No. 8 Notre Dame continues its pursuit of the College Football Playoff on Saturday in South Bend, Ind., against a Virginia team that has fallen 3-1 on the road and holds the lead in all games this season.
The Fighting Irish (8-1) are on a seven-game winning streak dating back to a two-point loss at Northern Illinois on Sept. 7 and have won all four of their past meetings with the Cavaliers (5-4).
Notre Dame improved to 4-0 this season against fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia with a 52-3 victory over Florida State last weekend, as it also posted wins over Louisville, Georgia Tech and Stanford.
Riley Leonard passed for 215 yards and a touchdown and ran for 70 yards and two scores against the Seminoles. The balanced Fighting Irish offense had more than 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards for the third time in the last four games. The defense collected eight sacks and two more for a loss and ended the explosion with a 79-yard pick by Luke Talich.
Leonard posted similar numbers the last time he faced Virginia. Playing for Duke in 2022, he threw one touchdown and ran for two scores in a 38-17 loss to the Cavaliers.
Virginia snapped a three-game sweep last weekend with a 24-19 victory over then-No. 18 in Pittsburgh. Xavier Brown had a 1-yard touchdown run and a 24-yard touchdown catch and former Notre Dame wideout Chris Tyree had his best game as a Cavalier with four catches for 42 yards and one run for -13.
“I’m really excited to be back,” said Tyree, a graduate who had 3,284 all-purpose yards with 17 touchdowns in 49 games with the Fighting Irish from 2020-23.
Tyree’s fourth-quarter 25-yard catch on third-and-15 allowed Virginia to extend a drive that took 8:26 and resulted in a field goal for the final margin.
“I think this is a good start for us to finish these last four games,” said Tyree. “So it’s just up to us to go 1-0 every week, take it day by day.”
The Cavaliers have not played in a bowl game since the 2019 season. They need one more win to clinch eligibility with games remaining against No. 1 Notre Dame. 14 SMU and rival Virginia Tech.
“Coach (Tony) Elliott has done a great job. He has a team that plays at a really high level, plays with confidence, is competitive,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said.
“… They had a great run last week against Pitt, and they’re a talented team and they play that way with confidence and physicality. So, we’re expecting their best and we’re expecting a big challenge Saturday at Notre Dame. It’s our senior day.”
Freeman said that Fighting Irish linebacker Howard Cross, who ranks second on the team with four sacks, will not play because of an ankle injury.
The Notre Dame community mourned the loss this week of former head coach Gerry Faust, who died Monday at the age of 89.
–Field Level Media
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