On the 20th edition of Shake Down the Numbers, Cooper and Eric break down Notre Dame's comeback victory against the Hokies. The guys discuss Quarterback controversy, including how to best prepare the QB room for this season and beyond. 4th down decision-making captured the spotlight in the fourth quarter, and Cooper's brain just about breaks trying to understand Fuente's choice to punt on 4th and 1 late in a tied ballgame.

(1:10) Start of the game recap, diving in with the Jekyll and Hyde performance from Buchner after he relieved the (initially) ineffective Jack Coan. Tyler Buchner is coming, and the hosts go over how to best open the offense for him this year to gain experience he can build on for the 2022 season.

(8:30) Tommy Rees talk. The OC is captaining the offense through a philosophical change, required by the lack of dominant physicality the OL offers in the run game. Strategies to increase success rate and create opportunities to create more efficient early down opportunities are laid out.

(16:05) Talking through the thought process for the coaches with the QB decision. The staff's hesitancy to roll with a scattershot Pyne, Jack Coan's inconsistency and Tyler's Buchner's inexperience each create unique problems and there aren't enough reps to solve all these issues.

(18:05) Marcus Freeman's Unit continues to impress, particularly the DL. The Irish have been able to lean on their depth and maximize the skillsets of players who have held bit-roles to date.

(29:50) With 1:56 left in the 4th quarter, the score tied 29-29, the Irish called a timeout to gather themselves before a 4th and 1 play. Instead of putting the ball in the hands of the offense and taking command of the game, VT elected to punt and play for OT with two timeouts remaining. This decision lowered VT's win percentage by 10.9%, and caused Irish fans everywhere to cheer. Cooper and Eric run through the failure of this decision making in a high leverage moment.