So far, the prognostications that the game between Notre Dame and Virginia Tech would feature little offense mostly have held to form. The offense that we have seen has not gone the Irish’s way. Accordingly, they find themselves down, 7-0, after the first quarter.
The Irish took the ball first and opted to start Jack Coan. The drive went nowhere, and it ended with him being sacked by Amare Barno on third-and-long. The Irish’s defense caused a three-and-out the first time it saw the field. When the offense came back out, Drew Pyne took over quarterback duties, and he helped get the ball into Hokies territory before his first drive stalled.
Braxton Burmeister engineered his second drive to perfection, mixing a series of complete passes and runs. He was aided by a holding call against Cam Hart, but based on how the drive was going, what followed seemed destined to happen anyway. Raheem Blackshear concluded the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, giving the folks in Blacksburg something to keep their loud support going. It all happened in less than four minutes of game time.
In what could be a sign that Pyne is going to remain in the game for now, he came back out for the Irish when their offense returned to the field. He did nothing but get sacked by Josh Fuga on third down. The quarter ended with the Hokies picking up a first down that put them in Irish territory. This could be a long night.