Notre Dame vs Virginia Position By Position Breakdown
By Matt Clark
Defensive Back
Virginia Cavaliers Cornerback-Nick Grant: 6’1″, 200 pound, junior, 3 star recruit out of Spotsylvania, VA
13 tackles, 0.5 sack, 3 passes defended, 1 interception, 1 touchdown
Virginia Cavaliers Cornerback-Bryce Hall: 6’1″, 200 pound, senior, 2 star recruit out of Harrisburg, PA
15 tackles, 1 sack, 4 passes defended
Virginia Cavaliers Safety-Brenton Nelson: 5’11”, 185 pound, junior, 3 star recruit out of Miami, FL
13 tackles, 1 pass defended
Virginia Cavaliers Safety-Joey Blount: 6’1″, 190 pound, junior, 3 star recruit out of Fayetteville, GA
25 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended
Notre Dame Irish Cornerback-Troy Pride Jr.: 5’11”, 195 pound, senior, 4 star recruit out of Greer, SC
5 tackles and 1 pass defended
Notre Dame Irish Cornerback-Shaun Crawford: 5’9″, 180 pound, graduate student, 4 star recruit out of Lakewood, OH
10 tackles, 1 pass defended, 1 interception
Notre Dame Irish Safety-Jalen Elliot: 6’1″, 210 pound, senior, 3 star recruit out of Richmond, VA.
14 tackles, 2 passes defended, 1 interception
Notre Dame Irish Safety-Alohi Gilman: 5’10”, 205 pound, senior out of Laie, HI.
21 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass defended
Advantage-Draw
Both secondaries are flush with playmakers. Virginia like to use their defensive backs to rush the quarterback, which is evident from the 3.5 sacks they have from their secondary on the season. The Irish secondary playmaking ability is more of the traditional variety, featuring more interceptions and forced fumbles than the Virginia secondary. The Irish will be led by senior captain Alohi Gilman and his hard hitting ability from safety. Expect big plays, from both athletic secondaries, throughout the game.