Notre Dame emerged from its bye week but barely resembled the powerhouse that dismantled USC a fortnight ago. Their performance was marred by unnecessary penalties, special teams gaffes, and a red zone fumble. Despite these challenges, Marcus Freeman’s squad managed to defeat Boston College by 25-10 on Saturday. Notre Dame notched its sixth consecutive victory to keep its playoff hopes alive.

It was an ugly affair from the start. Both teams failed to generate much offense in the first quarter. A defensive holding call on third down kept an Irish drive alive as the period ended. CJ Carr immediately capitalized by throwing a 40-yard scoring strike to Malachi Fields. Noah Burnette’s extra point attempt clanked off the upright and the score remained at 6-0.

Eagle quarterback Dylan Lonergan subsequently overthrew his intended target and Tea Johnson intercepted for the Irish. Carr’s deep pass to Jordan Faison quickly moved Notre Dame into scoring territory. Just as it appeared that the Irish were shedding the rust and cobwebs of inactivity, disaster struck. On first and goal at the five-yard line, BC stripped the ball from Jadarian Price and took possession.

The newly energized Eagles began to move the ball as Grayson James took over for Lonergan. An unsportsmanlike penalty on linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa helped propel the Eagles into Irish territory. Notre Dame’s defense then stiffened as safety Luke Talich broke up a fourth down pass.

Boston College continued to load up against the run on defense, so Carr went back to work through the air. He threw for two first downs before hitting Will Pauling on a deep post from 44 yards out. Just under two minutes remained in the half as Freeman called for a two point conversion attempt. It failed miserably, and the Irish advantage stayed at 12-0.

Notre Dame wanted a defensive stop on the next series for another chance to score. James refused to cooperate, however, as he connected on a series of passes to march down the field. With time running down, James found Reed Harris in the end zone from 25 yards out. Harris beat Leonard Moore on the play to bring the Eagles within 12-7 at the half.

Irish fans expected their team to come out for the second half with hair on fire but the opposite happened. BC took the opening kickoff and embarked on an 11-minute march. Notre Dame appeared to have them stopped with a fourth down sack but the referees had other plans. They flagged Josh Burnham for a phantom facemask penalty on the play. We have seen some horrid calls this season and this one was easily the worst. Fortunately, the Irish held the Eagles to a field goal and clung to a 12-10 lead.

Carr finally got his hands on the ball and made the most of the opportunity. His 30-yard pass to Eli Raridon fueled a drive that ended with a Jeremiyah Love touchdown. Again, a Notre Dame kicker badly missed the extra point in this dark comedy of errors. Boston College was still within one score at 18-10 as the final period got underway.

James and the Eagles appeared to be stopped when a third down desperation heave sailed out of bounds. In keeping with the theme of this game, the Irish incurred another unsportsmanlike penalty on the play. Jaylen Sneed was the offender as he obviously shoved James when he was well out of bounds.

BC now threatened to score as the Irish defense dug in. They finally elected to apply pressure to James after sitting back in coverage most of the afternoon. Results were immediate and favorable. James was running for his life when he lofted an ill-advised pass toward the goal line. Adon Shuler intercepted at the Notre Dame six-yard line before stepping out of bounds.

Eleven minutes remained in the game as the Irish offense returned to the field. On the first play from scrimmage, Love found daylight after being bottled up all day. A great downfield blocking effort by Fields took care of the final Eagle defender. It was the same play Love took to the house against Indiana last season. Notre Dame now led by 25-10 as they finally converted an extra point.

Chris Ash wisely maintained the defensive pressure on James down the stretch. Boston College had three more chances in the waning minutes but the Irish forced incompletions and recorded sacks. Carr tried to add a clinching score but the offense continued to display ineptitude on third and short. Notre Dame even attempted a fake punt during this stretch but BC was ready for it.

A final hurried throw by James became Johnson’s second interception of the day, and the Irish ran out the clock. It was a merciful ending to three-plus hours of suffering by Irish fans. Freeman undoubtedly aged in dog years during this calamitous affair, but his team lives to fight another day.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Will BC’s ground game be stuck in first gear without Turbo? Richards played but was obviously not at full strength. The Eagles gained a net 12 yards rushing.
• Can Carr demonstrate the passing skills that were evident earlier this season? CJ threw several excellent deep balls with just one miss where he overthrew Fields. Carr finished with 299 yards on 18 for 25 passing.
• Will Notre Dame run successfully against whatever scheme the Eagles employ? No. BC jammed the box and blitzed the run gaps all day. Only Love could break their hearts with his long scoring burst.
• Which team will win the turnover battle? Notre Dame fumbled once but had three interceptions.
• Can Notre Dame’s special teams provide another innovative highlight? No, but there were a few epic lowlights. Two missed extra points, a failed chip shot field goal, and an unwise fake punt were abominable.
• Will the Irish secondary hold Bond in check? Bond had eight receptions for 92 yards before Ash decided to pressure the quarterback.
• Can an Irish kicker make a middle or long-range field goal? If you’ve read this far, you know the answer.
• Will Notre Dame’s pass rush make life miserable for BC’s quarterbacks? Only in the fourth quarter but that was enough.

Notre Dame hosts Navy next week and had better not take anything for granted. Even an extra point.

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