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Published Sep 27, 2019
Preview: No. 18 Virginia begins road swing at No. 10 Notre Dame
Justin Ferber  •  CavsCorner
Editor In-Chief
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@justin_ferber

After playing Old Dominion for the first time in school history last weekend, the Wahoos are doing something this weekend they’ve never done either: Taking a trip to South Bend.

Tomorrow afternoon, No. 18 UVa faces easily Its toughest test of the 2019 season as the Hoos match up against No. 10 Notre Dame (3:30 p.m., NBC).

It’s a big and intriguing game for Virginia (4-0), off to its best start since 2004. Not only are they playing on the Peacock for the first time in maybe ever but the Cavaliers are also looking to break an 0-for-20 streak the ACC has had all-time at Notre Dame Stadium against a ranked Irish squad.

But the bigger aspect for UVa might be the fact that over their next five games, four of them are away from Scott Stadium. As such, this will be a critical stretch in determining how good this season will be.



No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1)

Head coach: Brian Kelly, 29th season (254-93-2 overall, 83-36 in 10 years at ND)

Series: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 2-0.

Last Meeting: The Irish came back to beat the Cavaliers 34-27 in 2015.


Three Points on Notre Dame's Offense


-- Notre Dame’s offense is led by offensive coordinator Chip Long, who is in his third season with the Irish after coming over from Memphis to replace the departing Mike Sanford. And since taking over, Long has overseen some good to great offenses in South Bend, including this season as the Irish are averaging 39.3 points per game. Notre Dame’s offense might not be the most modern the Cavaliers will face this season but the Irish do run a lot of modern concepts and don’t just attempt to line up and run the opponent over like many other “blue blood” programs do. Through three games against three very different opponents, the Irish have averaged 7.0 yards per play, with 902 yards coming through the air and 433 on the ground. Notre Dame has been excellent in the red zone scoring on all 11 of its trips this season, with nine touchdowns and a pair of field goals. It’s been a different story on 3rd down, however. The Irish have struggled on “money” downs, going just 10 of 35, which ranks 122nd best nationally. And while Notre Dame struggled on 3rd downs at Georgia (4-for-13) as expected, the Fighting Irish had trouble converting against New Mexico and Louisville as well (6-of-22 combined, 1-for-10 vs the Lobos).


-- The passing attack is the strength of the offense and it is led by senior quarterback Ian Book. After starting nine games last season, he has been solid in the first three games of this campaign. The senior signal caller has thrown for 828 yards and eight touchdowns with just a pair of interceptions, with both turnovers coming in Saturday’s loss at No. 3 Georgia. Book is the most polished quarterback the Cavaliers will face all season, and forcing him into mistakes will be a tall order. At wide receiver, Book has plenty of weapons to get the ball to, chief among them being Chase Claypool. The 6-foot-4 Canadian is a big, physical target and he leads the Irish in receptions (15), receiving yards (256), and is tied for the lead in touchdown catches with two. Fellow receivers Lawrence Keys, Chris Finke, and Javon McKinley have flashed but Claypool is the most consistent target. The passing game got a big boost against Georgia when tight end Cole Kmet returned to the lineup. He made a huge impact in his first game back, catching nine passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, and was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week.


-- Like Virginia, Notre Dame’s running game hasn’t been as efficient as the passing game has been in through the first month of the season. The Irish have rushed for 433 yards and six touchdowns, but a lot of that production came in the win over Louisville when they rushed 42 times for 230 yards and four scores. Senior back Tony Jones Jr is the team’s leading rusher with 30 carries for 148 yards and a score. After rushing for 110 against Louisville, he went for a combined 38 yards on 15 carries against New Mexico and Georgia. Jones was a backup to Dexter Williams last season but still saw plenty of action, with 392 yards on 83 attempts. Book also carries the ball a decent amount and after rushing for 280 yards on 95 attempts last season, scoring four touchdowns, the Irish quarterback is the team’s second-leading rusher this year with 145 yards on 26 attempts and a pair of scores.


Three Points on the Irish D


-- Notre Dame’s defense is the toughest that the Wahoos have faced to date, after a lackluster performance for most of last Saturday’s game against ODU. The Irish are allowing 18 points per game and did a decent job holding a loaded Georgia team to 23 points on their home field last weekend. Opponents are converting on just 31.8 percent of their 3rd downs and have reached the red zone just six times in three games. The Irish have done a great job creating turnovers, recovering five fumbles and three interceptions, helping the team to a +5 turnover margin for the season. Notre Dame doesn’t create nearly as much havoc as the Cavaliers, with just four sacks in the first three contests of the season, all of which came against Louisville on Labor Day. The defense has been exposed more on the ground this season than through the air: Opponents are averaging 4.9 yards per carry with five rushing touchdowns while the passing defense has allowed just one touchdown and 472 yards combined to the Cardinals, Lobos, and Bulldogs.


-- Notre Dame runs a 4-3 system that features a big, physical front seven. The Irish haven’t created many sacks but they have created 25 tackles for loss. Linebackers Drew White and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah have been the most disruptive defenders in the front seven, leading the team in tackles for loss with 5 and 4.5 respectively. Owusu-Koramoah, a Hampton native that was committed to Virginia before signing with Notre Dame, is in the midst of a breakout season. The redshirt sophomore is second on the team in tackles (19) and has started all three games. In front of the linebackers, Notre Dame features a defensive line with a blend of experience and youth. Starters Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara have a combined 31 career starts, while Kurt Hinish and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa have started all three games this year but none before. Okwara is the player to watch up front for the Hoos offensive line. The senior end has just one sack this year but recorded 8 in 2018, and was named a preseason second-team All-American by the Associated Press.


-- In the secondary, Notre Dame is led by a pair of experienced safeties. Jalen Elliott is the defense’s most experienced defender, with 29 starts under his belt. Elliott is fourth on the team in tackles with 14 and recorded one of the unit’s three interceptions on the year, coming in the win over New Mexico. Next to Elliott at safety is Alohi Gilman, who is in his second season playing for the Irish after transferring over from Navy. Gilman recorded 94 tackles a year ago, including a school record 19 against Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals and leads this Irish this season with 21 stops. He also had a two-interception game against Syracuse last year, and has a nose for the football, despite not being the biggest player at 5-foot-10, 202 pounds. At cornerback, senior Troy Pride is the most experienced player with 22 career starts, while the rest of the group are still working through their first few games in the lineup. Senior Shaun Crawford has had an injury-plagued career but seems to have finally broken through and earned a spot in the secondary. After just three career starts in his first four years in South Bend, Crawford has started all three games this season and has recorded 10 tackles and an interception.


UVa's Path to Victory

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