Notre Dame (8-1) continues its home stand the Boston College Eagles (4-5).  The Fighting Irish are now seeded fifth in the latest playoff rankings. That position is precarious given the unpredictable and often irrational assessments by the Selection Committee. Coach Marcus Freeman’s team hopes to maintain the momentum it seized last week by defeating Miami. It is imperative that the Irish avoid a letdown and finish the season strong. Meanwhile, the Eagles have shown flashes of competitiveness this season and always play hard in South Bend. This week’s battle will be broadcast nationally by NBC starting at 3:30 Eastern time.

Regrettably, NBC’s longtime and popular sportscaster Dan Hicks passed away unexpectedly this week. He was slated to call this game for the network and will be sorely missed. His absence leaves a large void within Notre Dame’s entire sports community. NDNation extends its deepest sympathies to Irish alumna Hannah Storm, their children, and extended family.

Boston College Head Coach Bill O’Brien is in his third season at Chestnut Hill. His overall record there is 13-21. O’Brien’s program hit a low point last year with a 2-10 mark including a 25-10 loss to the Irish. The Eagles have made progress in 2026 but lack week to week consistency. Their low point this season was a 47-2 throttling at Duke on Halloween.

O’Brien had nothing but praise for Notre Dame this week, particularly quarterback CJ Carr. “He’s obviously a great teammate,” O’Brien said. “He’s a captain. He’s a leader. He controls the game at the line of scrimmage, and, you know, we just got to do the best we can.”

Irish Coach Marcus Freeman was asked about his message to his team regarding a potential letdown. “It’s easy to say that’s not going to be us, but it’s a real thing. If you do enough studying on it, there’s an issue with, after big wins, teams having letdowns the next week.” Freeman highlighted turnover margin, success on third downs, penalties, and self-inflicted mistakes as areas of concern.

Injuries to front line players continue to be an issue for both teams. BC is missing center Michael Crounse and edge rusher Onye Nwosisi. Tailback Evan Dickens has also joined that list.

Notre Dame will again play without DJ McKinney, Drayk Bowen, and Tae Johnson. Defensive linemen Jason Onye and Francis Brewu are listed as questionable. I would be surprised if either of them played this week.

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

Boston College runs a 4-2-5 set that has surrendered 27 points per game. They are better against the pass than in stopping the run. In fact, the Eagles have recorded 12 interceptions this season. That number leads the ACC and is the seventh-most in the nation.

With Nwosisi out of action, E’Lla Boykin and Demetrius Ballard step in as the primary pass rushers. Kris Jones, a transfer from Georgia, is also in the mix but somewhat undersized. Inside, freshman Cameron McGee and KJ Sampson are wide bodies. Notre Dame should win the battle in the trenches against this group. Tackles Will Black and Guerby Lambert have been playing extremely well. Center Ashton Craig has struggled against better competition and the guards have been solid. The pass blocking for Carr has been superb.

Middle linebacker Anthony Palano leads the Eagles in tackles and havoc plays. Bodie Kahoun, a former Irish player, joins him on the weak side. Kahoun is a good athlete although not yet an impact player.

In the Eagle secondary, the philosophy is to prevent the big play. Cornerback Charlie Comella has four interceptions to lead the team. He is BC’s best coverman.Strong safety KP Price is the Eagles’ best player on the defensive side of the ball. He has three interceptions and is the second leading tackler. Price will blitz on run or pass plays and create havoc. Notre Dame must account for him and Palano on every play.

Carr can attack cornerbacks Ashton Cunningham and Max Tucker along with safety Carter Davis in coverage. While the Irish ground game may start slowly, BC’s lack of depth will ultimately hurt them. Carr and the offense must remain patient and be content to grind out a win.

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

The Eagles’ rushing attack suffered a blow last month when they lost Dickens to injury. His replacement, Bo MacCormack, is a tough inside runner who lacks breakaway speed. Quarterback Mason McKenzie is an accomplished runner but only a 57% passer. He was the team’s leading rusher even before Dickens went down. His workload has become even heavier now. McKenzie is an adept scrambler and possesses enough elusiveness to give opponents headaches.

Irish DC Chris Ash should attack McKenzie rather than sit back in soft coverage. Hopefully, the Irish coaches have learned not to turn a below-average passer into Dan Marino. A soft zone was not the answer against Billy Edwards or Bear Bachmeier. It will not work against McKenzie, either.

Wideout Dawson Pough is the main deep threat, however he has caught only 13 passes in nine games. Slot receiver Javarius Green leads the team with 31 catches. Johnathan Montague is the other starter and has 15 receptions. At tight end, Zeke Moore and Brady Clough are seldom used as receivers. Their best player at this position is sophomore Kaelan Chudzinski. He is just now returning to action after recovering from an Achilles injury this spring.

Up front, Boston College has good size with only fair mobility. Guards Robert Smith and Judah Pruitt are the best players in this group. Crounse is replaced by freshman DJ Williams at center. Tackles Kristian Phillips and Jean-Jumeau Veguer often surrender pressures in pass protection. Phillips gave way to Reggie Jackson last week and may do so again on Saturday. All three of these tackles transferred to BC prior to this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Notre Dame kicker Spencer Porath disappointed Irish fans last week when his 53-yard field goal attempt missed badly. He did make a 44-yarder in the first quarter, though. A larger problem arose on kickoffs. Micah Dresher repeatedly booted the ball out of bounds and cost Notre Dame ten yards each time. Punter Jasper Scaife had a few excellent kicks last week but also threw in a 26-yard stinker. Return man Jordan Faison electrified the crowd with a 56-yard effort to set up a touchdown.

BC’s veteran kicker Luca Lombardo has made 24 of 27 field goals in his collegiate career. His longest this season is 52 yards. Punter Bryce LaFollette averages 41 yards per attempt. The Eagles rely on their secondary to handle returns. Comella brings back punts while backup safety TJ Green is the primary kickoff returner. Neither has delivered any noteworthy plays to date.

Notre Dame has a talent advantage on the return and coverage teams. If the Irish are aggressive they could force a turnover or create a significant play.

SUMMARY

Boston College relies on its running game to remain competitive. McKenzie is not a quarterback that will beat on opponent by throwing 40 passes. O’Brien must mix in deep shots and gadget plays to keep defenses off balance. The Eagles had success last week against Florida State with an outrageous gamble at the goal line.

Notre Dame can get pressure on McKenzie but must account for his scrambling ability. It is fair to assume that the Eagle receivers will be easier to cover than Miami’s. Obviously, McKenzie is far less accurate than Darian Mensah. When the Irish have the ball, the running game should be open for business. BC could elect to overload the box and run blitz as other teams have done.  In that case, Carr will not be afraid to attack their secondary.

O’Brien’s overall game strategy is dictated by his personnel. They are not explosive on offense but mix in new looks and trickery each week. Defensively, the Eagles try to keep opponents in check with a bend but do not break approach.

Analysis of the statistics reveals that Boston College gains as many first downs and yards as its opponents. Surprisingly, the Eagles have scored an average of five fewer points per game. The answer lies in red zone efficiency. BC is miserable in this category. Only half of its red zone forays result in touchdowns while 28% produce no points whatsoever. This puts them in 129^th place among 138 teams.

Here are a few additional questions that will shed light on the outcome:

• Will BC’s ground game set up manageable third down situations?
• Can Carr repeat his accurate passing performance against Miami?
• Will Notre Dame’s rushing attack rebound after a mediocre performance?
• Which team will have fewer penalties and turnovers?
• Can Notre Dame’s special teams deliver another highlight?
• Will the Irish secondary successfully defend the deep ball?
• Which team will be most productive in the red zone?
• Can the Irish maintain the intensity that carried them to victory last week?
• Will Notre Dame exorcise the ghosts of 1993?

PREDICTION

Notre Dame may find it difficult to roll over BC but patience and persistence will be sufficient. Defensively, the Irish must be alert and communicate effectively to be ready for O’Brien’s trickery. Most everyone over 40 recalls the upset in 1993 and its lasting ramifications. Notre Dame defeated the number one team by 31-24 but was ill prepared to play the following week. A decent, well-coached Eagles team cost them a national championship in a last second heartbreaker. I do not expect history to repeat itself but this game may be close for a half. As was the case last season, the Irish offense may be a bit sluggish as well.

NOTRE DAME 35  BOSTON COLLEGE 13

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