The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are sitting at No. 12 in the country with a record of 5-2 as Marcus Freeman’s squad travels to Massachusetts this weekend. The Irish have won five straight games after dropping their first two to ranked opponents. Notre Dame’s schedule ends favorably, and that starts with a trip to Boston College. The game will take place at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN.
How Can Notre Dame Keep Its Winning Streak Alive?
The answer has been the same all season long and only gets more apparent with a favorable final five games: the running backs need to stay involved. Jeremiyah Love has come alive this season, after limited touches through the first two games. Love, coupled with Jadarian Price, has taken the pressure off of young quarterback CJ Carr. This has allowed Carr to relax and play his position. Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock needs to continue to call a balanced game. Even with favorable opponents, keeping the offense consistent will allow them to stay in rhythm ahead of a hopeful College Football Playoff appearance.
Additionally, the defense needs to continue to build its confidence so the unit is ready for tough opponents in the College Football Playoff. However, the Irish need to make it there first and can’t overlook any opponent, even the struggling Boston College Eagles. The defense has improved drastically since the first two games, but the Irish also haven’t played an opponent to the caliber of Miami and Texas A&M. Securing takeaways and keeping quarterbacks contained throughout these final games, starting with Boston College, will help.
Who Can Help The Eagles Against Notre Dame?
Nobody should count out the Boston College Eagles. College football is an interesting place. Any given week, an upset could occur. While it is not overly likely against an Eagles squad that has only won one game this season, nothing is impossible. Head Coach Bill O’Brien will have his hands full with a balanced Notre Dame offense and a much-improved takeaway defense. The Irish defense comes into this contest with 12 interceptions. However, O’Brien has a few weapons at his disposal that will look to limit the Irish rushing attack and force Carr to throw the ball.
Boston College has had many issues this season, on both sides of the ball. However, the Eagles’ defense has a player whose sole job on Saturday will be to limit Love and Price on the ground. Defensive tackle Sedarius McConnell is a transfer from Illinois and is in his second season with the Eagles. McConnell has played in all eight games this season and leads the team in both tackles for loss and sacks this season. He has six-and-a-half tackles for loss. In addition, he has two-and-a-half sacks and one forced fumble. Defensive Coordinator Tim Lewis likely hopes to make Carr throw the ball and make the Irish offense one-dimensional. The Eagles have five interceptions this season. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Love has also been very productive in the passing game, and the Boston College pass rush has been very ineffective.
Winning Strategy for the Irish
It will be a “score early and often” mentality for the Notre Dame offense. If the Irish can get off to a fast start, Boston College won’t be able to recover. The offense hasn’t been good enough this season to mount a comeback against this much-improved Notre Dame defense. Keeping the running backs involved will be the usual key to success. Even with a dynamic defensive tackle for the Eagles, Carr and this offense will be too much. Love has 19 receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns this season. He averages 10.4 yards per reception. This is what makes him so hard to contain; he isn’t one-dimensional. Notre Dame will likely use that to its advantage this weekend. Look for the Irish to cruise to their sixth straight victory.
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