Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 7, 2026 43 GAME PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE in passing efficiency defense and tied for 39th in opponent yards per attempt through Week 8. That second stat is not far off from Notre Dame (33rd), which shows you how far below expectations the Irish secondary has performed. The Eagles have created turnovers at an out- standing rate in the passing game. Their 10 in- terceptions rank fifth in the Power Four behind Texas Tech, UCLA, Alabama and Kentucky. Price, a true do-it-all safety, has 3 of those picks. Junior cornerback Charlie Comella is tied for third in the country with 4. Where Boston College has excelled is in prevent- ing explosive plays. Entering the final week of October, the Eagles had allowed 12 passing plays of 20 or more yards, tied for fifth best in college football. This is, again, similar to Notre Dame's pass defense, which at the same time was tied for third in this metric. The issue with both is that they tend to give up a ton of underneath stuff, which adds up against a competent passing attack that takes what the defense gives it. Fortunately for the Irish, that's exactly what they are. With one exception (BYU), CJ Carr has consis- tently found gaps in shell coverage and marched the Irish up and down the field. This figures to be a productive game for Notre Dame's running backs, as well as wide receiver Jordan Faison. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Fifth-year kicker Luca Lombardo was spectacular for Boston College in 2025, but he's in the midst of a down year. Through seven games, he was 6 of 8 on field goals and had missed 2 extra points, although he is still a threat from long range with a long of 52. That matches Notre Dame kicker Spencer Porath's season long, but he's been more consistent, with a 10-of-11 mark on field goals. The Irish have a slight edge in kicking, but the gap gets wider in both punting and the return game. Boston College's Bryce LaFollette averages 40.8 yards per punt, which is significantly lower than Notre Dame's Jasper Scaife at 45.2. Neither side offers much of a kickoff return threat, but the Eagles average 1.6 yards per punt return. Faison, the primary return man for the Irish, averages 15.2 and has seemed like he's been on the verge of breaking one for a touchdown all season. Is this the week that it happens? We shall see, but Notre Dame wins the third phase in this matchup. Advantage: Notre Dame COACHING Boston College is significantly better than it was last year, which is a credit to its Bill O'Brien-led coaching staff. The Eagles have already doubled their win total from 2025. Have they done it against a weak schedule? Sure, ESPN FPI gives them the 59th-ranked slate in the country entering Week 9. Their best win is prob- ably over Pitt, who had lost its starting quarterback for the season due to injury. Still, these are also the types of teams that were beating Boston College by double digits last year, and there's one more qualifier you should be aware of. According to The Athletic, BC's roster is likely the least expensive in the Power Four by a wide margin. Its estimated budget is $8-13 million; the second-lowest is Duke at $12-15 million. There's a non-zero chance that Notre Dame, whose esti- mated budget is $41-48 million, has three to five players who combine to cost more than Boston College's entire team. O'Brien is BC's head coach and offensive play caller, and he's had success at both in various stops throughout college football and the NFL. Most no- tably, O'Brien was the Houston Texans' head coach from 2014-20. He was considered a quality head coach and made the playoffs four times in six-plus seasons, but he eventually also assumed general manager duties. Incidentally, O'Brien's general manager at Boston College, Kenyatta Watson, left the program for unclear reasons in the middle of the 2026 season. While O'Brien's coaching performance so far in 2026 has been impressive, that type of organiza- tional instability — as well as an embarrassing 2-10 season in 2025 — can be tough to shake. Meanwhile, Marcus Freeman has been the defi- nition of stability since early in 2024, when he figured out how to prepare his teams for inferior opponents. He has won every single game against an unranked team by double digits since Northern Illinois, because he's mastered the art of getting his team ready to go. Blue & Gold Illustrated expects nothing less from Freeman's Irish against BC. Advantage: Notre Dame INTANGIBLES Ironically, Notre Dame's flattest effort against an unranked team since NIU was probably its 25-10 road win at Boston College in 2025. Coming off a OFFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. WR 8 Johnathan Montague Jr. 6-2 210 Jr. 9 Landon Wright 6-0 180 Jr. WR 4 Javarius Green 5-10 205 Jr. 16 Nedrick Boldin Jr. 5-11 185 So. LT 63 Veguer Jean-Jumeau 6-9 315 Jr. 53 Trevon Humphrey 6-5 310 5th LG 55 Robert Smith IV 6-4 315 So. 50 Owen Snively 6-4 305 5th C 77 Michael Crounse 6-4 315 Sr. 57 DJ Williams 6-2 300 So. RG 52 Judah Pruitt 6-4 315 Jr. 51 Amir Johnson 6-4 320 Sr. RT 71 Kristian Phillips 6-4 315 5th 70 Reggie Jackson 6-5 295 Sr. TE 48 Zeke Moore 6-1 245 Sr. 86 Danny Edgehille 6-5 255 Jr. WR 3 Dawson Pough 6-0 205 So. 16 Nedrick Boldin Jr. 5-11 185 So. QB 10 Mason McKenzie 6-1 200 Sr. 15 Grayson Wilson 6-3 210 So. RB 24 Bo MacCormack III 5-10 200 So. 29 Mekhi Dodd 6-0 210 So. DEFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. DE 4 Kris Jones 6-2 245 Jr. or 56 E'Lla Boykin 6-3 255 Jr. DT 88 Cameron McGee 6-3 310 Fr. 90 KJ Sampson 6-3 305 Sr. DT 59 Micah Amedee 6-3 280 So. 55 Christian Hudson 6-1 295 So. DE 13 Demetrius Ballard 6-6 260 Jr. or 8 Onye Nwosisi 6-4 260 5th LB 1 Anthony Palano 6-1 230 Jr. 42 Kemori Dixon 6-1 225 Jr. LB 36 Bodie Kahoun 6-2 225 Jr. 28 Zacari Thomas 6-0 215 So. NB 2 KP Price 6-2 205 Sr. 0 TJ Green 5-11 180 So. CB 14 Ashton Cunningham 5-9 170 So. 3 Max Tucker 5-11 190 Sr. CB 32 Charlie Comella 6-1 190 Jr. 10 Syair Torrence 5-10 195 Jr. S 5 Marcus Upton 6-1 200 So. 0 TJ Green 5-11 180 So. S 7 Carter Davis 6-1 195 Sr. 17 Da'Jon Green 6-1 195 Fr. SPECIAL TEAMS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. K 99 Luca Lombardo 6-0 180 5th 90 Jonathan Hewitt 6-1 180 Fr. P 96 Bryce LaFollette 6-3 210 5th 25 Andy Quinn 6-4 200 So. LS 49 Cooper Crook 6-5 225 Jr. 45 John Owens 6-3 250 5th H 96 Bryce LaFollette 6-3 210 5th PR 32 Charlie Comella 6-1 190 Jr. 4 Javarius Green 5-10 205 Jr. KR 0 T.J. Green 5-11 180 So. 24 Bo MacCormack III 5-10 200 So. BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES DEPTH CHART