BEND IN THE ROAD
CAVS TAKE ON IRISH IN WHAT COULD BE SEASON-DEFINING GAME
Keys for Virginia
Take pressure off Perkins: The Cavaliers have struggled with consistency in their rushing attack, which has put even more pressure on quarterback Bryce Perkins. Old Dominion limited Virginia to just 23 yards rushing in the first half and 69 overall last Saturday. More involvement by sophomore Wayne Taulapapa, who has displayed some all-purpose skills, could prevent the need for Perkins to run as often and keep the Notre Dame defense honest. Keep the pressure on Ian Book: Virginia has excelled at pressuring quarterbacks by using the linebackers in its
3-4 alignment to record the majority of a nation-leading
20 sacks. Charles Snowden, a 6-foot-7 outside linebacker, is coming off a national defensive player of the week performance against Old Dominion and will be one of the players in the face of Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book all day.
Keys for Notre Dame
Rise to occasion: The Fighting Irish came out on the short end of a physical and mentally demoralizing game against Georgia last Saturday. Now, they face the challenge of rebounding against another nationally ranked club in Virginia. Playing before a home crowd should be a boost for the Irish in what will be a true test of this team’s character.
Cut down penalties: A total of 12 penalties worth 85 yards in losses hindered Notre Dame’s offensive efforts against Georgia. Six of those were false start assessments, including one on a fourthand-2 play in the first quarter. The Irish need to cut that total in half to have any offensive consistency against Virginia.
Prediction
Notre Dame 37, Virginia 21: Was having to rally to beat Old Dominion last week a sign the Cavaliers were looking ahead to the Fighting Irish, or did it expose some weaknesses? We think the latter may be the case. A Notre Dame team eager to bounce back from last week’s setback against Georgia will take advantage of those weaknesses and deal Virginia its first loss.