Here is my Notre Dame - Boston College Preview.

[letsgond]

Sorry it's late, it has been a very busy week.

Notre Dame QB's: Brandon Wimbush may have passed for more yards against Georgia than he did against Temple, but overall the offense had trouble moving down field, and it often led to field goals (thankfully Justin Yoon converted all of his attempts). On the season, Wimbush has completed 37 passes on 70 attempts for a completion rate with 394 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. In addition, Wimbush is the teams third leading rusher with 107 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Ian Book had to come in for one play against Georgia and ran for one 2 yard play. Wimbush should be able to bounce back after facing arguably the best defense the Irish will play all season and should also get a career high in at least one area against Boston College.


Notre Dame RB's: Josh Adams leads the way for the Irish in rushing yards and receiving nearly all of the snaps on offense at the running back spot in the loss to Georgia. On the season he has 38 attempts for 214 yards with a 5.6 yard average along with 2 touchdowns. In addition, Adams has 6 catches for 60 yards which is 2nd overall for the team and leads the running backs in this area as well. Adams seemed to be a favored target for Wimbush in the loss against Georgia as the defense of the Bulldogs was pressuring on nearly every down. Despite not logging any attempts against Georgia, Dexter Williams is 2nd on the team in rushing with just 6 carries for 124 yards and 1 touchdown with a 20.7 yard average. Williams not getting any carries was one of the biggest questions of the game for the Irish and while it is not a guarantee, him logging carries might have helped give the offense a spark it greatly needed. Tony Jones Jr. has had minimal carries with 7 for 18 yards and 1 touchdown and has 3 catches for 9 yards.


Notre Dame WR's and TE's: Despite being heavily covered in the previous game, Equanimeous St. Brown still leads the Irish in receiving yards with 96 on 6 catches with 1 touchdown. A true number two receiver has yet to emerge as Cameron Smith has the catches with 7, but just 54 yards. Chris Finke made a few good catches against Georgia and is slated to start against the Eagles as he has 3 catches for 36 yards. Chase Claypool, Freddy Canteen, and Michael Young each just have 1 catch to their name this season. Alize Mack leads all tight ends with 4 catches for 58 yards, while Durham Smythe has 2 catches for 34 yards, and 3 receptions for 20 yards with 1 touchdown. If there was a game for a player or two to emerge as the number two receiver and a slot receiver, then this would be the one.


Notre Dame OL: This unit was relentlessly attacked all night by the Georgia defense as they now have allowed 5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hurries. However, they should be able to get back on track after doing very well against Temple as on the season they have helped open lanes for 238.5 rushing yards per game this season. Pass protection is absolutely vital as the Irish faced presuring defenses in each game so far. Clearing up false starts will also be important as well, as that was a major issue back in 2016.

 

[letsgond]

Notre Dame DL: The defense has been quite good so far this season and even though the Irish lost against Georgia, the defense played very well the entire game and kept the Irish in the game until the late fumble on offense. If not for a catch that was called a touchdown on Georgia's end, then the Irish might have won the game. The defense has 5 sacks so far this season with a different player each having a sack with 3 of them coming from defensive linemen. The defense has done well in getting into the backfield with 17 tackles for loss so far this season. The leading tackler up front is Jay Hayes who has 12 tackles, which is tied with 3 other players for 2nd on the team. Jay Hayes also has 1 tackle for loss and 1 quarterback hurry. Jerry Tillery has 9 tackles to go with 0.5 tackles for loss and 2 quarterback hurries, while Jonathan Bonner has 8 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. Andrew Trumbetti leads all defensive lineman with 2 tackles for loss along with 7 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry. Daelin Hayes has been important as well with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup, and 1 fumble recovery. Also of note are Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa with 1.5 tackles for loss, and Khalid Kareem with 1 tackle for loss.


Notre Dame LB's: The linebacker unit has helped give the Irish a strong front 7 so far this season with Nyles Morgan leading the team in tackles with 15 and also has 2.5 tackles for loss (tied for 1st overall on the team), 1 sack, and 2 quarterback hurries. Te'von Coney has 12 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry. Greer Martini continues to be a key contributor with 12 tackles as well, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 forced fumble. From the rover spot has been one of the best players so far this season on defense for the Irish in Drue Tranquill who has 9 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 quarterback hurry, and 1 fumble recovery. Tranquill coming from the defensive backfield has been big as he has been a part of a couple of turnovers in favor of the Irish.


Notre Dame DB's: After allowing Temple to gain 245 yards, the pass defense held Georgia to 141 yards through the air (however Georgia did favor the ground game with 185 yards on 43 attempts, but only averaged 4.3 yards per attempt). Julian Love leads the defensive backfield with 10 tackles and 1 pass breakup, while Nick Coleman has 9 tackles. Nick Watkins has a team leading 2 pass breakups so far to go with 8 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry. Devin Studstill has 7 tackles, and Jalen Elliott has 4 tackles.


Notre Dame Special Teams: Justin Yoon made a major game 1 to game 2 improvement after missing both attempts against Temple, he would go on to be 4 of 4 against Georgia to put him at 4 of 6 on the season. He also is 8 of 8 on extra points. Tyler Newsome has been big so far with a 48 yard average on 11 punts, and opponents have made a minimal impact in punt returns with only 5 returned for 23 yards. C.J. Sanders hasn't gotten into form just yet on kickoff returns with 6 returns for 132 yards with a 22 yard average, and Chris Finke has yet to get things going on the punt returns with 4 returned for -3 yards.


Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Boston College Run Defense: The Eagles are allowing 161 yards per game so far this season, and both teams they have faced have gained at least 150 yards on the ground in both games. They have allowed 2 rushing touchdowns all season long, but have yet to face a team with this much talent this season. The Irish should be able to get back on track and get Dexter Williams a decent amount of carries in addition to Josh Adams having the lions share of carries. The Eagles have allowed a few big plays on the ground with the longest run allowed being 60 yards, and have allowed 8 attempts to go for 10 yards or more. As stated previously, this is a much more talented running game that they have to face and look for the Irish to be back on track after not doing as well against the Bulldogs.


Edge: Notre Dame


Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Boston College Pass Defense: The Eagles are allowing just 177 passing yards a game so far (which ironically is the passing yards per game on offense for Boston College), Opposing teams have not been too accurate with just a 50 percent completion rate, but they have allowed 3 passing touchdowns, 8 passes of 15 or more yards with the longest going for 46 yards. Figuring out the receiver situation will be important here, but if Wimbush stays accurate, completes passes downfield, and establishes who the number two and three receivers are, then that will push things in favor of the Irish.


Edge: Even


Boston College Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense: It's not a common thing, but the leading rusher for Boston College is a wide receiver, which is Thadd Smith who has 101 yards on 11 attempts. The Boston College offense as a whole does not have any rushing touchdowns and averages just 3.2 yards per attempt. Jon Hillman has 81 yards on 33 attempts (2.5 yards per attempt), while AJ Dillon has 63 on 20. This might be one of the worst run offenses that the Irish face this season, Thadd Smith might be the only player to really cause any issues since he actually has a good average compared to other running backs. Look for the Irish front seven to keep the Eagles run game in check.


Edge: Notre Dame


Boston College Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense: Anthony Brown is slated to be the quarterback for Boston College despite throwing 3 interceptions in the loss to Wake Forest that caused him to get pulled. On the season Brown has 37 of 71 for 310 yards with a 52.1 yard average with 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Backup Darius Wade, who came in over Brown has only completed 7 of 12 passes for 44 yards and zero touchdowns or interceptions. Both likely will see playing time and it is doubtful that they will be effective in passing the ball. The main targets in the receiving game are Kobay White with 10 catches for 118 yards, Jeff Smith with 8 receptions for 74 yards, and Michael Walker with 10 for 62 yards and 1 touchdown. The tight ends are a non-factor with none having more than 2 catches and only one has caught a touchdown pass.


Edge: Notre Dame


Intangibles: The Irish need to bounce back after a rough loss at home to Georgia. Boston College is one of the easier opponents on the Irish schedule this season and have a very ineffective offense (the last time they had a player with more than 500 receiving yards was back in 2013). The Notre Dame defense should be able to force a couple of turnovers that should help either put the game away and/or help the offense out. Boston College could be shutout if the defense continues to play at the same level it has been, but the Eagles likely will score a few points. The Irish could keep them out of the endzone and force field goals as the Eagles have a kicker who is 4 for 4 on the season. Look for the Irish lean on the running game and improve in the passing game as the Irish start a new win streak.


Prediction: Notre Dame 44, Boston College 12

 

[Nocalirish]

If your "expert" opinion is correct you better give the points and bet the trailer and the farm animals. It's a lock.