Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 19, 2022 37 GAME PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE Duke. His 4 touchdowns through nine games were second on an Eagles team that ranked a respect- able 54th nationally in passing offense (251.8 yards) through Week 10. In addition, Garwo was second on BC with 22 catches out of the backfield. For Notre Dame, after recording only 1 intercep- tion through its first seven games, it tallied 2 picks against both Syracuse and Clemson, with two of those four returned for touchdowns. Against the Orange Oct. 29, senior safety Bran- don Joseph earned the defensive game ball after scoring his first career touchdown on a 29-yard interception return. A week later against Clemson, freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison recorded the first 2 interceptions of his career, including one he returned 96 yards for a score that put the Irish up 28-0 early in the fourth quarter. With 12 sacks in the three games against UNLV, Syracuse and Clemson, Notre Dame ranked 14th nationally into the Navy game with 3.1 sacks per outing, which doesn't bode well for BC, which was allowing 3.8 sacks a game, ranking last in the ACC and 126th nationally last week. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. BOSTON COLLEGE RUN DEFENSE It's well documented that following its 0-2 start this season, Notre Dame ranked No. 101 in rushing offense (103.0 yards per game). In the 6-1 stretch that followed, it had climbed to No. 28 nation- ally in rushing average (195.1 per game). There is no reason to think this dramatic ascent won't continue. Behind an Irish offensive line that is playing as well as any in the country, the sophomore tailback tandem of Audric Estime and Logan Diggs has been terrific and unstoppable. Through the Clemson game, Estime led the Irish with 662 yards rushing (73.6 per game, 5.7 per carry) and 9 touchdowns. Diggs was right behind him with 545 yards (68.1 per game, 4.9 per carry) — including a team-high 114 against Clemson — and 1 rushing touchdown. For Boston College, it ranked 12th in the ACC and 75th nationally through nine games in rushing defense (152.2 yards per game). The Eagles have allowed 4.1 yards per rush — the third-worst mark in the league — and 18 rushing touchdowns, the second most among ACC teams. Graduate student linebacker Vinny DePalma led a balanced Eagles defense with 65 tackles (7.2 per game) through Week 10. DePalma was also second on the team with 5 tackles for loss. On a BC team that featured eight players with at least 30 total tackles, junior linebacker Kam Arnold (58) and graduate student safety Jaiden Woodbey (56) ranked second and third on the Eagles in stops, respectively. Sophomore Donovan Ezeiruaku is also enjoying a solid season. The athletic but undersized (6-2, 236) defensive end had 48 tackles through nine games, and easily led the Eagles with 10.5 tackles for loss, which tied for second in the ACC. Advantage: Notre Dame Graduate student linebacker Vinny DePalma was the Eagles' leading tackler with 72 stops through nine games. PHOTO COURTESY BC FOOTBALL Staff Predictions Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 45, Boston College 7 One stat best forecasts this mismatch. Boston College headed into its game against North Carolina State Nov. 12 ranked last in the country out of 131 FBS teams in rushing offense with only 68.3 yards per game, while Notre Dame was situated 35th in rushing defense with 125.2 yards allowed. After losing six straight games to BC from 2001-08, Notre Dame has beaten the Eagles eight straight times in this series since 2009. The last three Irish victories (2017, 2019 and 2020) came by an average of 26 points. The Eagles haven't won at Notre Dame Stadium since 2007, and they won't win there this year either. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 34, Boston College 7 The Irish's maddening propensity to play down to the competition earlier this season finally seems to be in the rearview mirror now that they have fully embraced their identity as a ground-and-pound team. Heading into its matchup with Navy, Notre Dame had rushed for at least 200 yards five times while averag- ing 233.8 yards per game on the ground in its last six outings. The Eagles rank just 75th nationally in run de- fense (152.2 yards allowed per game), so the Irish should be able to continue to roll with what they do best. On the other side of the ball, the Boston College offensive line has been an unmitigated disaster. The Eagles rank 117th in total offense (320.1 yards per game), 119th in scoring offense (18.8 points per game), 120th in turnover margin (minus-0.89 per game), 126 in sacks allowed (3.78 per game) and 131st in rushing offense (68.3 yards per game). It should be another big day for the Irish pass rush, which has averaged nearly 4 sacks per game in Notre Dame's six wins this season. The Irish will roll on Senior Day. Patrick Engel: Notre Dame 37, Boston College 7 This might be as big a line-of-scrimmage mismatch favoring Notre Dame as any other game this season. The Irish's offensive line will carry it to another rushing output that exceeds 200 yards, while its defensive line feasts on a depleted Boston College front. Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 36, Boston College 10 The Eagles simply do not have enough offense to compete with a Notre Dame team playing its best defense of the season when it matters most. It's a lost season for the Eagles. There is only so much pride a team can play for in the penultimate game of a year in which there is no postseason play to prep for. The Irish, meanwhile, will use this as a tune-up for a massive regular season finale in Los Angeles versus the highly ranked Trojans. Mike Singer: Notre Dame 38, Boston College 9 Give me the Fighting Irish to cruise along comfortably in this one. The Eagles lost to Connecticut by double-digits this season. Do I need to add anything else? This is a bad football team that Notre Dame should have no problems with.