Which it did, just quicker than that.Д«ut AustinвЂ™s leaping snag may not have been the most impressive play of the day. The Irish defense should be able to hold serve and force overtime. The Hokies had scored a touchdown on their previous drive, but before that, they had managed 70 yards on 23 plays in the second half. That two-point conversion was the final вЂњTurning Point of the Game.вЂќ Despite two quarterback changes, despite two interceptions with one a pick-six, despite playing without two of its best offensive weapons in Mayer and sophomore running back Chris Tyree, Notre Dame had tied the game with fewer than two minutes left. It may be some time before the world knows if Coan was targeting Austin or if sheer hope drove that jump ball. Kept it alive until he heaved it for Austin. Jack turned the throw down and just kept the play alive.вЂќ If he throws it, I donвЂ™t know that gets in.

вЂњWe scan the play looking for Avery right out of the bunch,вЂќ Irish head coach Brian Kelly said. If Coan threw him the pass, crossing the goal line would have been a 50/50 proposition. Maybe in order to avoid another costly offensive pass interference flag, maybe a result of fatigue filling in for sophomore Michael Mayer for the entire night, or maybe Virginia Tech simply scouted the play well, whatever the reason, TakacsвЂ™ вЂњrouteвЂќ did not completely clear out space for Davis. Yes, Notre Dame was running a toned-down version of the pick play made infamous at Florida State in 2014. Look at the four-second mark in this clip, and you will see Davis slipping into the flat at the top of the screen after senior tight end George Takacs conveniently runs into a couple defensive backs.ДЄnother look at the two-point conversion from Jack Coan to Kevin Austin from a few angles. The new intention was to go back to one of those playmakers and turn it into an eight-point drive for Davis. вЂњWe definitely had something set up, and when I saw it, вЂOh, that is not what we had dialed up this whole week for a two-point play.вЂ™ But we have playmakers all around on this offense, on this team, see what happens.вЂќ вЂњProbably because I wasnвЂ™t in there,вЂќ he said. That was not the play he expected to see. After that score, Williams looked out at the alignment before the snap on the two-point conversion attempt. Williams would not return on the drive, albeit a quick drive thanks to Jack Coan completing five of six passes for 58 yards, capped by a touchdown to fifth-year receiver Avery Davis. The con: Williams needed to come out of the game to be checked for a concussion, a protocol he was not thrilled with but understood, an understanding buoyed by the eventual victory.

The perk: The Irish were suddenly at their own 45-yard line. That drive began with 3:55 remaining and Notre Dame (5-1) trailing by eight points, and its first play saw junior running back Kyren Williams catch a five-yard pass before Hokies linebacker Dax Hollifield tackled him, a hit that was ruled a targeting penalty. Not only was Austin not the intended target on the broken play, but the Irish anticipated running a different play entirely. Notre Dame did not intend for senior receiver Kevin Austin to be the hero on its pivotal two-point conversion in its 32-29 win at Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Virginia tech football screen replay