Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE On PaPer BY BRYAN DRISKELL BOSTON COLLEGE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Boston College entered this season planning to ride the legs of sophomore running back Jon Hilli- man, who rushed for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. In addition, the emergence of athletic sophomore Darius Wade at quarterback was sup- posed to aid Hilliman and ease the loss of Tyler Murphy, who rushed for 1,179 yards in 2014. The Eagles averaged 231 rushing yards in the sea- son's first four games before season-ending injuries knocked out Wade in the third game and Hilliman in the fourth contest. Since losing those two players, BC has averaged just 101.3 yards per game on the ground. Notre Dame's run defense continues to be middle of the road, at least against non-option opponents. Through Nov. 7, the Irish ranked 71st nationally in rush defense, allowing 168.1 yards per game and 4.7 yards per rush. Against more traditional offenses, Notre Dame is holding opponents to just 139.6 yards per game, which would rank 35th in the land. The bright spot has been the play of the defen- sive line. Seniors Sheldon Day and Romeo Okwara combined with junior Isaac Rochell for 27 tackles for loss through nine games. Okwara has been playing the best football of his career in recent weeks, ac- cumulating eight stops behind the line of scrimmage in Notre Dame's last four games. Advantage: Notre Dame BOSTON COLLEGE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Boston College has been dreadful throwing the football all season. The Eagles ranked 123rd in the country through Nov. 7, passing for just 123.4 yards per game. BC has also been inefficient, averaging just 5.8 yards per attempt while ranking 119th in pass efficiency with a 98.94 rating. Eagles quarterbacks have completed just 51.7 percent of their passes, which was 124th nationally. Notre Dame ranked 38th in the country in passing yards allowed, limiting opponents to just 196.9 yards per game during its 8-1 start. Notre Dame posted a 116.5 pass efficiency defense rating, which was 35th nationally. The Irish defense has held four different oppo- nents to fewer than 150 yards and limited its last two opponents to a completion percentage of less than 50 percent. Notre Dame has also picked off four passes in the last three games after notching just two interceptions in the first four games. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. BOSTON COLLEGE RUN DEFENSE Boston College ranked first in total defense (236.5 Fifth-year senior left guard Harris Williams is the only experienced player on the Eagles' offensive line, but he has been hampered by an ankle injury. PHOTO COURTESY BOSTON COLLEGE