Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/871976
34 SEPT. 18, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN DRISKELL B oston College head coach Steve Addazio has proven he can take his program to a bowl game, something he's done in three of his four seasons in Chestnut Hill, Mass. What he is look- ing to do in 2017 is show he can do better than 7-6, which is the regular- season record the Eagles finished with during those three years that ended with a postseason contest. Addazio and the Eagles have feasted on inferior competition, with just 12 of his 25 career wins at Boston College coming against Power Five schools. Boston College has beaten eight non-Power Five opponents and five Football Championship Subdivi- sion foes. From 1999-2006, former Boston College head coach Tom O'Brien led the Eagles to at least eight wins in all but one season. If Addazio is going to get to that level, he needs to de- feat some marquee opponents. Dur- ing that stretch under O'Brien, Bos- ton College went 5-1 against Notre Dame. To get there, Boston College must improve on offense. The Eagles have averaged 23.0 points per game dur- ing Addazio's tenure, and just 18.8 points per game over the last two campaigns. During their strong run from 1999-2006, the Eagles scored 27.5 points per contest. Addazio and offensive coordinator Scott Loeffler have installed a more up-tempo attack to try to increase the scoring. Boston College ran 92 plays in its season-opening 23-20 win over Northern Illinois Sept. 1. Boston College is hoping that red- shirt freshman quarterback Anthony Brown can use his arm to get the of- fense back on track after two abys- mal seasons. Brown completed 26 of 42 passes for 191 yards with a pair of scores in the victory over Northern Illinois. "All things considered, I thought Brown looked sharp in his first start," EagleAction.com staff writer Mi- chael Sullivan said. "He comes from a spread offense in high school and now has to adjust to this up-tempo pro-style offense. "He did a really good job keeping his composure and performing dur- ing the game's most tense moments." Brown threw a pick on his second series, which helped the Huskies jump out to an early lead. However, he bounced back and showed matu- rity needed to play the position. "He never lost his cool, and picked up his performance at the end of the half with a quick touchdown drive to put Boston College on top at the break," Sullivan said. The young quarterback won't have to put the team on his shoulders, though. For the first time in several years, BC will field a quality group of pass catchers. "The Eagles have a young, excit- ing receiver named Kobay White, with whom Brown has a great con- nection," Sullivan said, referring to the redshirt freshman wideout who led Boston College with 76 yards on six catches in the opener. "Boston College has a lot of depth there, in- cluding [junior] Jeff Smith, [junior] Michael Walker, [fifth-year senior] Charlie Callinan and [sophomore] Ben Glines. "There's not really anywhere to hide or double cover. Boston Col- lege's receivers are all around the same level in skill … double cover one and Brown will easily be able to go to another." The Eagles also have junior Tommy Sweeney, who college football expert Phil Steele ranked as the fourth-best tight end in the ACC in a year the league has a bevy of talented players at the position. Last year, Sweeney hauled in 26 passes for 352 yards and three scores. Boston College changed its pace, but it didn't result in immediately good results in the opener. The Eagles rushed for 148 yards on 50 carries, good for only 2.9 yards per attempt. Senior running back Jon Hilliman was held to 58 yards on 25 attempts (2.3 yards per carry). It seems it might take a little time for the big men up front to get used to the faster tempo, but the Eagles staff has a plan for that. GAME PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE GETTING ON TRACK The Eagles are looking to combine an improved offense with their dominant defense Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME AT BOSTON COLLEGE Game Info Date: Sept. 16, 2017. Site: Alumni Stadium (44,500). Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET. Television: ESPN. Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129) and on Notre Dame's IMG affiliates. Series Facts: This is the 24th meeting between Notre Dame and Boston College. The Irish lead the all-time series 14-9. Head Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (60-32, eighth season); Boston College — Steve Addazio (25-28, fifth season). Noting Boston College: Kelly was born in Everett, Mass., which is just more than 10 miles from the Boston College campus … The last meeting between the Irish and Eagles was played at Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, on Oct. 21, 2015 … Notre Dame is 5-3 all time at Alumni Stadium, and 2-0 there under Kelly … Addazio was an assistant coach at Notre Dame from 1999-2001. Senior end Harold Landry, who racked up 22 tackles for loss and a nation-leading 16.5 sacks in 2016, is arguably the most dominant defensive lineman in the country. PHOTO COURTESY BOSTON COLLEGE ATHLETICS