Notre Dame-Virginia Tech: By The Numbers
2 Notre Dame has not lost two games in a row since ending the horrid 4-8 season with back-to-back defeats to Virginia Tech (34-31) and at USC (45-27). Since then, the Fighting Irish are 28-6 (.824), behind only four Power 5 Conference teams: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
5 Games played by senior cornerback Donte Vaughn this season after starting against Virginia Tech. That means he will not be allowed to apply for a fifth season of eligibility in 2020, which was a tentative plan. Thus, it appears Vaughn, Troy Pride Jr. and Shaun Crawford all are in their final seasons at cornerback this season, with Crawford previously stating he has no desire to apply for a sixth season.
8 Touchdown receptions by Notre Dame tight ends this season after junior Cole Kmet tallied his fifth and sophomore Tommy Tremble his third this season during the victory against Virginia Tech. That ties the single season school record by Fighting Irish tight ends set in 2013 when Troy Niklas grabbed five and Ben Koyack added three.
16 Consecutive victories at home by the Fighting Irish, the third-longest winning streak since the opening of Notre Dame Stadium in 1930. It trails only the 28 from 1942-50 and 19 from 1987-90. With victories against Navy (Nov. 16) and Boston College (Nov. 23), it would be the first time since 1987-89 that Notre Dame would finish unscathed at home in back-to-back seasons.
29 Seconds remaining when senior quarterback Ian Book raced for the game-winning seven-yard touchdown on third-and-goal for the 21-20 victory. It marked the first time Notre Dame won a game by scoring a touchdown with less than one minute (or even 30 seconds) remaining since Sept. 12, 2015, when reserve quarterback DeShone Kizer found Will Fuller on a 39-yard score with 12 seconds left to rally from a 27-26 deficit to a 34-27 victory at Virginia.
53 Passes attempted by Book, surpassing his previous career high of 47 in the 23-17 defeat at Georgia on Sept. 21. He did not have a game last year where he had more than 39. It was also the most by a Notre Dame quarterback since freshman Tommy Rees, the current Fighting Irish quarterbacks coach, had 54 during a 28-27 loss to Tulsa in 2010.
What makes Book unique is he is the first quarterback in Notre Dame history to win a game while individually attempting more than 50 passes in a game. The Irish had been 0-10 in such previous contests, beginning with Terry Hanratty's school-record 63 attempts in a 28-21 loss at Purdue in 1967 through Everett Golson's 52 in a 31-27 defeat at Florida State in 2014.
130 Teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, with Notre Dame becoming the last this season to not score when it reached the red zone. It happened on the second series of the first quarter when Book’s pass from the Virginia Tech 17-yard line was intercepted by Hokies linebacker Max Hollifield.
Notre Dame entered the game 24 of 24 once it reached or penetrated inside the opponent’s 20-yard line — and a remarkable 21 of them resulted in touchdowns (11 rushing, 10 passing). After the interception, it happened two more times. Junior running back Jafar Armstrong lost a fumble near the one-yard line that was returned for a 98-yard touchdown by Virginia Tech, and junior kicker Jonathan Doerer missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter.
Yet the Fighting Irish overcame such inefficiency by scoring touchdowns on their other three red-zone opportunities to finish 3 of 6 overall.
1,273 Carries by Notre Dame running backs before losing a fumble, when Armstrong lost it on a hit that was returned by safety Divine Deablo for a 98-yard touchdown to help tie the game (14-14) with nine seconds remaining until halftime. Fighting Irish running backs had not lost a fumble since Nov. 21, 2015 during a 19-16 victory versus Boston College in Fenway Park. It had been the longest streak in the nation.
1947-49 Marked the last years that Notre Dame won every game in November at least two straight seasons (the 1948 team under Frank Leahy had a tie with USC in December). The Fighting Irish were 4-0 in November last year, and are seeking to finish 5-0 in the month for the first time since Knute Rockne’s final season in 1930.
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