BLACKSBURG, Va. – Notre Dame is 5-1 after a game full of twists, turns and nonstop elevated heart rate alerts on fans’ Apple watches.
The No. 14 Irish beat Virginia Tech 32-29, erasing an eight-point deficit with 3:55 left in the game. Jonathan Doerer’s 48-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining put them in front.
Here are five thoughts from the win.
1. More quarterback shuffling
Quarterback clarity continues to elude Notre Dame’s grasp. Who knows if it’ll ever arrive. But the Irish’s quarterback roulette lingers because, remarkably, a switch has sparked the offense in some key moments.
Notre Dame needed freshman Tyler Buchner’s mobility and run-game boost after an ineffective first quarter with fifth-year senior starter Jack Coan at the helm. The offense averaged 8.47 yards per play in its first three drives with him in the game. Notre Dame trusted Buchner enough to open up the playbook beyond the initial package of calls for him.
