Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State only 97 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
Today we feature No. 97 with a look at former Irish running back Dexter Williams’ 97-yard touchdown run against Virginia Tech in 2018.
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On Oct. 6, 2018, an undefeated and sixth-ranked Notre Dame team arrived in Blacksburg, Va. for a primetime matchup against Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium. The 2-2 Hokies had just snuck into the Associated Press rankings that week at No. 24 and were considered a dangerous opponent for an Irish team with College Football Playoff aspirations. The game was ABC’s primetime contest that Saturday night.
Outside of a 78-yard touchdown drive to open the game, the Irish offense was largely stagnant for the first 30 minutes. Notre Dame took a 17-16 lead into the locker room at halftime. The defense scored the second touchdown via a defensive lineman Khalid Kareem strip and defensive back Julian Love return for a score. The Irish turned the ball over twice in the first half. They needed a spark.
Enter Williams, who to that point had been pretty quiet. He had a 1-yard rushing touchdown to open the game’s scoring but otherwise had just six additional carries for 16 yards. The 5-11, 215-pound senior was stopped for a 2-yard loss on Notre Dame’s first offensive play of the second half, prompting cheering from the Virginia Tech crowd.
Not for long.
Former Irish quarterback Ian Book handed the ball to Williams from deep in Irish territory with 11:49 to go in the third quarter, Williams turned a corner, found a hole, and was gone for a 97-yard score to make it 24-16 in favor of the blue and gold.
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“I was looking at the Jumbotron the whole time to make sure I didn’t get caught,” Williams said after the game.
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Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State only 98 days away
Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State only 99 days away
That score ultimately began an Irish run to break the game open, and Notre Dame returned to South Bend with a 6-0 record and a 45-23 win over a ranked opponent.
Williams ran for a total of 178 yards and three touchdowns in that second game of his season; he missed the first four contests in 2018 and returned the week prior against Stanford.
By the conclusion of the 2018 campaign, which did ultimately include an opportunity to play Clemson in the CFP, Williams carried the ball 142 times for 941 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
