No. 16 Notre Dame needs late touchdown to get past Virginia Tech
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – That 45-14 beatdown at Michigan sent Notre Dame into a search for its misplaced physicality, winning traits and overall self-confidence.
Consider the process ongoing but off to a winning start.
Ian Book’s 7-yard scramble with 29 seconds left gave No. 16 Notre Dame the go-ahead score in a 21-20 comeback win against Virginia Tech on a wet Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.
Just like that, the Fighting Irish (6-2) extended their home winning streak to 16 games. Brian Kelly’s team also avoided losing consecutive games for the first time since the 4-8 nightmare that was 2016.
“This week was about our team,” Book said. “It was about having that strong love for each other and just going out there for one another and playing for each other.”
Despite entering as a 17 ½-point betting favorite, Notre Dame couldn’t dispatch the resurgent Hokies until the final minute.
Book, coming off a career-worst 73-yard passing night at Michigan, shook off another sloppy game to lead the winning drive in the waning moments.
Book was 23 of 39 passing for 278 yards and two interceptions when Notre Dame took over at its 13-yard-line with 3:22 left. Book actually had a third pick wiped out by a roughing-the-passer penalty.
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Then he got hot.
Book completed six passes for 63 yards on the 87-yard scoring drive. That included a pair of fourth-down completions: to Jafar Armstrong for 5 yards on fourth-and-3 from the Notre Dame 20 and to Chase Claypool for 26 yards on fourth-and-10 to the Hokies' 7.
Book also had a trio of 7-yard scoring runs, the last one on a third-and-goal scramble for the game-saving score with 29 seconds left.
“That was a great character victory for our football team,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said. “They endured a lot this week. They found a way to win.”
The loss was the third for the Hokies, who had a bye last week after beating North Carolina in six overtimes.
“It’s a tough locker room in there,” Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. “It’s a group of guys that played hard, prepared well for a very good football team on the road in a hostile environment and almost pulled it off.”
Contributing: The Associated Press