Blacksburg, Va. — Jack Coan started, Tyler Buchner relieved him—and then Coan bailed out his freshman teammate, bringing the Irish back from a 29-21 deficit to set up a Jonathan Doerer game-wining field goal with 17 seconds to play.
Brian Kelly’s Irish trailed 10-0 early in the second quarter when the head coach benched an ineffective Jack Coan for Tyler Buchner. The true freshman took the reins and ran with them, at least for a little over a quarter, turning the deficit into leads of 14-10 and 21-16 before two cost interceptions sunk the Irish chances in Blacksburg.
The hosts struck first on an 80-yard drive that included gains of 15 and 18 yards through the air, plus a 16-yard quarterback run on a Wildcat keeper by backup Connor Blumrick. A defensive hold on Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart likewise aided the Hokies march culminated by a 3rd-Down Raheem Blackshear score from seven yards out for a 7-0 Virginia Tech lead.
Notre Dame’s impotent offense punted the ball back three snaps later and the Hokies continued to bully the Irish up front, driving 58 yards on 13 snaps but settled for a 4th-and-Goal field goal attempt from the 2-yard line, John Parker Romo making good on the kick for a 10-0 lead.
Buchner entered the game thereafter and after third-and-short conversion by Kyren Williams, the true freshman found senior Kevin Austin in solo coverage deep downfield for a 46-yard gain to the Hokies’ 4-yard line.
Buchner followed two snaps later with a quarterback keeper over the left side for the score and the Irish offense found its first life, trimming the lead to 10-7 at with 6:51 remaining in the first half.
The offenses exchanged punts and it was Buchner leading the way again, moving the visitors 80 yards in nine plays but just 50 seconds, the go-ahed drive keyed by 37-yard post route to Avery Davis and third-down holding call drawn by Austin. Buchner finished the possession with a short out route score to a slotted Williams for a 14-10 Irish lead with 32 seconds remaining.
(Williams was seen practicing the exact end zone out cut repeatedly prior to Notre Dame’s official team warm-ups on the evening.)
Virginia Tech didn’t go to the break quietly, instead covering 46 yards in 24 seconds with Romo nailing a career-long 52-yard field goal at the gun to bring the hosts within a point, 14-13.
LEADS EXCHANGED
Romo picked up where he left off to begin the second stanza, this time from half the distance in which he ended the first, booting a 26-yarder through the uprights for a 16-14 Hokies lead. Virginia Tech took more than six minutes off the game clock on the 11-play drive that had a touchdown called back for a pair of illegal linemen downfield in the Irish red zone.
After punting back to the Hokies, Irish senior safety TaRiq Bracy intercepted Burmeister on the Virginia Tech 29-yard line. Williams took it from there, breaking three tackles on a 3rd-and-2 from the Hokies 10-yard line to claim a 21-16 lead with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter.
The drive was Buchner’s fifth since relieving Coan. They resulted in three touchdowns around a pair of three-and-out possessions turning a 10-0 deficit into 21-16 advantage.
Virginia Tech could not respond offensively but punter Peter Moore unleashed a 52-yard gem downed by his Hokies coverage unit at the Irish 2-yard line. After Notre Dame gained an initial first down, Buchner was picked off on a 3rd-and-5 from his own 17-yard line, the errant pass picked off for a 26-yard touchdown by cornerback Jermaine Waller.
The Hokies ensuing two-point conversion attempt was picked off by Irish linebacker Bo Bauer to keep the Irish within a point, 22-21 near the end of the third quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER FLURRY?
Still trailing by a point on their second possession of the fourth quarter, Notre Dame bled more than five minutes off the game clock but stalled after an eight-play drive brought the ball to the Hokies 32-yard line, a clip on backup right guard Andrew Kristofic the culprit.
Instead of 3rd-and-6 the Irish and Buchner faced 3rd-and-21 from midfield and the Irish triggerman was intercepted on an ill-advised high throw back across the middle by Nasir Peoples.
Staked with possession at their own 44-yard line with 7:38 remaining, Virginia Tech converted two third downs and capitalized on a Kyle Hamilton personal foul penalty to gain possession at the Irish 14-yard line with less than five minutes remaining.
Faced with 3rd-and-15 from the Irish 19-yard line, Burmeister dropped back to pass, then took off over the vacated left field side to slice through the Notre Dame defense for a back-breaking score and 29-21 advantage with 3:54 to play.
Virginia Tech’s drive covered 56 yards on nine snaps and included three third-down conversions, each in excess of six yards to gain.
Jack Coan returned to the fray in an attempt to move the one-dimensional rushing offense for a final drive. The Irish were aided immediately by a 15-yard personal foul targeting penalty on linebacker Dax Hollifield that resulted in first down at the Notre Dame 45-yard line.
The Irish wasted no time, scoring one minute and 20 seconds later after Avery Davis gained 23 yards down the seam, and Coan again hit the captain for a four-yard score three snaps later, trimming the Hokies lead to two points, 29-27 at the 2:26 mark.
Notre Dame’s two-point conversion attempt, a Coan pass to a leaping Austin after a long scramble tied the score at 29 and the previously celebratory Hokies crowd stood stunned.
THE FINAL MINUTES
Already benefitting from a trio of Romo field goals on the evening, Virginia Tech took possession at their own 18-yard line with 2:22 to play. Burmeister threw incomplete on consecutive passes including missing an open deep shot to Tre Turner overthrown down the right sideline.
The quarterback’s nine-yard scramble on 3rd-and-10 resulted in a punt back to the Irish 24-yard line with 1:56 on the fourth quarter clock. Coan again manned the Irish, first hitting Lenzy for 20 yards, then backup tight end George Takacs for 15 yards crossing into Virginia Tech territory.
A Williams rush gained nine yards to the Hokies’ 30-yard line, but an incompletion and run stuff that followed put the game on kicker Jon Doerer’s shoulders for the second time this season. As he did in Tallahassee to open the season in overtime, Doerer came through with a no-doubter and the Irish lead 32-29 with 17 seconds to play.
The 10-0 deficit marked the largest overcome by the Irish since coming back to beat North Carolina after falling behind 14-0 in the fourth quarter of an October 2014 contest in South Bend.
Notre Dame out-gained Virginia Tech 394 to 308 on the evening.
