Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/92327
✦ TOP STORYLINES: NOTRE DAME VS. BC Conversely, Notre Dame has recap- tured its longtime identity of running the football and stopping the run — third- year head coach Brian Kelly's original vision for the program — during its 9-0 start. Notre Dame is 11th against the run (100.7 yards allowed per game), a signifi- cant aid to its No. 2 scoring defense (11.67 points per game). feated Florida State the week before facing Boston College, this time to im‑ prove to 8‑0 and legitimately vie for the national title. The next week, while com‑ mitting five turnovers, the green‑jersey‑ wearing Irish were upset at home by a 4‑3 Boston College unit, 14‑7. History will have nothing to do with this year's outcome, but it never hurts to remind how fragile a championship run can be. "This is a team that, again, our players understand that if they don't play their best, they can get beat," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "A lot of respect for Boston College and the way they run their program and their kids play on a day‑to‑day basis." and No. 1‑ranked Notre Dame team was fresh off defeating top‑ranked Florida State and ready to clinch a berth in a na‑ tional championship showdown — until falling behind 38‑17 against Boston Col‑ lege in the regular‑season finale and los‑ ing 41‑39 on David Gordon's infamous field goal as time expired. In 2002, Notre Dame once again de‑ tered the month of November ranked in the Associated Press top five, Boston College administered two of the most heart‑wrenching defeats ever on the Irish program. In 1993, head coach Lou Holtz's 10‑0 THIRD TIME THE CHARM? The last two times Notre Dame en‑ Meanwhile, the Irish ground attack against formidable opposition is averaging 200.3 yards per game after compiling an aggregate 127.6 figure the past 10 years. This could be the first season since the 2000 BCS campaign that the Irish could finish averaging 200 yards per game on the ground. It's been a role reversal for both pro- grams, but even more dramatic for Boston College. • It started in the Sept. 1 opener when Miami, more proficient with the pass, out- rushed Boston College 208-96 in a 41-32 victory at Chestnut Hill. • Two weeks later, Northwestern held a whopping 303-30 advantage on the ground in their 22-13 conquest of the Eagles. • In game four, Clemson's 45-31 victory included a 209-61 domination in rushing yards. • Far and away, the most glaring dispar- ity occurred at winless Army Oct. 6. The Black Knights romped for 516 yards on 79 carries in their 34-31 win. Boston Col- lege had a season high 186 yards rushing against Army, but it wasn't enough. • On Oct. 20, Georgia Tech's triple- option attack amassed 396 yards on the ground while Boston College managed just 42 in the Yellow Jackets' 37-17 rout. • The Eagles broke their five-game los- ing streak with a 20-17 victory at home against Maryland Oct. 27, but even then they managed a season-low eight yards rushing. • Last week in the 28-14 loss to Wake Forest, the Eagles "improved" their rush- ing total to 12 yards. The Demon Deacons were held to 116 yards rushing. When asked prior to his first spring at — Lou Somogyi Notre Dame what area he believes needs to be shored up the most, head coach Brian Kelly pointed to a run defense that allowed 263.0 rushing yards per game and $38.00 cloth s 184 pages Includes 174 color photographs New for Fighting Irish fans and friends of Notre Dame NOTRE DAME'S HAPPY RETURNS Dublin, the Experience, the Game Text by Brian Ó Conchubhair and Susan Mullen Guibert Photography by Matt Cashore "A beautifully illustrated and written book with a sharp eye on both Irish history and the massive importance of the Irish American link. It wonderfully captures the return of Notre Dame to their ancestral home for a never-to-be- forgotten clash with Navy. This book puts you right there." —NIALL O'DOWD, founder of IrishCentral.com and Irish America magazine THE CHAPELS OF NOTRE DAME Text by Lawrence S. Cunningham Photography by Matt Cashore Notre Dame is a great gift idea for all Notre Dame alumni and friends. located throughout the University of Notre Dame's beloved campus, The Chapels of Includes over 200 color photographs $45.00 cloth s 176 pages Featuring over two hundred full-color photographs of the fifty-seven chapels UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME PRESS Available wherever books are sold or at: undpress.nd.edu s Tel. 800 / 621-2736 ✦ PAGE 9 Check out the book trailers on YouTube.