Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame: Game Grades, Analysis for Irish
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish welcomed the Virginia Tech Hokies to South Bend for the first meeting in history between the two storied programs. For Virginia Tech, it was an opportunity to get another win over one of college football's blue-blooded programs. For Notre Dame, it was another chance to keep its bowl hopes alive.
In the end, it turned out to fit the 2016 storylines about perfectly. Notre Dame jumped out to an early lead, only to see it vanish as the minutes ticked away in the second half. It seemed almost inevitable, as the Irish were all but helpless as Virginia Tech took the lead and held them at bay late in the fourth quarter.
Let's break down all the good, bad and ugly in this week's game grades.
Pass Offense
1 of 6
The Irish got off to another quick start, and DeShone Kizer looked as if he was going to make what could potentially be his final appearance at Notre Dame Stadium a good one.
He led the Irish up and down the field, and Notre Dame built a solid 17-0 lead in the first half before Virginia Tech could respond. Once the Hokies scored, however, things began to fall apart quickly.
Kizer was harassed in the pocket, and his attempts to extend plays frequently failed and even worked against the Irish. Although some call Kizer the top NFL quarterback prospect for the 2017 NFL draft, we're starting to have some serious concerns about his ability to extend plays against quick defenses.
We're also wondering if the springs in his internal clock need to be rewound. Kizer was hanging onto the football far too long Saturday against the Hokies. And as the game went on, things got worse.
Kizer finished with 235 passing yards on 16-of-33 passing and two touchdowns. You can't play against a team like Virginia Tech and expect to win games when you don't complete half of your passes.
Pass Offense Grade: C-
Run Offense
2 of 6
Josh Adams had another 100-yard game, finishing Saturday with exactly 100 yards on 13 carries. He also found the end zone twice.
As a team, Notre Dame had 200 yards on 36 carries for a 5.6-yard average. Ordinarily, that would make us—and everyone else—pretty happy. So why don't we feel good about the rushing performance by the Irish today?
Sure, part of it is the loss. But another part of it has to do with Notre Dame's hot-and-cold rushing. The Irish can line up with a first down from their opponents' 1-yard line and have to settle for a field goal attempt. Then, just a few series later, the offensive line can open up such a wide hole that Adams runs untouched up the middle for 67 yards and six points.
It's not as if the Irish are completely ineffective when running the ball—but the wild inconsistency is really aggravating. No, it's more than aggravating. It's infuriating.
Run Offense Grade: C
Pass Defense
3 of 6
When the game first started, Notre Dame's defense was all over the field. It looked as if Virginia Tech was still on the bus mentally, and the Irish defense was continuing its impressive midseason improvements.
Then Virginia Tech woke up, and it appeared as if the Irish defense fell into a drowsy stupor. Despite finishing the first quarter with just four total offensive yards, Jerod Evans wound up with 267 passing yards on a 22-of-29 performance that included two touchdowns.
If you throw the football 29 times and you miss the target just seven times, good things are going to happen. Evans spread the football around, and the Irish seemed completely hapless for the majority of three quarters against the pass.
Sure, we'll probably all be talking about the egregious and mysterious pass-interference call against Cole Luke late in the game despite Luke executing textbook defense, but Notre Dame was in a position early on to make officiating a non-factor. The simple fact that we have to look at one play and one penalty as a potential game-changer is silly.
Pass Defense Grade: D
Run Defense
4 of 6
Believe it or not, the Irish actually did a halfway decent job of limiting the run from the Hokies. Virginia Tech averaged just over 3.2 yards per carry, which most coaches would consider a win. Of course, with the way Virginia Tech was picking apart the Irish secondary, the Hokies didn't much need the run.
Evans led his team on the ground with 67 yards on 18 credited carries. Virginia Tech finished with 152 yards and two scores.
What the stats don't tell us, however, is that Notre Dame wasn't able to get off the field on 3rd-and-short, or on the Hokies' lone fourth-down attempt (4th-and-1). While the Irish only gave up two plays of more than 10 yards on the ground, the Hokies—like other teams this season—were able to drain the clock late in the game by picking up just enough on the ground to keep things moving.
The Irish defense needs to find another gear late in games to turn a few of these close losses into close wins.
Run Defense Grade: B-
Special Teams
5 of 6
Justin Yoon connected on his lone field-goal attempt and was 4-of-4 on extra points in pretty ugly kicking conditions.
Tyler Newsome averaged 38 yards on his seven punts, which again was pretty solid considering the conditions.
C.J. Sanders was mediocre on kick returns, and Chris Finke had one punt return for just two yards.
There was nothing outstanding about Saturday's special teams performance, but just as importantly, the Irish didn't shoot themselves in the foot on special teams, either.
Special Teams Grade: B-
Coaching
6 of 6
If you spend any time in the Twitterverse, you're probably well aware that Notre Dame fans, on the whole, are a fickle bunch. Brian Kelly, throughout his career, has been one of the elite college football coaches in America. You wouldn't know that to see the fanbase's collective rage-induced apoplexy directed at Kelly and his staff, though.
Sure, there are things any coach could do differently or do better. But at some point, the players on the field have to execute the plays. You can't blame coaches for dropped passes or poor quarterback decisions. You certainly can't blame Kelly for some of the head-scratching officiating decisions made Saturday or throughout the season.
Still, at the end of the day, this season's losing record will fall at Kelly's feet. As 2016 draws to a close, we—along with the entire Notre Dame nation—will look to see what Kelly has to say about how things have unfolded and what the future holds. We'll be interested to see what staffing changes will be made during the offseason. But that's all for a later time.
Here, we're supposed to hand out a grade for Saturday's coaching performance. Taken as a whole, it wasn't really all that terrible, and we've certainly seen a lot worse.
We've seen better, too.
Coaching grade: C+
All recruiting information via Scout. Stats from NCAA.com, CFBStats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Featured Columnist and Notre Dame Live Correspondent David Luther on Twitter @davidrluther.
