The #18 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-3) will host the Boston College Eagles (3-7) on Saturday, as Notre Dame looks to keep their winning streak alive. The Irish are coming into this game after putting together one of the best halves of football we have seen this year but also ending with one of the worst halves of football against Navy. The Eagles, as well as it is a senior day at Notre Dame, present an incredible opportunity for this football team on Saturday. Hopefully, they will come away with a win and give these seniors many memories for years to come. Coach Freeman had this to say on Monday about facing Boston College…
“I've seen the Moorhead guy at quarterback. From what I hear, just talking to some of the defensive coaches and even some of the offensive coaches, there are some similarities between Phil Jurkovec and Moorhead. I don't think defensively you'll change depending on who's going to be at quarterback, but the Moorhead kid does a really good job of extending plays with his legs, and the ability to not get rattled. It's a good offense and he's a good player. As far as Zay Flowers, if not the best, he’s one of the best we have seen all year. He brings an element of speed that I don't know if we've seen in a while, in terms of being able to be a deep threat and run by defenders. He's quick, but I think the speed that he brings to Boston College's offense is going to be a huge challenge for us to match up with so we're gonna have to have some different plans, change-ups coverage-wise for him. He's a good player."
Game Details
Date: Saturday, November 19
Time: 2:30 PM ET
Where to Watch: NBC/Peacock
Series History
Notre Dame Leads Overall 17-9
2020- Notre Dame 45-31
2019- Notre Dame 40-7
2017- Notre Dame 49-20
2015- Notre Dame 19-16
2012- Notre Dame 21-6
2011- Notre Dame 16-14
2010- Notre Dame 31-13
2009- Notre Dame 20-16
2008- Boston College 17-0
2007- Boston College 27-14
2004- Boston College 24-23
2003- Boston College 27-25
2002- Boston College 14-7
2001- Boston College 21-17
2000- Notre Dame 28-16
Breaking Down Boston College
The Eagles are led by Jeff Hafley, who enters his third season at Boston College but owns a 15-18 overall record. Hafley came to Boston College after being a premier defensive coordinator at Ohio State. Things have not gone as planned for Hafley as his team ranks near the bottom in every ACC category. Despite all of this, Boston College will be ready to play Notre Dame on Saturday, and the Irish should not underestimate them. This is an Eagles team that has NFL talent on it and has a history of producing NFL talent as well: Matt Ryan, AJ Dillon, Justin Simmons, Zach Allen, Harold Landry, Matt Hasselbeck, Marc Colombo, Luke Kuechly, BJ Raji, Chris Lindstrom, Anthony Castonzo, and Doug Flutie. Make no mistake, there will be more to enter the NFL off of this current Boston College team, so the Irish must be ready for the challenge ahead on Saturday.
Stacking Up Notre Dame vs Boston College
Offensive Players to Know
Phil Jurkovec/Emmett Morehead— QB #5/#14
2022 Stats: 1711 passing yards, 11 TD; 1 rushing TD
2022 Stats: 885 passing yards, 8 TD
Zay Flowers— WR #4
2022 Stats: 921 receiving yards, 10 TD; 36 rushing yards
Joseph Griffin Jr.— WR #2
2022 Stats: 234 receiving yards, 5 TD
Defensive Players to Know
Vinny Depalma— LB #42
2022 Stats: 71 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
Kam Arnold— LB #5
2022 Stats: 62 tackles, 1 pass defended, .5 sack, 2 interceptions
Donovan Ezeiruaku— DE #6
2022 Stats: 50 tackles, 1 pass defended, 6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
📷 credit: @bcfootball on Instagram
Keys to Victory
1. Attack the Offensive Line
Boston College has one of the worst offensive lines in college football this year. The Irish defensive line must attack that line and make either Jurkovec or Morehead uncomfortable all day. This is the type of game that Foskey, Mills, Ademilola, Cross, and others must have a dominant performance.
2. Notre Dame Must Establish the Run Game
Estime, Diggs, and Tyree were used effectively during the first half of football against Navy last week, but that ended in the second half. Notre Dame must re-establish their identity in the running game this week in order to be effective against the Eagles. This game presents an incredible opportunity for the offensive line to exert its will on this lackluster defense.
3. Embrace the Weather
As the weather looks to be cold and nasty for Saturday’s game, Notre Dame must prepare to take advantage of it. At his Thursday press conference, Marcus Freeman had this to say…
“You embrace it. The first thing I told them Tuesday was we’re practicing outside and prepare your mind for it. We’re going outside. It’s just understanding we're going to practice outside and we’re going to play outside. Dress warm and go play. If you dress appropriately, it won’t be an issue. If you try to be a tough guy, there is no such thing as cold tough guys and you better be a warm tough guy. Make sure you dress appropriately, go practice and go play.”
Final Take
On paper, this is a game that Notre Dame should dominate, but there are a few challenges that stand in the way. For whatever reason, the Irish tend to play down to their opponent, but that must change this week. Another challenge the Irish must overcome is that it is senior day on Saturday. This team must find ways to overcome the emotions of playing your last game in South Bend and use that energy to send the seniors off with a dominating performance. Coach Freeman added this on Thursday…
“I think I addressed it on Monday in terms of this group has truly laid the foundation of where I see this football program going forward. It hasn’t been a smooth road. It’s been a bumpy one that has had some ups and downs. What they’ve done is preserved and helped us really understand how to get through those tough times. I think the culture of your program is truly defined through some of the toughest times. What this group has done is really taking this team and propelling us forward. Without the leadership, they’ve provided, without the work ethic and the example they set, we wouldn’t have been able to truly improve through those ups and downs. Your leaders are coming in here every day trying to improve and trying to get better. There’s no other option for those young guys. The greatest example they see is our leaders and our seniors.”
Go Irish!
📷 credit: Irish Tribune
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