
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