Oct 6 | Virginia Tech

[dad4aa]

Here's a fun fact for the upcoming game against Notre Dame:
Since Lane Stadium opened on Oct 2, 1965, 69 different teams have played against the #Hokies. The Irish will be the 70th team making their first appearance. @VT_Football is 51-16-2 against 1st time opponents in Lane.

That's not a fun fact

 

[T-Boone]

We're going to win by 20, minimum. They're bad. Have you actually WATCHED any of their games? They're nowhere near our level. They're going to end up an 8-4 team in a terrible ACC.

This is probably what BK was telling the players all week leading up to Miami last year.

 

[IrishLax]

*Flashes back to Miami 2017*

Exactly. That Miami team last year was overrated garbage and we still got stomped because of the environment.

It's hard to say what Tech is, because all their games have been wacky. That ODU game was a crazy aberration. That FSU game was borderline silly with how many mistakes FSU made. William & Mary is a fake team.

They basically have one data point for their current team... a throttling of a mediocre Duke team... which suggests they're a solid team with some talent. Even in that game, they couldn't run the ball worth half a damn with their RBs. They are entirely reliant on big passing plays to move the ball.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

I caught a good bit of that Duke game.

Duke looked slower than any Weis defense I ever saw.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Dizzyphil]

ND opened -3

within 5 minutes ND -4.5

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Notable Week 6 College Football Lines:<br>FSU @ Mia -13.5<br>ND @ VaTech +4.5<br>Aub @ MissSt +3.5<br>Ala @ Ark +35<br>Tex @ Okla -7.5<br>UtSt @ BYU -1.5<br>UW @ UCLA +21<br>LSU @ Fla +2.5<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SportsBetting?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SportsBetting</a><br><br>🏈📈 ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/3gv6VSRDds">https://t.co/3gv6VSRDds</a> <a href="https://t.co/qpjq7n6Grv">pic.twitter.com/qpjq7n6Grv</a></p>— SBR Sports Picks (@SBRSportsPicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBRSportsPicks/status/1046499678580346880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Irish#1]

We're going to win by 20, minimum. They're bad. Have you actually WATCHED any of their games? They're nowhere near our level. They're going to end up an 8-4 team in a terrible ACC.

I don't know about 20, but I'm with you on winning. It will be a charged atmosphere, but to think this team doesn't remember the Miami game is foolish.

VT's offense isn't that good and this will be the best D they will have faced. VT's D is their strength, but our O is getting better every game. I can see this playing out similar to the Stanford game,

 

[Old Man Mike]

Do not underestimate the toughness of playing VT in Blacksburg. There is nothing in the rational universe which can explain the Old Dominion game, so I suggest we pretend that it didn't happen. Without that whackjob, it is still possible to believe that Bud Foster will have a Bud Foster defense ready. That plus the stadium atmosphere (I've been there; it can be jolting) could easily make this a close game.

But, unless they have a hidden Book on their bench, I don't think they can move the ball much on us. And if Ian stays turnover free, we will score some. So.. a lunchpail win. VT has that beat-up old lunchpail tradition for a reason. This time we will carry the lunchpail home.

 

[NDShark]

Do not underestimate the toughness of playing VT in Blacksburg. There is nothing in the rational universe which can explain the Old Dominion game, so I suggest we pretend that it didn't happen. Without that whackjob, it is still possible to believe that Bud Foster will have a Bud Foster defense ready. That plus the stadium atmosphere (I've been there; it can be jolting) could easily make this a close game.

But, unless they have a hidden Book on their bench, I don't think they can move the ball much on us. And if Ian stays turnover free, we will score some. So.. a lunchpail win. VT has that beat-up old lunchpail tradition for a reason. This time we will carry the lunchpail home.

Agreed on the ODU game. Treat it as RAT POISON!

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

It’s a road game so yeah... but besides that I’ve seen nothing from them to get overly worked up about and I see an actually legit defense in our boys. Aside from chasing by shadows with our history, I think we should be good here...

A solid defense tends to travel a lot more effectively than teams who lean more on the offensive side of the ball.

If our defense can keep us in the ball game, hopefully they'll buy enough time for our offense to break the game open, a la OU 2012 as opposed to Miami U 2017.

 

[GowerND11]

A solid defense tends to travel a lot more effectively than teams who lean more on the offensive side of the ball.

If our defense can keep us in the ball game, hopefully they'll buy enough time for our offense to break the game open, a la OU 2012 as opposed to Miami U 2017.

Definitely agree. I would love to see a scenario like this past week with them getting the ball first, and our D forcing a 3 and out. Only difference, is then marching down and scoring a TD to start. Take the air out of that crowd a bit.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Biggest question for me is how quickly our OL can gel with the various lineups. That is a big question mark moving forward.

 

[koonja]

Biggest question for me is how quickly our OL can gel with the various lineups. That is a big question mark moving forward.

I think they'll gel quickly. Rhuland is a veteran and is smart and knows his stuff by all accounts. But we are not out that punishing, pulling guard that creates a hole for RBs to really get loose on.

Hoping Aaron Banks gets some PT and takes over that role because he has the size and strength to do that, but my guess is Rhuland takes over and I hope he kills it.

 

[wizards8507]

I remember your extreme confidence going into Miami last year too. This is concerning...

Was I? I had extreme confidence going into USC and NC State, I don't remember what I thought about Miami.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Here is the Miami thread from last year if people are genuinely curious.

I admit the runup to Virginia Tech this week feels similar to the runup to Miami last year. Hopefully the lesson of the Miami game means it will be different for the players.

http://www.irishenvy.com/forums/notre-dame-football/313620-nov-11-miami-fl.html

 

[Dizzyphil]

Biggest question for me is how quickly our OL can gel with the various lineups. That is a big question mark moving forward.

I think they'll gel quickly. Rhuland is a veteran and is smart and knows his stuff by all accounts. But we are not out that punishing, pulling guard that creates a hole for RBs to really get loose on.

Hoping Aaron Banks gets some PT and takes over that role because he has the size and strength to do that, but my guess is Rhuland takes over and I hope he kills it.

Any word on Gibbons and his production?? I know he played some in the Wake game and was 2017 scout team's best on offense. I assume he would be ready to go JIC.

 

[SouthernIndianaNDFan]

I hope we don't come into this one gassed/flat after Stanford. That's what it felt like after the Michigan win, we were emotionally drained or overconfident, who knows. Not saying Virginia Tech is great this season, but they'll come ready to play in their house on prime time.

It's crazy that "coming out flat" after a big win is even a possibility. You think Bama, Clemson, or Georgia comes out flat after a big game? We gotta get over that nonsense, and get ready to play the next week. Hopefully we're turning a corner here.

 

[SouthernIndianaNDFan]

Looks like this will be our 3rd ranked opponent, VT climbed back into the rankings...just to fall back out.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Here is the Miami thread from last year if people are genuinely curious.

I admit the runup to Virginia Tech this week feels similar to the runup to Miami last year. Hopefully the lesson of the Miami game means it will be different for the players.

http://www.irishenvy.com/forums/notre-dame-football/313620-nov-11-miami-fl.html

I wouldn't say completely the same run-up. We dominated the second half against Stanford, but it's been well documented on here that our second half spiral started in the second half of the WF game in 2017..

 

[wizards8507]

I admit the runup to Virginia Tech this week feels similar to the runup to Miami last year.

I'm sorry but this is just crazy talk. Miami was an undefeated 8-0, they had the whole turnover chain thing going on, they were (at that time) a legitimate playoff contender, and they're MIAMI. The U. Virginia Tech is nobody.

The analogue is not Miami, it's NC State. We throttled USC last year just like we throttled Stanford this year. Last year we proceeded to throttle NC State in the "hangover" game. Jeez, y'all are so triggered about an 8:00 kickoff on ABC it's a bit ridiculous. The only reason it's in that time slot is because this week's slate of games is trash.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I wouldn't say completely the same run-up. We dominated the second half against Stanford, but it's been well documented on here that our second half spiral started in the second half of the WF game in 2017..

Eh, I think that's hindsight only. The Wake game showed a lot of suspect play in the ND secondary but the offense did just fine.

Sure, Miami moved the ball its first two series but the real story of that game was ND's running game getting shut down and the offense then falling into panic mode at the idea of playing from behind. And I think that was very much related to the game's atmosphere.

 

[wizards8507]

Eh, I think that's hindsight only. The Wake game showed a lot of suspect play in the ND secondary but the offense did just fine.

Sure, Miami moved the ball its first two series but the real story of that game was ND's running game getting shut down and the offense then falling into panic mode at the idea of playing from behind. And I think that was very much related to the game's atmosphere.

That atmosphere was the most electric I've seen a stadium for a Notre Dame game since Florida State in 2014. This won't be that.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I'm sorry but this is just crazy talk. Miami was an undefeated 8-0, they had the whole turnover chain thing going on, they were (at that time) a legitimate playoff contender, and they're MIAMI. The U. Virginia Tech is nobody.

The analogue is not Miami, it's NC State. We throttled USC last year just like we throttled Stanford this year. Last year we proceeded to throttle NC State in the "hangover" game. Jeez, y'all are so triggered about an 8:00 kickoff on ABC it's a bit ridiculous. The only reason it's in that time slot is because this week's slate of games is trash.

I am not concerned about Virginia Tech the team so much as it's ND's first road game in a truly difficult environment. What VT and UM (circa 2017) have in common is that they are good enough to beat on ND if they have a great day and ND has a bad day. Coming off a rivalry win and heading to a famously hostile road environment are two factors which can contribute to a good team having a bad game.

 

[Kingbish01]

I know Va Tech is a tough place to play at night, but I wouldn't get too carried away. It's not not Death Valley that's for sure. Over the last 5 years they are 4-3 in night games at home, with wins over Duke, NC St, Virginia and Miami. Their 3 losses are against OSU (not close), Clemson (down 24-3 after 3) and a bad blowout to a sub .500 Miami team. ND appears to be a different animal than they have been in years past.

 

[GowerND11]

That atmosphere was the most electric I've seen a stadium for a Notre Dame game since Florida State in 2014. This won't be that.

You really think Blacksburg won't be jumping? The place goes nuts, especially at night, as they play Enter Sandman right before the game. Lane Stadium continually ranks as one of the loudest, toughest environments in college.

 

[Dizzyphil]

I'm sorry but this is just crazy talk. Miami was an undefeated 8-0, they had the whole turnover chain thing going on, they were (at that time) a legitimate playoff contender, and they're MIAMI. The U. Virginia Tech is nobody.

The analogue is not Miami, it's NC State. We throttled USC last year just like we throttled Stanford this year. Last year we proceeded to throttle NC State in the "hangover" game. Jeez, y'all are so triggered about an 8:00 kickoff on ABC it's a bit ridiculous. The only reason it's in that time slot is because this week's slate of games is trash.

Agreed -



Irish had 4 turnovers turned to 24 or 28 points for Miami that game. If memory serves right, BW was throwing to 7' receivers in that game. Book had a pick 6 to end the first half.


Defense is much more mature/faster/more depth -
Offense is much more mature/getting better/run game is definitely picking up and
O-line is settling in.....

 

[wizards8507]

You really think Blacksburg won't be jumping? The place goes nuts, especially at night, as they play Enter Sandman right before the game. Lane Stadium continually ranks as one of the loudest, toughest environments in college.

No, I expect the fanbase sold these tickets to the highest bidder after they lost to Old Dominion and they realized their season had gone to shit.

 

[arrowryan]

If Notre Dame is truly a playoff contender, they shouldn't lose and won't lose to a VT team that is down their starting QB, best pass rusher, replacing 2 first round picks on defense, and the best team they've played is Duke. Yeah, Bud Foster is a good DC, but the players are the ones have to go make the plays.

I'm kinda tired of hearing about the "hostile environment" thing. The staff has at least tried to get this team ready for situations like this coming Saturday by putting them in uncomfortable positions in off season workouts/practices. They also have a decent amount of experience now in playing in these kind games: FSU 2014, Clemson 2015, Miami 2017. So, if not now, then when? But, again, if Notre Dame is TRULY a playoff contender, then they will take care of business on Saturday. Alabama would beat Tech by 5 touchdowns in Tech's stadium, OSU would beat Tech in their stadium, Georgia would beat Tech in their stadium, LSU would beat Tech in their stadium; if Notre Dame wants to be talked about among those teams, then get the job done.

 

[arrowryan]

You really think Blacksburg won't be jumping? The place goes nuts, especially at night, as they play Enter Sandman right before the game. Lane Stadium continually ranks as one of the loudest, toughest environments in college.

Thats fine, but good, real playoff contenders will get the crowd out of it by halftime. Its time for Notre Dame to nut up or shut up.

 

[NDohio]

Was I? I had extreme confidence going into USC and NC State, I don't remember what I thought about Miami.

I was thinking you were all in for that game, hell most of us were...


FWIW, I don't think VTech will be the same outcome as last year's Miami game. I think ND is way better than last year and VTech is no where near as good as Miami was.

EDIT: Just glanced back through the Miami thread - it was Cack that was overly confident...Now I know why he was so angry...

 

[RDU Irish]

Thats fine, but good, real playoff contenders will get the crowd out of it by halftime. Its time for Notre Dame to nut up or shut up.

Last year OSU lost @ Iowa (55-24) one week after a close win over PSU at home.

2016 they lost @ PSU (24-21) and struggled the following week at home vs. Northwestern (24-20). Needed OT to beat Wisconsin the week before PSU.

2017 Clemson lost @ Syracuse mid-season

2016 Clemson lost at HOME TO PITT IN NOVEMBER - going on to win it all. Pitt was sandwiched b/w Syracuse and Wake Forest.


Outside of Bama - it happens.