What they’re saying about Notre Dame’s 32-29 win at Virginia Tech

Notre Dame football's stunning 32-29 win in Blacksburg was filled with cheers and tears from Notre Dame fans, and plenty of key moments for the media to break down.

From a last second field goal, to the starting quarterback coming off the bench to lead a fourth-quarter comeback, there is plenty of reaction from coaches, players, and media alike.

Enter another 14 days of quarterback questions as Notre Dame heads into its off week. Even with the excitement of this latest two-quarterback venture still fresh, Kelly admitted postgame there’s a lot left to sort out. Six games into the season, he is still looking for the right quarterback answer.

“We’re trying to figure this thing out too as we go,” Kelly said. “That’s why I’m so proud of the guys who hung in there. I wish it wasn’t this hard, but it is right now, and we’re battling through it.”

READ ENGEL'S FULL STORY HERE

Notre Dame Coaching: B+

This is tricky. Some fans will argue starting Coan was the wrong move, but that argument lost a bit of its weight when Coan came back into the game and saved the day for the Irish. Kelly clearly trusts that Coan is the best quarterback on the team, and he sent him out to start the game. He also put him in when it was on the line. Buchner was also more than serviceable for stretches of his appearance too. Did Kelly perfectly pull the strings? No, but he pulled them anyway, and it resulted in a Notre Dame victory. Sticking to the running game in spite of everything that has occurred this season was also a gutsy move that paid off. Notre Dame doesn’t win if it didn’t run the ball the way it did.

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BLACKSBURG — The scars from Virginia Tech’s second wrenching defeat of 2021 still raw late Saturday night, Justin Fuente pondered how the Hokies might, and should, respond.

He spoke for 3½ minutes, nearly 500 words, an extraordinarily long soliloquy for someone naturally reserved. But following more than three hours of extraordinary theater, his tone and theme were appropriate.

The question becomes whether this team is physically gifted enough and emotionally strong enough to heal quickly from this 32-29 setback to No. 14 Notre Dame at Lane Stadium.

READ DAVID TEEL’S FULL STORY ON THE RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH HERE

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