Tag: Blacksburg

Virginia Tech coach Megan Duffy talks Notre Dame at ACC Tipoff

We wish her reasonably well in her first ACC season.

[autotag]Megan Duffy[/autotag] knows all about Notre Dame. She played there for four years during its Big East days, making the all-conference first team twice and being named the conference’s most improved player once. She led the conference in free-throw percentage twice and steals and minutes once apiece.

After playing professionally for a few years, she turned to coaching. For the past five years, she coached Marquette and made three NCAA Tournament appearances, including last year when the Eagles got to play their lone tournament game at Purcell Pavilion.

Duffy now is beginning her first year at Virginia Tech. So when it was her turn to field questions at the annual ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, North Carolina, it was inevitable that she would be asked about the Irish. She was, and here was her answer to that question:

“This has been a dream to play and coach at the best and with the best every single day. My Notre Dame background back in the old Big East it was the depth of the conference, how competitive it was, and this is the same in the ACC.

We obviously understand this is the best conference in the country for all different reasons: the talent of the league, guard play, post play, and then some of the best coaches. I’ve always wanted that challenge.

Just to have it unfold as player and then you obviously build your resume as a coach. It’s special to be here at Virginia Tech and to hopefully be just a small piece of a bigger picture of women’s college basketball and continue to put a great product out there.”

Duffy won’t get to return to South Bend this season as the Hokies will be hosting the Irish on Jan. 30 in Blacksburg. Hopefully, when the time does come for her to come back to her roots, she’ll get a nice ovation from the Irish faithful. She’s earned it.

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Mike Brey speaks after Notre Dame survives late scare vs. Howard

That was too close.

Mike Brey probably needed some antacids as soon as Notre Dame finished holding off a late charge by Howard in a 71-68 win. An 11-point lead with less than three minutes to go was cut down to one as the Bison (6-8) imposed a full-court press that the Irish (11-6) simply could not shake off. It took a late layup by Prentiss Hubb and a missed Bison 3-pointer in the final seconds for the Irish to escape enemy territory with a victory.

Nate Laszewski was the big player for the Irish as he scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his third double-double this season. Dane Goodwin also scored 17, and Blake Wesley added 13 to break Troy Murphy’s program record for most double-digit scoring games by a true freshman (14). Of course, all anyone wanted to talk about after this game was how close it was. Here are some of Brey’s comments from his postgame news conference:

Notre Dame at Virginia Tech: First-Quarter Analysis

Not having fun yet.

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.

 

 

Tale of the Tape: Leading Rushers – Kyren Williams vs. Jalen Holston

Notre Dame should have this position down relatively easily.

If you’re looking for dominant running backs, Saturday’s game between Notre Dame and Virginia Tech won’t be for you. However, we can confidently say that Kyren Williams is the better player in this matchup. Not only does he have an advantage in nearly every rushing category, but he also is much superior at receiving. No, that probably won’t play a key role in the final result, but it surely gives the Irish confidence nonetheless.

The Hokies are countering with Jalen Holston at running back. While he has been in Blacksburg since 2017, opposing defenses hardly have had to plan around him. He never has rushed for more than 58 yards in his collegiate career, and he’s reached the 50-yard mark only three times. All that can be said about him is that if he’s going to hold to form and outperform Williams as far as yards a carry, he also better win another matchup somewhere else on the stats sheet.

Notre Dame-Virginia Tech TV details announced

Do you get ACC Network?

Notre Dame has entered the toughest part of their schedule as after they defeated Wisconsin on Saturday, the Irish now have games against No. 7 Cincinnati, a trip to Virginia Tech, and home games against both USC and North Carolina on the horizon.

Next weekend will be the trip to Blacksburg to hear Mariano Rivera’s entrance music get played really loud again.  It was announced on Monday that the game against the Hokies will be in primetime and shown on ACC Network.

How do you get ACC Network if you don’t already subscribe to the channel?  Here is the guide Fighting Irish Wire posted on how to get it for free a couple short years ago.

Related:

Notre Dame’s depth chart for showdown with No. 7 Cincinnati 

Notre Dame dominates fourth quarter vs. Wisconsin:  5 Instant Takeaways

Notre Dame’s all-time winningest football coaches

Best photos from Notre Dame’s 41-13 win over Wisconsin

Watch: Virginia Tech enters Lane Stadium to ‘Enter Sandman’

Imagine having to play in this environment.

We’re all excited for the return of college football, and with capacity crowds allowed again, another layer of that excitement is added. Few things have illustrated that thus far than the first time Virginia Tech entered a packed Lane Stadium to the sounds of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” before Friday’s 17-10 upset win over North Carolina:

This is what Notre Dame has to look forward to when it heads to Blacksburg to play the Hokies on Oct. 9. After starting their season on such a high note, there’s no reason to think this environment will get anymore forgiving, especially when it comes to high-profile opponents like the Irish. Although our editor doesn’t think highly of Virginia Tech, it’s not necessarily a team to sleep on. If the talent alone isn’t enough to beat the Irish, the confidence definitely will give this team a boost if it’s still there next month.

The Irish may not have to battle tougher elements this season, but they have the personnel to come out on top. Of course, a nice showing through the five games before that will help stoke that belief.