Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 21, 2016 39 yards allowed per game (201.7), 22nd in yards per attempt allowed (6.3), 12th in pass efficiency defense (106.7 rating) and 21st in the country in touchdown passes allowed (10). Virginia Tech also ranked 34th nationally in inter- ceptions (10) and 38th in sacks per game (2.56). Fifth-year senior end Ken Ekanum, Edmunds and Baron were the Hokies top pass rushers during that stretch, each registering 4.5 sacks. Ekanum led the team with seven quarterback hurries, while Edmunds and Baron combined for 10 more. Redshirt sophomore rover Terrell Edmunds and junior cornerback Greg Stroman each picked off three passes during the first nine games. The one area of trouble for Virginia Tech has been its penchant for giving up the big plays, which is why the Hokies ranked 80th nationally in yards per completion allowed (12.7). Like its run defense, the Hokies pass defense has been wildly inconsistent. It held four of its first five opponents to 91 yards or less. Syracuse shredded Virginia Tech through the air to the tune of 405 yards in its 31-17 upset victory, while East Carolina passed for 362 yards and Miami threw for 323 yards against the Hokies. Notre Dame's aerial attack has been the best part of its 2016 offense, ranking 40th nationally in yards per game through the team's first nine con- tests. The Irish were also 23rd in yards per comple- tion (13.9) and 29th in yards per attempt (8.2). Junior quarterback DeShone Kizer ranked 21st nationally in touchdown passes (21), 23rd in pass efficiency (149.5) and 32nd in passing yards (2,261). Sophomore wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown led the Irish with 42 receptions, 745 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches in the first nine games, while senior Torii Hunter Jr. chipped in 38 receptions for 521 yards. Notre Dame passed for just 208 combined yards in back-to-back losses to North Carolina State and Stanford, but also produced 471 yards in a win over Syracuse and 381 yards in a loss to Duke. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Both the Hokies and Irish are middle of the road in most categories, but the matchup of Notre Dame's No. 32 ranked punt return unit and Virginia Tech's 20th ranked punt return defense could be exciting to watch. The Hokies ranked 37th nationally in kick return defense, 63rd in punt returns and 85th in kick re- turns through nine games. Junior kicker Joey Slye ranks second in school history with 60 made field goals and was 17 of 22 through nine games this season, though just 1 of 5 from beyond 40 yards. Notre Dame ranked 40th in kick returns and 51st in kick coverage. Sophomore kicker Justin Yoon was 11 of 14 through nine games despite starting the season just 4 of 7. The issue for Notre Dame is not its rankings, although its 124th ranked punt coverage team has been troubling. What has been an issue is the constant mistakes that result in points. During a stretch that started with Michigan State and ended with Navy, the Irish special teams either allowed a touchdown directly or made a mistake that led to a touchdown on the following posses- sion in each contest. Advantage: Virginia Tech COACHING Fuente went 26-23 in four seasons at Memphis, which was his first head coaching position. In his final two seasons, though, he led the Tigers to a 19-6 record, including wins over Ole Miss and Kansas in 2015. He has been able to quickly get the Hokies on track with a 7-2 start. In the four years prior to his arrival, Virginia Tech won just seven games three times and never more than eight. The Hokies are on pace for their best season since 2011, when they went 11-3 and advanced to the Sugar Bowl. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster is in his 22nd season in charge of Virginia Tech's defense. His attacking style could present problems for a Notre Dame offense that has had trouble protecting its quarterback this season, and one that has had is- sues with similar defenses in recent seasons. Notre Dame's coaching staff has had a great deal of success prior to the 2016 season. Unfortunately, it has failed to push the right buttons this season, which has significantly factored into the team's 3-6 start to the season. Advantage: Virginia Tech INTANGIBLES Notre Dame is a reeling football team that has yet to show it can consistently make enough plays to win games. Its first six losses all came by eight points or less, so the Irish know how to compete and stay in games. However, Notre Dame could only win one of the seven games when it needed a fourth-quarter comeback. Virginia Tech stubbed its toe against Syracuse Oct. 15, losing the game 31-17. It bounced back with a 37-16 thrashing of Miami and back-to- back road wins over Pittsburgh and Duke, a pair of games the Hokies needed to close out late. Virginia Tech went 3-1 in true road games during its 7-2 start to the season, and Fuente's squad will enter this contest confident in its ability to come out victorious. Advantage: Virginia Tech GAME PREVIEW: VIRGINIA TECH Offense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. WR 1 Isaiah Ford 6-2 195 Jr. 15 Jaylen Bradshaw 6-1 202 R-So. WR 5 Cam Phillips 6-0 199 Jr. 86 C.J. Carroll 5-8 167 R-So. LT 69 Yosuah Nijman 6-7 300 So. 79 Tyrell Smith 6-3 295 R-Fr. LG 57 Wyatt Teller 6-5 308 R-Jr. 58 Colt Pettit 6-3 298 R-So. C 64 Eric Gallo 6-2 295 Jr. 61 Kyle Chung 6-3 290 R-Jr. RG 72 Augie Conte 6-6 305 5th-Sr. 74 Braxton Pfaff 6-5 293 R-So. RT 71 J. McLaughlin 6-5 294 Sr. 67 Parker Osterloh 6-8 326 R-Jr. TE 85 Chris Cunningham 6-2 236 R-Fr. 82 Xavier Burke 6-3 255 R-Fr. WR 7 Bucky Hodges 6-7 245 R-Jr. 88 Divine Deablo 6-3 208 Fr. QB 4 Jerod Evans 6-3 238 Jr. 9 Brenden Motley 6-4 230 5th-Sr. or 17 Josh Jackson 6-1 211 Fr. RB 45 Sam Rodgers 5-11 230 Sr. 34 Travon McMillan 6-0 205 R-So. Defense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. RDE 4 Ken Ekanem 6-3 260 5th-Sr. 94 Trevon Hill 6-3 240 R-Fr. NT 60 Woody Baron 6-2 280 Sr. 98 Ricky Walker 6-2 282 R-So. DT 8 Nigel Williams 6-2 297 5th-Sr. 97 Tim Settle 6-3 328 R-Fr. LDE 99 Vinny Mihota 6-5 264 R-So. 43 Seth Dooley 6-5 252 R-Jr. Whip 6 Mook Reynolds 6-0 183 So. 24 Anthony Shegog 6-2 213 R-Jr. MLB 54 Andrew Motuapuaka 6-0 233 R-Jr. 56 Sean Huelskamp 6-1 222 R-Jr. LOLB 49 Tremaine Edmonds 6-5 236 So. 14 Tavante Beckett 5-10 214 Fr. RCB 3 Greg Stroman 6-0 180 Jr. or 36 Adonis Alexander 6-3 193 So. FS 19 Chuck Clark 6-0 205 Sr. 23 Der'Woun Greene 5-10 196 5th-Sr. Rover 22 Terrell Edmunds 6-2 210 R-So. 20 Deon Newsome 5-11 193 R-Jr. LCB 31 Brandon Facyson 6-2 197 R-Jr. 36 Adonis Alexander 6-3 193 So. VIRGINIA TECH DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PK 46 Joey Slye 5-11 210 Jr. 93 Brian Johnson 6-1 161 Fr. P 90 Mitchell Ludwig 5-11 198 R-Jr. 46 Joey Slye 5-11 210 Jr. KO 46 Joey Slye 5-11 210 Jr. 93 Brian Johnson 6-1 161 Fr. H 89 Wright Bynum 6-4 233 R-Fr. 86 C.J. Carroll 5-8 167 R-So. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. LS 87 Colton Taylor 6-1 220 R-Jr. 89 Wright Bynum 6-4 233 R-Fr. PR 3 Greg Stroman 6-0 180 Jr. 86 C.J. Carroll 5-8 167 R-So. KR 3 Greg Stroman 6-0 180 Jr. 23 Der'Woun Greene 5-10 196 5th-Sr. Special Teams