Three keys and prediction: Notre Dame-Virginia

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1. Handle the road. Malik Zaire started a neutral-site bowl game and in prime time at Notre Dame Stadium, but hasn’t led the Irish into a true road environment yet. He was outstanding against Texas — 19/22 passing, 313 yards, three touchdowns — but will face a hostile crowd and an aggressive Jon Tenuta defense that’ll try to get after him quite a bit on Saturday. Zaire could make things much easier for himself by succeeding more on the ground after gaining only 16 yards on nine carries against Texas. Scott Stadium isn’t regarded among the more difficult road environments in which to play, but whenever Notre Dame comes to town, it’s a big enough to deal to make the crowd a factor.

2. Get the Hoos on first, second and third down. Whatever level of mediocrity Virginia has achieved under Mike London largely has been the product of a solid defense held back by a lagging offense. That looks to be the case again this year, as the Hoos averaged fewer than five yards per play against UCLA (96th among FBS teams). Virginia quarterback Matt Johns is average at best, while running back Taquan Mizzell was easily stonewalled by UCLA’s defense. Even if Notre Dame’s offense struggles a bit on the road, the Irish defense should be good enough to keep a lagging offense from scoring enough to make this a game.

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3. Big-chunk plays. Notre Dame fans are familiar with Tenuta’s defense, and not in a good way after he served on Charlie Weis’ staff in 2008 and 2009. This is an aggressive defense that is prone to getting burned, and if Notre Dame’s protections are good, Zaire should have a few chances to fire some back-breaking deep balls that’ll take the crowd and Hoos out of the game. But it works in reverse, too: If Tenuta’s defense generates a few sacks or an ill-timed turnover, it’ll swing plenty of momentum in Virginia’s favor.

Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Virginia 10

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