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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn’t make it easy on themselves early in the football game, but they kept leaning on the Virginia Tech Hokies for a 45-23 win.
The Irish started the game on fire with an aggressive gameplan that had Ian book hitting most of his receivers with a 8-8 start. The Irish went up 10-0 after a short Dexter Williams touchdown run and then a Justin Yoon field goal, and they looked like a team that was ready to roll the Hokies.
Virginia Tech went on a field goal run (3 of them), as they moved the ball pretty well, but could not finish things in the endzone. With the Irish holding on to a 10-9 lead late in the second quarter and Virginia Tech looking to drive, Khalid Kareem stripped quarterback Ryan Willis, and Julian Love provided a scoop and score.
Unfortunately for the Irish, Tech got the ball back and drove it down the field for a Damon Hazelton touchdown. The Irish went into the half with a slim lead, a quarterback going cold, and -3 rushing yards.
It didn’t take long in the second half as a 97 TD run from Dexter Williams early in the 3rd quarter sparked the Irish the rest of the way.
Still drooling over this. Basically... it is what won this game for the Irish. pic.twitter.com/uHbrim76q7
— One Foot Down (@OneFootDown) October 7, 2018
Ian book found Miles Boykin two more times with 40 and 5 yard strikes to extend the lead to 38-16. The Irish had hit a wall in the first half, but that Williams run lifted the entire team.
Virginia Tech missed a couple of long field goals in the second half, with the second one being a strange call — given the amount the Hokies were down and that it was a 52 yarder.
The Hokies added a touchdown with a little over 5 minutes left in the game, and tried an onside kick, but the Irish recovered the ball deep in Hokie territory. Notre Dame then took a short field and created a 31 yard touchdown run from Dexter Williams.
The ensuing Hokie drive resulted in a Julian Love interception, and the Irish leave Lane Stadium with a win — a BIG win.
Dexter Williams had 178 yards on 17 carries and 3 touchdowns. Miles Boykin had 8 receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns. This team remains for real. More to come on One Foot Down about this giant win by the Irish.