Can Virginia move the ball against Notre Dame’s No. 7-ranked defense?

By Jerry Ratcliffe

One of the keys in Virginia’s upset of No. 18 Pitt on the road last weekend was the Cavaliers’ ability to control the line of scrimmage and run the football when it was necessary.

Kobe Pace and Xavier Brown each have more than 400 yards rushing this season, the first time since 2018 (Jordan Ellis) that UVA has had a running back hit that number. If the Cavaliers are to give No. 8 Notre Dame a game today (3:30 p.m., nationally-televised NBC, in South Bend), they must be able to run the ball.

Easier said than done against the once-beaten Fightin’ Irish (22-point favorites), who are fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Any slippage against an inferior opponent could drop the Golden Domers in the rankings, so don’t look for Notre Dame to take 5-4 Virginia lightly.

“Every week is the Super Bowl,” said Irish coach Marcus Freeman this week.

UVA coach Tony Elliott knows what looms ahead. Notre Dame is the No. 7 defense in the country (274.6 yards per game), the No. 2 pass defense (148.6) and more concerningly, the No. 41 defense against the run (126 yards allowed per game).

“If you can’t run the ball, it’s very, very difficult,” Elliott said this week. “We are going to need it because this bunch here is No. 7 nationally in defense.”

The coach likes the way Pace and Brown compliment each other, but realizes his offense is going up against an entirely different animal in Notre Dame. What Virginia can’t afford to do is have its running game stifled, turning the Cavaliers’ offense into a one-dimensional passing attack, which could cause quarterback Anthony Colandrea a stressful day against the nation’s No. 2 pass defense.

Meanwhile, the Irish offense won’t be easy to contain. They boast the nation’s 13th-ranked running game, 214.8 yards per contest behind a massive offensive line that Elliott described as a bunch of 6-foot-7 creatures. Notre Dame has scored 30 touchdowns with its ground game this season.

QB Riley Leonard, who transferred to ND from Duke, is a big, physical quarterback who can run (6-3, 220), and is a better passer than when he played in the ACC.

The Jerry & Jerry Show previews UVA-Notre Dame

The Jerry Ratcliffe Show previews UVA-Notre Dame

UVA Offensive Season Stats

UVA Defensive/Special Teams Season Stats

Notre Dame Offensive Season Stats