Good Morning Everyone
You're right Vince. What in the hell IS going on out here? By looking at some of the final score predictions I'm guessing that folks around here don't think too much of ND's #2 ranking, or they think a 5 - 3 Boston College team is better than it really is, or somehow think what happened nearly 30 years ago will have some sort of impact on this game.
Offensively, Notre Dame, just like it did last week will need to focus on what it does well, and that's to run the ball. We didn't see a lot of fancy things last week, and that's mainly because of what the Clemson defense was trying to get us to do. The outside run game wasn't going to happen with the way their LB's were coming off the edge, and the same holds true with any end-arounds or reverses. It was also nearly impossible for ND to run any sort of screen game. What it did was get yardage up the middle and took it's shots downfield, and it served them well.
BC isn't very complex when it comes to defense. They are going to be in a 4 man front, and they are going to rely on their 2 LB's to make plays. Currently Richardson leads the nation in tackles and McDuffie is third. ND needs to impose it's will up front, and it's about as simple at that.
Defensively, nothing about this BC offense concerns me. For me personally it starts with the run game. They have a nice big back in David Bailey, but he's rushing for less than 4 yards a carry. ND on the other hand is allowing less than 3 yards per rush. Feeling a little suffocated BC? If ND totally shuts down the run game like I expect it to do, then BC is going to have to make it's living through the air, and I should note that the QB from Clemson along with his receivers won't be at the game this week.
YOUR GAMEDAY FORECAST
Great football weather, that's for sure. At kick-off expect it to be 49 degrees and sunny with winds at 9mph. By the 4th quarter, it should dip down to 42 degrees with clear skies and winds at 7mph. No rain in the forecast.
The keys to the game for me are simple. ND needs to get out to the LB's and put a body on them. When BC brings their LB's they play a tight man on the receivers and Book needs to recognize this and allow McKinley and Skowronek to go and get the ball and make plays. I do however think this defense is going to force Book to make throws, and limit his scrambles. They play off coverage a lot of times, and only rush 4 or 5, so it's more about being smart with the ball and incorporating your running back and TE into the passing game.
Make BC one dimensional. If ND can do this, and have a bunch of third and longs, then I think it's going to be a long afternoon for BC.
This is one more step towards the prize, and I don't see any sort of let down this afternoon. If anything, I expect ND to come in with a little swagger after knocking off #1. As always, play smart and limit the mistakes, and ND cruises.
Good Luck Everyone
GO IRISH!
