Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 NOV. 13, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: VIRGINIA BY TODD D. BURLAGE VIRGINIA RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE An ongoing struggle for sixth-year Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall remains finding and maintaining success with a more traditional run- ning game. Using wildcat formations, gadget plays and run- pass option looks, the Cavaliers' quarterbacks have accounted for more than half of the team's rushing yards in 2020. A by-committee approach is the strategy this season with five different players — a mix of quar- terbacks, tailbacks and athletes — averaging more than 20 rushing yards per game. Virginia ranked 85th nationally in rushing offense with 144.2 yards per game through Oct. 30. Senior tailback Wayne Taulapapa — who paced the Cavaliers running backs in 2020 with 395 rush- ing yards — leads the quintet with 36.3 yards per game. Five different Virginia players also have at least two rushing scores. Junior quarterback Brennan Armstrong leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns and is second with 271 rushing yards. A dangerous dual-threat player in the mold of North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, Arm- strong led the team in both passing and rushing yards last season, even with some down time be- cause of injury. Because of his versatility and ath- leticism, Armstrong is often compared to former BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, now a utility player with the New Orleans Saints. The Cavaliers returned four starting offensive linemen, including guard Chris Glaser, an All-ACC honorable mention pick last season. For Notre Dame, a unit that struggled to stop the run early this season was showing steady improve- ment until it was gashed for 223 rushing yards by North Carolina Oct. 30, with Howell doing a lot of damage with 101 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Irish entered their game against Navy allow- ing 136.8 rushing yards per game, which was 48th best in the nation. Junior linebacker JD Bertrand has fallen off of his pace to record 100 tackles this season, but still easily leads the Irish in stops with 71 through eight contests. Advantage: Notre Dame VIRGINIA PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE This is where Virginia shines brightest. Armstrong is a 6-2, 215-pound talented and tough athlete, who's already thrown for 3,557 yards this season and accounts for 425.3 yards of total offense per game. Armstrong, who has 27 touchdown passes and eight interceptions, ranked first in the ACC and second nationally heading into November with 395.2 passing yards per game. He's thrown for at least 300 yards in eight of nine starts this season, and four times he's eclipsed the 400-yard mark, including a season-high 554 yards against North Carolina Sept. 18. The left-handed quarterback suffered an appar- ent rib injury on his throwing side in the fourth quarter of Virginia's 66-49 loss at BYU. His avail- ability against the Irish remains uncertain as the Cavaliers entered their bye week Nov. 6. Senior wide receiver Billy Kemp IV — a 2020 All-ACC honorable mention selection — leads the Cavaliers with 59 catches and has six touchdown grabs. With 51 receptions, do-it-all senior athlete Keytaon Thompson is another valuable receiving option for Armstrong, and so is 6-7, 275-pound graduate student tight end Jelani Woods, who has 446 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. All three of the aforementioned are danger- ous targets, but sophomore Dontayvion Wicks is the game-breaking Virginia receiver to watch. Through Oct. 30, Wicks ranked second in the ACC and ninth in the country with 108.0 receiving yards per game. Wicks' nine touchdown receptions also slot him in the top 10 nationally. Most notably, Wicks is piling up his impressive numbers on only 4.8 receptions per game — a 23.1 yards-per-catch average. Notre Dame was tied for sixth in the country with 12 total interceptions in through Oct. 30 and was 26th in team sacks at 2.75 per game. With a pass-reliant offense, Virginia's 2.89 sacks allowed per game ranked 109th nationally heading into November. Advantage: Virginia NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. VIRGINIA RUN DEFENSE Following the oft-documented struggles early this season, the Notre Dame offensive line and junior running back Kyren Williams are finally hit- ting their stride, big time. In consecutive victories against Virginia Tech, USC and North Carolina, Williams tallied 418 total rushing yards, which includes a monster 199-yard performance against North Carolina that was high- lighted by a spectacular 91-yard touchdown run. On PaPer Senior wide receiver Billy Kemp IV, who was an All-ACC honorable mention selection in 2020, leads the Cavaliers with 59 catches and has six receiving touchdowns through nine games this season. PHOTO COURTESY VIRGINIA ATHLETICS