Notre Dame will leave town after the loss to Georgia and seek redemption in New England as the Fighting Irish take on the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon. Both teams suffered disappointing losses last week while struggling on the offensive side of the ball. The Irish will face a freshman quarterback for the second consecutive game. The Eagle signal-caller is Anthony Brown, who threw three interceptions in the team’s 34-10 loss to Wake Forest. Notre Dame’s Brandon Wimbush was victimized by pass protection breakdowns leading to sacks and lost fumbles against Georgia, but the first-year starter is also looking to correct his own mistakes as the season moves forward. ESPN will televise the game nationally beginning at 3:30 PM Eastern time.

Head coach Steve Addazio, who spent three years as an assistant at Notre Dame under Bob Davie, is now in his fifth season at the helm for Boston College. He holds a 25-28 record, and has recorded winning seasons in three out of four campaigns. The teams last played in November 2015 at Fenway Park, where the Irish edged the Eagles by 19-16.

The Irish have largely escaped the injury bug to date, although wide receiver Freddie canteen will miss this contest with a shoulder ailment. The Eagles have more serious problems, especially on the offensive line. Center Jon Baker was lost for the season with a torn ACL last week, and backup Shane Leonard is also sidelined. The task of making the line calls and snapping the ball now falls to Freshman Ben Petrula.

In 2014, Petrula was the starting left guard at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, NJ, when Wimbush guided the Marauders to the Group 4 state championship. “Brandon is an explosive player and a really good kid and was a really great leader for St. Peter’s when I was there,” Petrula said. “It will be awesome to play against him for the first time. He was a leader for me as a young guy starting for the first time. That was his year to shine, and we won a state championship with him as a senior.”

NOTRE DAME’S OFFENSE vs. BOSTON COLLEGE’S DEFENSE

The Irish were unable to open running lanes for their backs last week, and must find a way to establish a reliable ground game against the Eagles. Wimbush’s struggles and the failure of a downfield pass catching threat to emerge other than Equanimeous St. Brown makes it easier for opponents to game plan against this offense. Addazio is likely to commit eight players close to the line of scrimmage, copy Georgia’s strategy of deploying a spy to mitigate quarterback scrambles, and instruct his cornerbacks not to get beaten on a deep route.

The 4-3 Eagle defense is anchored by ends Harold Landry and Zach Allen, who lead a solid, veteran front four. The interior players are tackles Noa Merritt and Ray Smith, and two senior outside linebackers flank talented sophomore Max Richardson in the middle. This group is not likely to put great pressure on the Irish, but will try to contain the running game and force Wimbush into challenging third down situations.

Safety Will Harris leads a competent secondary, and he is supported by senior cornerbacks Kamrin Moore and Isaac Yiadom. This unit will challenge the Irish as long as the Eagle offense does not put them in impossible situations, as they did last week with multiple turnovers on their own side of the field.
Notre Dame can score points against this group if it remains balanced and diversified, but will not get far if they are predictable. The Eagles may lack All-American talent, but they have no glaring weaknesses or matchup issues in coverage that will be easy to exploit.

BOSTON COLLEGE’S OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME’S DEFENSE

Freshman quarterback Anthony Brown was pulled from Saturday’s 34-10 loss to Wake Forest in the third quarter after throwing his third interception. He was replaced by Darius Wade, a senior who’s been a career backup. Brown has completed only half his passes, and most have been short, low risk throws. Kobay White and Jeff Smith are the leading underclassmen at the wide receiver position, while the lone senior Charlie Callinan has only two receptions in two games. Junior Michael Walker averages only six yards per reception to date.

Meanwhile, the Boston College offensive line is in pieces as noted above. Although Petrula has excellent potential, his first snap last week sailed over Brown’s head and killed whatever offensive momentum the Eagles had started to create. The running game has failed to gain traction, and tailbacks Jon Hilliman and A.J. Dillon are averaging fewer than three yards per carry.

The Eagles do not appear to have the skill position talent to pressure the Notre Dame defense, and Brown may still be susceptible to turnovers. He is not particularly dangerous as a running threat, and will have a difficult time directing his team into the end zone unless the Irish are generous with field position. The strength of the Boston College offense rests with tackles Aaron Monteiro and Marcell Lazard, but the interior of the line is young and raw.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Both Notre Dame specialists have demonstrated they are well above average. Kicker Justin Yoon looked great last week after a shaky opener, and punter Tyler Newsome has developed into a field position weapon. The Irish cover units remain solid but the return teams have yet to establish a threat.

For Boston College, kicker Colton Lichtenberg has been perfect this season while punter Mike Knoll’s statistics have been average at best. The Eagles have done an exceptional job in kick coverage so far this season. Unfortunately, they’ve had a lot of practice punting the football.

SUMMARY

Whether Boston College has the personnel to mimic Georgia’s defensive plan is very much in doubt. Early success with a few stops will create momentum for the hosts and impact the confidence of the visitors, so the offense needs to establish itself early. The Irish rushing attack should be able to create manageable down and distance situations if they are aggressive and physical. It’s not a winning strategy to simply tell your best athletes to “make plays” or outwit the opposition with inspired play calling. Notre Dame has an advantage in talent and needs to exploit it.

The Eagles will not score a lot of points on Saturday unless they are gifted, but they have the ability to make this an ugly game by keeping it low-scoring. Their hope is to force an Irish mistake and give themselves a chance to win at the end.

Here’s a few questions that will shed light on the outcome:

Which team will be able to establish a productive running game?

Can the Irish tighten up their pass protection schemes against Landry and company?

Which quarterback will find ways to convert on third down?

Will the Irish receivers help Wimbush by holding onto his passes?

Which special teams will have a positive impact on the outcome?

Will there be a Dexter Williams sighting in the Irish backfield?

Can Notre Dame fix the bugs in Brian Kelly Version 2.0 in time for the post-game presser?

PREDICTION

The history between these schools is that Boston College typically plays over its head and the Irish operate without much visible emotion. This scenario could repeat on Saturday if Notre Dame is still licking its physical and emotional wounds from last week. There is some good news for the Irish – there will most likely be fewer fans in the stands cheering for the Eagles on Saturday than were screaming for the Bulldogs last week. I expect a boring but convincing victory over an outmanned opponent as the Irish try to build confidence for the more demanding teams on the schedule.

NOTRE DAME 27 BOSTON COLLEGE 16