SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame did enough to beat Virginia Tech on Saturday, but it did not do enough to quell any lingering concerns of offensive malaise. The No. 16 Irish (6-2) struggled on third downs, did not hold off the Hokies pass rush and failed to protect the football, yet hung on for a 21-20 victory thanks to that offense hustling down the field better late than never. A last-minute, 87-yard drive was capped off with a 7-yard Ian Book touchdown run to give Notre Dame its first lead of the second half.

The utter ineffectiveness that beset Notre Dame in its embarrassing loss at Michigan a week ago prevailed again against Virginia Tech, even as the Irish gained 243 yards in the first half. In the first seven games of the year, Notre Dame scored on 24-of-24 red-zone possessions with 21 touchdowns. Against the Hokies, the Irish instead had two turnovers inside the 5-yard line and missed a field goal on another red-zone drive.

One of those turnovers led directly to a 14-point swing. As junior running back Jafar Armstrong plowed into the line from the 2-yard line, he was met by a Virginia Tech helmet. The loose ball bounced high for Hokies senior safety Divine Deablo. Only Notre Dame senior quarterback Ian Book stood between Deablo and the opposite end zone.

A full 98 yards later and the Hokies had not just a halftime 14-14 tie, but also all the momentum.

That momentum would not shift back until a couple personal fouls on Virginia Tech helped an Irish drive limp down the field halfway through the fourth quarter. Right when Notre Dame looked like it could take a late lead against an equally-stagnate offense, a penalty stalled the Irish and junior kicker Jonathan Doerer missed a 35-yard field goal.

The Hokies ate up 3:40 before giving back the ball, when Book began the 18-play winning drive to keep Notre Dame’s season from falling off the edge.

SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
9:10 — Notre Dame touchdown. Cole Kmet 8-yard pass from Ian Book. Jonathan Doerer PAT good. Notre Dame 7, Virginia Tech 0. (2 plays, 26 yards, 0:26)
1:15 — Virginia Tech touchdown. Damon Hazelton 8-yard pass from Quincy Patterson. Brian Johnson PAT good. Notre Dame 7, Virginia Tech 7. (8 plays, 45 yards, 2:25)

Second Quarter
11:45 — Notre Dame touchdown. Tommy Tremble 4-yard pass from Book. Doerer PAT good. Notre Dame 14, Virginia Tech 7. (11 plays, 77 yards, 4:25)
00:09 — Virginia Tech touchdown. Divine Deablo 98-yard fumble return. Johnson PAT good. Notre Dame 14, Virginia Tech 14.

Third Quarter
11:00 — Virginia Tech field goal. Johnson 44 yards. Virginia Tech 17, Notre Dame 14. (7 plays, 49 yards, 4:00)

Fourth Quarter
13:25 — Virginia Tech field goal. Johnson 25 yards. Virginia Tech 20. Notre Dame 14. (10 plays, 76 yards, 4:49)
00:29 – Notre Dame touchdown. Book 7-yard run. Doerer PAT good. Notre Dame 21, Virginia Tech 20.