Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 SEPT. 30, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED but he has given up some receptions that he's probably pretty frustrated by." Another notable Virginia defensive back is 5-10, 185-pound junior free safety Brenton Nelson, who is a for- mer ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. He also moves to safety when Virginia plays nickel, which the team does often against certain passing teams. MATCHUP WITH NOTRE DAME The game between Notre Dame and Virginia Sept. 28 should be a top- 25 matchup and quite possibly rival USC for the biggest home game for the Irish all year. Coming off an emotional road trip to Athens, Ga., makes it tricky to pre- dict how the Irish will play in the game. Early in the year, Notre Dame had some issues containing mo- bile quarterbacks, such as Louis- ville's Jawon Pass at Louisville and New Mexico's Sheriron Jones. But neither was able to hurt the Irish too much because they are limited passers. That will not be the case with Perkins. "He can turn a busted play into something and there's no prepara- tion for that," Franklin said. Franklin also believes that Men- denhall has built such a strong cul- ture within the program that they won't be caught up in the glitz and glamour of playing at Notre Dame Stadium for the first time. Crucial to Notre Dame will be if Book can stay calm in the pocket, even as Virginia sends multiple line- backers after him. If he does and finds the open man, it could be a long day for the Cavaliers. "It comes down to Ian Book mak- ing good decisions," Franklin said. "Virginia is going to put you in a spot where they're going to make you beat them. They're not going to concede much and they're going to make you make plays. "If Book is sharp, Notre Dame probably wins the game." Most likely, this will be a closely contested matchup between two well-coached teams with experi- enced quarterbacks. In those type of games, anything can happen. ✦ GAME PREVIEW: VIRGINIA Senior cornerback Bryce Hall, who earned second-team All-America honors a year ago, leads the Cavaliers' defense. For his career, he has 37 passes defended and five interceptions, though no picks yet in 2019. PHOTO COURTESY VIRGINIA MEDIA RELATIONS 2019 VIRGINIA SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 at Pittsburgh W, 30-14 Sep. 6 William & Mary W, 52-17 Sep. 14 Florida State W, 31-24 Sep. 21 Old Dominion W, 28-17 Sep. 28 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Miami (ESPN) 8 p.m. Oct. 19 Duke TBA Oct. 26 at Louisville TBA Nov. 2 at North Carolina TBA Nov. 9 Georgia Tech TBA Nov. 23 Liberty TBA Nov. 29 Virginia Tech (ABC/ESPN) TBA 2019 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 at Louisville W, 35-17 Sept. 14 New Mexico W, 66-14 Sept. 21 at Georgia L, 23-17 Sept. 28 Virginia (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 5 Bowling Green (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 12 USC* (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at Michigan (ABC/ESPN) TBA Nov. 2 Virginia Tech (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Duke (ACCN) TBA Nov. 16 Navy (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 23 Boston College (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at Stanford TBA * This will be the Irish Wear Green contest, with fans encouraged to dress in green ACCN — ACC Network