BLACKSBURG, Va. – For the second week in a row, the Hokies will square off against an undefeated, top 25 ranked opponent. Things fared well for Tech on Saturday down at Duke and they're hoping the same will be said this week as they welcome Notre Dame to Lane stadium for the first time.
"They're big and physical up front. They have some dynamic skill kids maybe the largest receivers we've seen, guys that are 6-foot-4 plus at the receiver position. I think they have the number one tight end in the country," said Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster.
It was just two weeks ago when the Hokies secondary was exposed to the tune of more than 600 yards against Old Dominion. But since then, Tech has tightened up in the defensive backfield, allowing just 1 passing score at Duke.
"It was a statement game for us," said defensive back Jovonn Quillen.
"We had to bounce back, things happened that we didn't like so we had to come back the next week and turn around and we had to go 10 times harder every day. We just couldn't let up," said Quillen.
As they shift their focus to Notre Dame, the Hokies secondary is on high alert again once again, considering the talent the Fighting Irish have to offer. They totaled 550 yards of offense against Stanford last week.
"They can pretty much do anything," said defensive back Divine Diablo.
"A lot of speed on the outside, they can run bubbles and their quarterback is very dangerous so we have to disciplined," Diablo said.
In the first meeting back in 2016 it took a 17 point comeback for the Hokies to get the win over Notre Dame. This time they hope to be the ones in the lead rather than playing from behind. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. at Lane Stadium on Saturday.