On a windy afternoon in Boston, the now No. 10 Fighting Irish topped their rival Eagles by a score of 25-10. In a game where many Notre Dame fans were expecting utter domination, the team struggled to amass much control over its much inferior opponent. Heading into the matchup, the two teams had been trending in completely opposite directions. Boston College won their first game of the season against Fordham, but rattled off seven consecutive losses heading into Saturday’s Holy War. As for the Irish, dropping games one and two had been followed by a five-game winning streak, including a win over rival USC last time out. Despite this underwhelming performance on Saturday in Beantown, there were still hopeful trends that Irish fans should feel confident about heading into Navy week.
Stock up: offensive explosiveness
Although the Irish did not run up the scoreboard, the scoring that the Irish did do was rather explosive. In a game in which Notre Dame lost the time of possession battle by over 10 minutes, these explosive plays were essential, as the offense did not have as many long and methodical drives as they are accustomed to.
The explosiveness began at the beginning of the second quarter, as freshman quarterback CJ Carr found senior wide receiver Malachi Fields on a deep post route for a 40-yard touchdown. On a play in which Fields nearly collided with fellow senior wide receiver Will Pauling, Carr perfectly placed the ball in stride for the first Irish score of the game. The explosiveness continued on Notre Dame’s second touchdown, as Carr then found Pauling for a 44-yard strike. Here, Pauling lined up in the slot and ran a beauty of a post route to create separation from the defender, and another well-placed ball from Carr led to another Irish score.
Yet the most explosive play from the evening came in another moment of ridiculousness from junior running back Jeremiyah Love. Backed up deep in his own territory, Love took the first play of the drive for a 94-yard touchdown run. After bursting through the seam and shooting past Boston College’s linebackers and defensive backs, Love began talking to his own sideline en route to a patented long touchdown run. These big plays proved vital for the Irish’s scoring attack as they look to carry on this offensive momentum deeper into the season.
Stock down: kicking
In a season that has already seen multiple mishaps in the kicking department, the game on Saturday was perhaps the most egregious performance yet. In an era of kicking where any attempt inside 50 yards is almost automatic for some kickers, the Irish have repeatedly struggled with seemingly routine kicks.
The struggle began after the first touchdown, as senior Noah Burnette missed the extra point. It was reported by Tyler Horka that Burnette had also missed an extra point in warmups prior to the game. After the next Irish score, head coach Marcus Freeman decided to try a two point conversion that ultimately failed, leaving the Irish with an awkward twelve points. Following a Boston College touchdown, a quick Notre Dame drive granted the team the opportunity to put points on the board before the break, but freshman Erik Schmidt missed a 35-yard field goal to the right. The kicking struggles continued further in the second half, as junior Marcello Diomede missed another extra point late in the third quarter.
Fortunately for the Irish, the kicking game did not ultimately cost the win, but concern was definitely heightened. If three kickers are consistently struggling to make kicks from inside the 20-yard line, changes on special teams need to be made. It was seen last year how crucial Mitch Jeter was for the Irish in clutch moments, and, by the looks of it, none of the kickers on the current Irish roster seem able to replicate his performance.
Stock up: linebackers
Although the Irish offense struggled to sustain long drives, the Irish defense and, most notably, the linebackers stepped up. Headlined by junior Drayk Bowen and sophomore Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, the Notre Dame defense held the Boston College rushing attack to only 12 yards on 33 carries, an average of 0.4 yards per play. The Holy War very well could have been Bowen’s best game of the season, as he amassed a team-leading 14 solo tackles. Bowen also recorded two tackles for loss, one being a big sack in the fourth quarter on a third and seven, when he overpowered Boston College's running back en route to sacking quarterback Grayson James.
Viliamu-Asa was also big, recording nine tackles and 1.5 sacks on the evening. Sophomore Jaiden Ausberry also had one of his best games of the season with four solo tackles, including a tackle for loss. Sure, Boston College does not pose the most threatening run game in college football, but shutting down the run will surely help the Irish as they get deeper into the season, especially in their upcoming game with Navy. Statistically, the Midshipmen hold one of the best running attacks in the country, leading the nation in total yards, yards per game and yards per rush.
Stock down: Jadarian Price
Coming off a standout performance against USC that included a kickoff return touchdown and 87 yards rushing, junior running back Jadarian Price struggled against Boston College. Price rushed for only 12 yards on nine attempts, marking his worst rushing performance by quite a wide margin. But Price also cost the team a likely touchdown, fumbling the ball on the Boston College five-yard line. This giveaway deep into the red zone added to Notre Dame's goal-line struggles and marked a rare mistake from the usually reliable Price.
Now this is, of course, no call for panic for Price. The running back still has been an unbelievable asset for the Irish offense, providing great balance sharing the backfield with another superstar in Love. Price will continue to be used heavily in the offense, and will still be a key contributor to the team down the road.
Stock down: preparation
I would never want to bring strong criticism upon Marcus Freeman and his ability to get his team ready for a game, but I do not think I am alone in feeling disappointed in how the Irish looked to start this game. This assessment applies more so to the offensive start, but the team seemingly looked flat to come out of the gates. In a game in which the Irish were a 30-point favorite against a one-win team, fans expected domination, especially coming off the bye week. However, the first two offensive drives were simply uninspiring, with the first resulting in a punt and the second a turnover on downs. The Irish lead was only 12-7 at halftime, with the Eagles trimming the advantage to two during the third quarter. This performance from Notre Dame left supporters stressing more than they had anticipated, and hints that the team may have underestimated its opponent throughout preparation.
