BLACKSBURG, Va. — Dexter Williams ran for three touchdowns, including a 97-yarder, and No. 6 Notre Dame beat No. 24 Virginia Tech 45-23 on Saturday night.

The Fighting Irish (6-0) had minus-5 rushing yards and were facing second-and-12 from their own 3 when Williams took a handoff into the left side of the line and broke into the clear early in the third quarter, putting Notre Dame ahead 24-16. Williams had just been thrown for a 2-yard loss, prompting the sellout crowd at Lane Stadium to grow louder, begging for the kind of big play the program’s defense has made so often. Instead, it was Williams who made it.

“We had a couple of plays that we felt comfortable we could run down there,” coach Brian Kelly said of Williams, who ran for 161 yards in his first action of the season last week in a victory against No. 15 Stanford. “He’s got great speed. He’s able to hit it.”

Virginia Tech responded by driving to the Notre Dame 30, but Brian Johnson missed a 47-yard field goal try.

“After that we kind of self-destructed a little bit,” Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster said.

Williams finished with 178 yards on 17 carries. He added TD runs of 1 and 31 yards.

The Irish’s defense was stout, too. Khalid Kareem stripped quarterback Ryan Willis on a scramble and Julian Love was in perfect position to scoop up the bouncing fumble and take it 42 yards for a touchdown, giving Notre Dame a 17-9 lead late in the second quarter. Before breaking the game open, Notre Dame also sacked Willis for 11 yards after Virginia Tech (3-2) drove to the 19, and stopped the Hokies on three tries from the 1 yard-line. Both of those drives ended with the hosts settling for field goals by Johnson.

Ian Book started fast and then struggled, but delivered the back-breaker for the Irish. Flushed left and surrounded by three closing defenders, he tossed a short pass just beyond them to Miles Boykin, whose 40-yard touchdown made it 31-16 late in the third quarter. The pair later connected for a 5-yard TD as the Irish scored the first 21 points of the second half.

Book finished 25 for 35 for 271 yards in his third consecutive start. Willis was 31 for 52 for 309 yards with two TDs and one interception for the Hokies.

Book was perfect on the opening drive, completing all seven of his throws for 58 yards. He was far less effective throwing the ball downfield. He badly overthrew Chris Finke twice, including once when Finke was well behind Tyree Rodgers and could have coasted into the end zone.