Notre Dame Fighting Irish

No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 24 VTech set for prime-time matchup

Published Oct. 4, 2018 12:38 p.m. ET

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No. 6 Notre Dame (5-0) at No. 24 Virginia Tech (3-1), 8 p.m. ET (ABC)

Line: Notre Dame by 6½.

Series record: Virginia Tech leads 1-0.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The Fighting Irish try to stay unbeaten and in line for long run at the College Football Playoff. The Hokies are trying to beat a ranked team for the season straight week after losing to Old Dominion.

KEY MATCHUP

Virginia Tech's run defense against Notre Dame's ground game. The Fighting Irish have rushed for an average of 201 yards per game while the Hokies have limited their opponents to an average of 84 yards, fourth-best in FBS.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Notre Dame: RB Dexter Williams. He ran for 161 yards on 21 carries in his season debut last week against Stanford, including a 45-yard run on his first carry.

Virginia Tech: QB Ryan Willis. He threw for 332 yards and a career-best three touchdowns in his first start for the Hokies a week ago against Duke. The transfer from Kansas set a Virginia Tech record for most passing yards in his first start.

FACTS & FIGURES

Notre Dame is 2-0 against ranked teams, having beaten No. 15 Michigan 24-17 in its opener and No. 14 Stanford 38-17 last week. The Hokies are the only currently ranked team remaining on Notre Dame's schedule. ... Notre Dame DT Jerry Tillery tied a school record with four sacks in the victory against Stanford and has seven sacks this season. ... Irish QB Ian Book threw four touchdown passes against the Cardinal and added 47 rushing yards on 15 attempts. ... Virginia Tech twice overcame 17-point deficits in its only prior meeting with Notre Dame, winning 34-31 in 2016. ... The Hokies are seeking consecutive victories against ranked opponents for the first time since they beat No. 19 Nebraska 16-15 and No. 9 Miami 31-7 in 2009. ... RB Steven Peoples has run for five touchdowns in the last three games for the Hokies and WR Damon Hazleton has a touchdown reception in all four games.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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