Initial thoughts: Notre Dame rolls past Virginia, 28-3
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Notre Dame keeps extending its streaks.
The No. 9 Irish (9-1) won their 40th straight game against an unranked team, their 23rd in a row against ACC opponents in the regular season and fifth straight overall by defeating Virginia 28-3 Saturday night.
Here are five initial thoughts from the game.
1. Quarterback switch makes a difference
Virginia junior quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s absence due to a rib injury turned what could’ve been an entertaining back-and-forth into a dud that felt over once the Irish took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Cavaliers’ offense with freshman Jay Woolfolk in place of him didn’t gain a first down until 17 minutes had passed, sputtered whenever it reached Irish territory and was scoreless until a meaningless fourth-quarter field goal.
With Woolfolk, Virginia incorporated more zone-read, Wildcat-type plays with mostly short and intermediate throws. He was 18-of-33 passing for 196 yards with two interceptions, and Notre Dame sacked him seven times.
Armstrong’s absence helped Notre Dame defend Virginia’s dynamic field-stretching receiver duo of Dontayvion Wicks and Ra’Shaun Henry, who entered the game ranked first and second nationally in average depth of target. Woolfolk couldn’t get the ball to them down the field. They combined to catch three passes for 36 yards on 11 targets.
To put all their lack of productivity on the quarterback change would be unfair to Notre Dame’s secondary, though. Sophomore safety Ramon Henderson’s interception came on a deep ball intended for Wicks. Sophomore boundary corner Clarence Lewis saw him for much of the game and stayed on his hip. Woolfolk didn’t have a lot of options downfield in part because Notre Dame took them away.
2. Clamping down across midfield
Virginia’s first three drives of the second half reached Notre Dame’s 40-yard line or further. They resulted in zero points. The Cavaliers reached the 20-yard line on their first drive of the half, lost six yards and missed a field goal. They got to the 40 on their next possession and punted from midfield.
Notre Dame kept Virginia off the board until 12:16 remained, forcing a field goal by allowing zero total yards on three plays following a first down at the 16-yard line.
Four of Notre Dame’s seven sacks came when Virginia was inside the Irish’s 30-yard line, helping snuff out initially promising Cavaliers drives.
3. Filling in for Davis
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had a creative plan for replacing injured graduate student slot receiver Avery Davis. Freshman Lorenzo Styles earned the start, but the Irish frequently used tight end Michael Mayer in the slot. They gave running backs Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree a few snaps split out wide. It was a group effort in replacing his snaps and production.
Styles had one catch, a four-yarder, on four targets. He took an end around 52 yards for a touchdown, though it was wiped out on a holding penalty. Mayer, though, put up seven catches for 84 yards — his most in both categories since Oct. 2 vs. Cincinnati. He caught his first touchdown since Sept. 11 vs. Toledo.
Senior wide receiver Braden Lenzy scored his first touchdown since the Cincinnati game. He caught three passes for 23 yards, drew a pass interference penalty and had a 30-yard run on an end around.
4. Developing safety depth
Notre Dame went against its depth chart and gave Henderson his first career start — at safety over senior DJ Brown. He switched from corner to safety earlier in the week.
The Irish were onto something. Henderson notched his first career interception when he stepped in front of Wicks on a go route to pick off the overthrown pass. He made his first career sack when he blitzed from the line of scrimmage and wasn’t picked up.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame seems like it has found another dependable backup at safety. Sophomore Xavier Watts made five tackles and saw early action for the second straight week.
The converted receiver made an open-field stop on Woolfolk to prevent a long run in the second quarter. He wrapped up receiver Keytaon Thompson after an 11-yard reception, holding him to no gain after the catch. More games like this one should put him in the mix to start next year.
5. Kevin Austin Jr.’s consistency
Unlike prior years, Notre Dame’s leading receiver at season’s end may not be its boundary player. Through nine games, senior Kevin Austin Jr. is third on the team in catches (36) and second in yards (569). The Irish do, though, have a more consistent version of him than they did early in the year.
Since a one-catch, four-target outing vs. Cincinnati, Austin has caught at least 75 percent of his targets four times in five games. He hauled in three receptions (four targets) for 38 yards and a touchdown against Virginia — his third straight game with a score. His touchdown was a 17-yard catch on a fade route he snagged despite being held.
All told, Austin has 19 catches for 322 yards on 25 targets since that humbling day against Cincinnati All-American cornerback Ahmad Gardner. His six touchdowns this year lead the team.
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