Notre Dame football: 3 reasons the Irish will beat Virginia in Week 11

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SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – OCTOBER 30: Kyren Williams #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball for a 91-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter in the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Stadium on October 30, 2021, in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football: 3 reasons the Irish will beat Virginia in Week 11

Cavaliers against the run

We touched on it a bit before when talking about how the Irish should dominate the Cavaliers in the trenches this weekend, but looking back at last weekend, UVA really struggled against the run. BYU starting running back Tyler Allgeier rushed for more than 250 yards and five touchdowns, and he is nowhere near the back Kyren Williams is.

On Saturday night, the Irish need to focus on the run game, getting Williams a bunch of touches early on, and really trying to wear down this Virginia defense. We have also seen the emergence of true freshman Logan Diggs in the run game as of late, and I could see him rushing for a bunch of yards in this matchup as well.

Oct 30, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Avery Davis (3) celebrates with wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (4) after Austin caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

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The focus for the Irish, especially on the road against a lesser team will be proving they are the more physical team. They can do that by running the ball down the Cavaliers’ throats with a combination of Diggs and Williams, which will in turn free up Jack Coan and Tyler Buchner in the passing game.

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