Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1187512
22 NOV. 30, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT The first inclination is to go with the two touch- downs in two minutes of the third quarter — an 11-yard catch by junior tight end Cole Kmet fol- lowed by a 61-yard run from sophomore wide receiver Braden Lenzy — to take the score from 19-7 to 33-7. However, by then it was clear that Boston College did not possess the balance nec- essary to threaten Notre Dame. Thus, we will go with Notre Dame's answer after falling behind for the first time in three games. After Boston College took a 7-6 edge, Notre Dame answered with a 75-yard drive in 15 plays in 5:08 to regain the lead at 13-7 with 2:48 remaining on a six-yard tally from senior quarterback Ian Book to senior wide receiver Chase Claypool. During this march the duo also combined for a seven-yard completion on third- and-six from Boston College's 31-yard line, and on fourth-and-three from the 24, Book found Finke on a six-yard gain. That was the beginning of a 34-0 avalanche to close out the final 32:48 in the game. STATS OF THE GAME Boston College entered the game averaging 282.2 rushing per contest, which ranked fifth nationally. Through three quarters it had only 106 yards on 34 carries and finished with 128 on 43 attempts. Especially noteworthy is the nation's third- leading rusher AJ Dillon came into the contest averaging 27 carries for 145 yards while David Bailey was at 12 carries for 76 yards. Dillon fin- ished with a meager 56 yards on 14 carries, while Bailey had 10 for 26. Thus, a duo that averaged a combined 221 yards on the ground per outing managed 82 yards on 24 attempts (just 3.4 yards per carry). TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS During Notre Dame's 31-6 (.838 winning per- centage) run the past three seasons, hand-wring- ing remains that while Notre Dame is feasting on lighter opponents against whom they are prohibi- tive favorites (Boston College) or outmatch (Navy), it still can't get to the first-tier level. However, there is still a lot to be said for avoiding the major upset and defeating — and most of the time hand- ily — the "teams you're supposed to beat." In the 10 years from 2007-16, the greatest frus- tration with the Notre Dame football operation was head-scratching defeats to opposition that was considered significantly inferior, especially at home: 2-8 Syracuse (2008), Connecticut (2009), Navy and Tulsa (2010), South Florida (2011), at Pittsburgh (2013), Northwestern and Louisville (2014), as well as Michigan State and Duke outfits in 2016 that finished 4-8 and 3-9, respectively, never mind Navy again later in the year. Yes, there is still work ahead … but part of reaching consistent top-10 stature is dominating who you are "supposed to." THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI OFFENSE: QB IAN BOOK The senior quarterback struggled to find the end zone early in the game, often missing open wide receivers down the field, but he finished the game strong. He completed 26 of 40 throws for 239 yards with three touchdowns — to three different receivers — and no interceptions. Book also led the team in rushing with 66 yards on 12 carries — the fourth straight game in which he has been the most productive ball carrier for the Fighting Irish. DEFENSE: DE ADE OGUNDEJI Coming into the matchup with Boston Col- lege, the senior defensive end had not recorded a sack all season and only took down the op- posing team's quarterback 1.5 times in 2018. But with season-ending injuries to fellow senior de- fensive ends Daelin Hayes and Julian Owkara, Ogundeji emerged and put together a career day against Boston College. Ogundeji finished with six tackles, three stops behind the line of scrimmage, two sacks and a forced fumble to pace a strong Irish defensive effort that limited the Eagles to seven points and 191 total yards. SPECIAL TEAMS: K JONATHAN DOERER After starting the season as a huge question mark, the junior kicker has been a pleasant sur- prise. Through 10 games, he had made 8 of 10 field goals, including three of more than 40 yards in a 30-27 win over USC. Against Boston College, Doerer drilled each of his four field goal attempts from 47, 29, 45 and 37 yards. He also made all four of his extra point attempts to finish with a 16-point day. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY ANDREW MENTOCK Junior kicker Jonathan Doerer was the model of consistency against Boston College, connect- ing on all four of his field goal attempts, with a long of 47 yards, and all four extra point tries. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS