Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 SEPT. 18, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED "One of the big issues Steve Addazio noted was, with the new up-tempo offense, the offensive linemen were going to cycle out more," Sullivan explained. "The Eagles will likely rotate a seven- man unit on the offensive line this season instead of a standard start- ing five. … It's all about learning how to pace themselves." Sullivan believes Brown and the re- ceiving corps can make enough plays against Notre Dame to come out with a win. "Temple quarterback Logan Mar- chi was still able to knock out 235 yards with two touchdowns, show- ing the vulnerability of Notre Dame's secondary," Sullivan said. "Brown can exploit that into a big game." Getting production from the of- fense would go a long way for the Eagles and give them a chance for a big jump in wins this season. The reason is Boston College has been playing lights-out defense the last three seasons. The Eagles led the nation in total defense and finished fourth in scor- ing defense in 2015, which led to then defensive coordinator Don Brown getting hired for the same spot at Michigan. New coordinator Jim Reid, a 44-year coaching veteran, kept it rolling last season with a No. 9 finish in total defense. The Eagles are led on that side of the ball by one of the nation's pre- mier defenders, senior end Harold Landry. A consensus preseason All- American, Landry led the nation with 16.5 sacks last season, using a combination of toughness and ath- leticism to excel off the edge. "Landry is a disruptor. His skills as a wide receiver and quarterback in high school give him great senses when it comes to anticipation of what an offense will do," Sullivan said of Landry, who ESPN football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks as the No. 7 overall draft-eligible player in the country. "He played primarily as an outside linebacker in high school, making him electric in pass coverage. "There's really no skill at which he isn't talented." Zach Allen enters the starting lineup opposite Landry, and the ju- nior is poised for a big season after racking up 10 tackles for loss and six sacks as a rotation player last fall. Sullivan is less confident with the inside of the Boston College defen- sive line. "Boston College is weakest at the defensive tackle spot, because of the lack of depth," Sullivan noted. "[Se- nior] Noa Merritt and [junior] Ray Smith are competent and talented, though slightly not as tall at only around 6-foot-1. But they simply do not have the men behind them that are quite ready yet to take on other snaps. "Against a team that saw three dif- ferent rushers over 100 yards, the Eagles should have a fine time con- taining the outside. But it will be a challenge for the Eagles to do that and contain the interior." Northern Illinois was able to accu- mulate 367 yards of total offense and average 5.0 yards per play against the Eagles in the opener, more than 50 yards what the Eagles gave up per game in 2016. They yielded just 153 yards in a win over Northern Illinois in 2015, but Sullivan is not concerned about that data, nor is he worried about the lack of production from the front four, which failed to make a single play behind the line of scrimmage. "Boston College did a lot in terms of hurries and knockdowns in the fourth quarter, but Northern Illinois also has one of the best offensive lines in the country, allowing single- digit sacks last season," Sullivan said. "The Eagles simply ran into a really good offensive line that got the better of them." Sullivan isn't as confident in a Bos- ton College secondary that struggled to limit the big plays in the pass game last season. "To have a shot, Boston College cannot give up the big play," he said. "Its main problems [on defense] have surrounded that. Boston College gave up 21 touchdowns of over 20 yards last season, not to mention the non-scoring plays. Northern Illinois scored two of its touchdowns thanks to broken plays by the Boston Col- lege defense that set the Huskies up within the 10-yard line. "If Boston College wants a shot against a ranked Notre Dame team, it needs to prevent any big plays." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE 2017 BOSTON COLLEGE SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 1 at Northern Illinois W, 23-20 Sept. 9 Wake Forest L, 34-10 Sept. 16 Notre Dame (ESPN) 12 p.m. Sept. 23 at Clemson TBA Sept. 30 Central Michigan TBA Oct. 7 Virginia Tech TBA Oct. 14 at Louisville TBA Oct. 21 at Virginia TBA Oct. 27 Florida State (ESPN) 8 p.m. Nov. 11 NC State TBA Nov. 18 Connecticut (CBSSN) 7 p.m. Nov. 25 at Syracuse TBA 2017 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 Temple W, 49-16 Sept. 9 Georgia L, 20-19 Sept. 16 at Boston College (ESPN) 12 p.m. Sept. 23 at Michigan State (FOX) 8 p.m. Sept. 30 Miami (Ohio) (NBCSN) 5 p.m. Oct. 7 at North Carolina TBA Oct. 21 USC (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 NC State (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 4 Wake Forest (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Miami (Fla.) TBA Nov. 18 Navy (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Stanford TBA Junior tight end Tommy Sweeney leads an expe- rienced group of pass catchers that will look to spark a struggling Boston College offense. PHOTO COURTESY BOSTON COLLEGE ATHLETICS