#18 Virginia at #10 Notre Dame
When: Saturday, September 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, IN
TV: NBC
The undefeated Virginia Cavaliers travel to take on Notre Dame. Virginia is the favorite to represent the ACC Coastal Division in the conference championship. Notre Dame is the last difficult task on their schedule but this is a non-conference matchup. The Fighting Irish hope to bounce back from a tough loss at Georgia last weekend.
Virginia
Virginia comes in at 4-0 after last week’s win over Old Dominion. The offense is headlined by quarterback Bryce Perkins and wide receiver Joe Reed.
Perkins has 843 yards passing with six scores to his name. He also leads the team with 51 rushing attempts for 193 yards so far this season. Reed has 23 receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns. His career-high for receptions in a season is 25 so he is having his best season by far.
Reed also averages 28.3 yards per kickoff return in his career, including an average of 37.8 yards this season. He has added four career kickoff return touchdowns on 90 attempts. Reed is a dynamic playmaker that should hear his name called in the NFL Draft this spring.
The Cavalier defense has a lot to like as well. Charles Snowden falls under the “freakish athlete” category of prospects. The 6-foot-7 linebacker has all the length in the world. He can use that length to extend his arms while rushing the passer, generating power with a devastating bull rush. At the same time, Snowden can lean on his long arms to break up passes at the line or over the middle.
Cornerback Bryce Hall is a potential first-round pick in the making. Hall is excellent at getting between the receiver and the ball, making life difficult for offenses. As a junior in 2018, Hall intercepted two passes and broke up 21 more. He also forced two fumbles. Teams are straying away from Hall this season, but he is making his presence felt anyway. Through four games, Hall has 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks, and four pass deflections.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame is no stranger to NFL talent. The Irish send handfuls of guys to the league every single year, and 2020 will be no different. Right guard Tommy Kraemer is arguably the best interior lineman in the country. Senior running back Tony Jones Jr. is averaging 4.9 yards per carry as the lead back.
Chase Claypool is a premier outside receiver with size and strong hands. The 6-foot-4 wideout is averaging 17.1 yards per reception this season with two touchdowns. He makes things easy for quarterback Ian Book. I am not a huge Ian Book fan as far as the NFL Draft goes, but he is a solid college quarterback who will get a shot with an NFL roster come next summer.
The Irish have a deadly pass rush. Three senior defensive ends make up an incredible rotation for the Notre Dame defense. Julian Okwara is, in my opinion, a first-round talent off the edge. He had 8.0 sacks and 12.5 TFL last season. Okwara blends size and speed well, with great bend and hand usage off the edge.
Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem are both NFL talents on the defensive line as well. Senior defensive backs Troy Pride Jr., Alohi Gilman, and Jalen Elliott will all be playing on Sundays. The talent is abundant at Notre Dame.