Notre Dame football at Virginia Tech: Game preview and prediction for Week 6
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team will battle it out against Virginia Tech on the road, and here is our preview and prediction for the matchup.
Coming off their first loss of the season, the Notre Dame football team will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. This is the team’s first real road game since Week 1 when they needed overtime to pull out a victory over the Florida State Seminoles down in Tallahassee.
Their latest ‘road’ game was the matchup with Wisconsin inside Soldier Field, a game they won handily thanks to a strong effort in the fourth quarter. Against Virginia Tech, you can expect a hostile crowd, as it is a primetime game, and Lane Stadium has proven to be one of the tougher places to play in the country.
Notre Dame football has started slowly on offense nearly every week, and in front of a rowdy crowd on the road, that cannot be the case in this one.
Notre Dame football gets back on track in Week 6
Virginia Tech is a team that has sputtered on offense as well this season, but Braxton Burmeister is very good at home and has the threat to not only beat the team in the intermediate passing game but also take off with his feet. The Irish need to make sure they keep him inside the pocket, forcing him to make throws down the field, which has not been his strong suit during his college career.
Burmeister loves to work in his tight end, James Mitchell, so the Irish must be cognisant of that. Also, they have some strong players on the defensive side of the ball, including linebackers Alan Tisdale and Dax Hollifield, who are No. 1 and 2 in terms of tackles this season.
They are also solid at getting after the quarterback, racking up 13 sacks in four games, so this beaten-up offensive line could have their work cut out for them on Saturday night under the lights.
The Irish are only one-point favorites in this game according to WynnBet and are playing on the road, but I like their chances in this one. Notre Dame football should be able to beat the rest of the teams on their schedule, and while this one is going to be close, and the crowd should be rocking, my expectation is a seven-point victory inside Lane Stadium.
Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Virginia Tech 17