From a Boston College Perspective

Obviously, the players and coaches from Boston College will take the field Saturday night in what should be a win for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, but do they truly believe they can win or are they going to just go through the motions?  I submit that they will come out with fire in the belly and play with the intensity and spirit this game deserves because of the quality of the program and the young men that are drawn toward it.  However, what will they use for motivation and what will their coaches tell them to give them hope or winning?  It’s easy for fans to sit back and say that Boston College always plays Notre Dame tough and they will be up for this nationally televised primetime showdown, but players and coaches come at it from a different angle.  Passion, tradition and “the noise” can only go so far once you take the field.

Let’s start with facts, numbers and statistics.  At 2-7, the Eagles have nothing to lose and everything to gain, which makes them a dangerous opponent.  They have a quarterback that has a rating of 128.5 with 16 touchdowns and 2,556 yards on the season, and if there is a weakness or at least a less dominant area, it’s the Irish defensive backs.  Looking back on the last nine meetings, the Irish won the last three, but only by a total of six points and Boston College won six in a row before that.  I am sure that only one of these three figures actually means anything this Saturday night.

Realistically, the Eagles believe that the Irish are beatable, and Notre Dame came pretty close to proving that last week.  Much like any other Saturday, the keys to a win are winning the games in the game  - turnovers, penalties and mental mistakes.   Last week, Notre Dame had five penalties in the first quarter and lost the turnover battle 3-0.  This is something that Boston College can build from. 

Can Boston College beat Notre Dame?  Yes.  Will they?  No.  The Irish should come out with a chip on their shoulder from last week and dominate from the opening whistle to the final gun.  I just don’t think B.C. has enough bullets in the chamber to outlast the Irish.  The question is whether or not the Boston College players and coaches believe they have enough to win.

Let's try this again. Boston College

Again let’s give credit where credit is due.  Pittsburgh played very well and deserves the respect it earned on Saturday.  The Panthers had some very good players who carried out a sensational game plan against the Irish and almost dashed the dreams of millions of Notre Dame fans.  Although we all know how fired up the Boston College Eagles get to play their Catholic Kin, the Fighting Irish (this year getting to play in prime time), there is no way in Hades that we’ll see a repeat performance of last week this Saturday night.

We can respect Boston College all we want as an institution, but as a football team they are horrendous (this year at least), at 2-7 with their only wins this season coming against a 3-6 Maine team from the CAA and a three-point win over a Maryland team which is now using a linebacker at starting quarterback.  The Fighting Irish may not be as perfect as their record, but do not mistake their flaws on Saturday for weakness in character and pride.  I have a feeling that the Irish will be looking to save face and send a message to the college football world this Saturday night.

Boston College’s numbers tell the story of a team not only having a tough year, but hoping the season or at least Saturday night is over as soon as possible.  The Eagles are ranked 122^nd in rushing, averaging 74.7 yards per game and will have to match up against Notre Dame’s front seven run defense, who, by the way, are ranked second in points allowed (at 11.7 per game), while Boston College’s offense ranks 98^th (at 22.1 points a game).

Notre Dame’s offense may not be the Oregon Ducks, but it does not need to be against the Eagles.   The Irish have been solidifying themselves on the offensive side of the stat sheet and that trend should continue this weekend.  Boston College is ranked 87^th in points allowed, giving up 30.9 points a game which would match up well against Notre Dame’s 72^nd ranking at 26.7 points a game, except what you look at the body of work those numbers came from. 

Now, it’s not all bad news for the Eagles, as they do have a bright spot at quarterback in junior Chase Rettig.  The third year quarterback is having his best season, passing for 2556 yards with 16 touchdowns and a 128.5 quarterback rating.  The running game is led by Andre Williams, a junior with 584 yards and four touchdowns, not exactly a dominant rushing attack.  The Irish defense should be able to key in on Boston College's limited weapons and shut them down.

I will sleep well Friday night with the confidence that her loyal sons will not only march on to victory but do so in a manner that confirms they are a BCS team, a top five team and a candidate for the National Championship.

What happened!?!?

Before we say anything else, let’s give a ton of credit to the Pitt Panthers on a great game.  They have a lot of great players who played a great game.  Looking at the stat sheet Sunday morning, there were numbers that would lead someone to believe that the Irish won this game and won this game overwhelmingly. Rushing first downs: ND 34 / Pitt 13, Net yards rushing: ND 231 / Pitt 144, Net yards passing: ND 291 / Pitt 164, Offensive plays: ND 104 / Pitt 62, Time of possession: ND 35:23 / Pitt 24:37, Third down conversions: ND 10-20 / Pitt 1-14, Sacks: ND 5 / Pitt 1.

Then there were the numbers I saw that brought me back to earth and defined why the game could have gone the other way.  Average yards per rush: ND 4.5 / Pitt 4.4, ND had one lost fumble and was intercepted twice, and the Irish also had five penalties in the first quarter.

It is often said that you can learn more from losing than you can from a win, and while I don’t buy that for a second, what is true in this case is that there are things you can only learn from losing.  There is much for the team as a whole (and the parts that make that whole) to improve on from what we learned from this game, which was as close to a loss as you can have without a mark in the L column.

Things that I’m hoping we learned include how to face true adversity and get through it.  Most of the negatives experienced during the game can be viewed as opportunities for improvement and growth.   Mike Golic is still missing blocks and I fear that our backups on the O-line are no better or Kelly would have made a move by now.  The Irish were the Irish of old Saturday as it pertained to penalties, turnovers, poor tackling, some sloppy plays including a missed extra point, all of which of which are correctable.

The game ball was given to Golson…perhaps Notre Dame’s quarterback of the future is here today.