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Notre Dame Football
Boston College: A Tale of Two Teams
September 15, 2017
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Notre Dame is preparing to take on Boston College this Saturday. It is considered a rivalry game, but it's always seemed to mean more to BC fans than those who follow Notre Dame.
That's probably because BC doesn't have many obvious rivals. Notre Dame has more than a few. The Irish have won the last five meetings between the two schools. The most recent one took place at Fenway Park in 2015. It was one of those memorable games for all of the wrong reasons.
Notre Dame won the game, but they lost just about any chance of a making the College Football Playoff after dropping out of the top four due to an underwhelming performance. They were 16 point favorites and ended up only winning the game by a field goal due to five turnovers.
The turnovers were the only reason that game was close. Boston College did not have the offense that could take advantage and win the game. It's two years later, but they'll have to have similar results on defense in order for this game to be close in my opinion because their team is really similar to the one they had in '15: Strong on defense. Not so strong on offense.
The Irish are currently favored by 14 points, yet they obviously can't sleep walk through this game and expect to win. There is no doubt that BC will come to play, especially on defense.
Let's start with a look at that side of the ball where the Irish will have to worry about an outstanding pass rusher for the Eagles and might have to be patient with their approach in order to put points on the board.
Wake Forest has rarely been a juggernaut on offense, but Northern Illinois has traditionally had one of the best rushing offenses in the nation. In seven of the last eight seasons they've been ranked in the top 20 in that category so they're used to having success on the ground. Both NIU and Wake didn't get much going against BC in the first couple of games because they yet again are a good team versus the run.
It all starts up front where they are solid across the board. They get plenty of penetration into the backfield and their ends in particular are a huge factor. Harold Landry (7) is known as a tremendous pass rusher (more on that later), but he wins with quickness to set the edge in the running game. He can make plays as a chase player from the backside as well.
Opposite him is big Zach Allen (2), who is 6'5" and in the 280 range, yet moves like a much smaller player. He already has 17 tackles (2 for loss) this season and will be a tough player for the Notre Dame tackles and tight ends to block.
Together with the rest of the defense, they've held non-quarterbacks to 131 yards on 55 carries (2.38 YPC). There is a very good chance that the Irish will struggle to get Josh Adams, Tony Jones Jr., and Dexter Williams going in this game.
The good news is that the two quarterbacks BC has faced have had success running the football against them. NIU and Wake's QBs rushed 32 times for 189 yards (5.9 YPC). Opportunities will be there for the Brandon Wimbush to have a few big chunk plays on the ground.
They will sell out a bit too much on the running back on the zone read, like they did here versus NIU, and Wimbush will need to take advantage of it.
As I mentioned, Allen is a very good football player. However, if he gets caught crashing down too much like he did on this play, Wimbush should be able to get the edge on him.
Wake ran the read quite a bit against BC as well, but they had the most success on a quarterback counter play. Twice it gained big yards, including this touchdown.
Notre Dame had a lot of success with DeShone Kizer running a similar play the previous two years. I think we'll see a version of this against BC on Saturday.
It's really going to be Landry versus just a few different players during the game, but Notre Dame is going to have to make him feel like it's everybody to hopefully slow him down as a pass rusher.
Last year he led the nation in sacks with 16.5. This year he is off to a slow start in terms of his numbers, but that doesn't reflect the amount of pressure he has been putting on quarterbacks on a consistent basis. He is a dangerous player when he is coming off the edge and I don't think Notre Dame can single block him with the tackles for the majority of the game.
He's so explosive off the ball and he can bend like not many others can to get to the quarterback. The sack is avoided on this play, but barely.
Later, he does finish with a ridiculous dip underneath the shoulder of the right tackle.
Needless to say that I don't like the match-up of Tommy Kraemer or Robert Hainsey against him on 3rd and long. I can't see Mike McGlinchey shutting him down for most of the game either. Landry is better than the Georgia edge rushers who had so much success last week, which is scary but true.
So, how can Notre Dame combat this problem?
Not getting into obvious passing situations is one way around it. They rotate Landry and try to get him fresh as much as possible to rush the passer. They can try to wear him down by running the ball, but that is easier said than done.
Whether it is constantly lining up a tight end on his side to give initial help or using a back to chip, they need to show different looks to not let Landry get comfortable. This was a great job by NIU with the back coming over to help and getting a big shot on him.
They may also want to try and flare out the back in certain situations when they anticipate blitz coming. It could work to get him to peel off and cover like he was forced to here.
Ignore the horrendous throw by NIU's quarterback and concentrate on Landry having to shift outside to cover the back rather than rushing.
It's going to be a fine line for Notre Dame when it comes to adjusting to Landry, though. At some points BC is going to bring the house with six rushers and Notre Dame won't be able to double him on every snap.
They just need to slow him down on enough snaps so that he can't wreck the game. Double, chip, do whatever to contain him. And definitely try to get the football out as quickly as possible.
Flipping over to the other side of the ball, Boston College really wants to be a team that controls the line of scrimmage. They will run a ton of heavy formations with multiple tight end and multiple backs. They even have the right kind of running back to play that way in true freshman AJ Dillon. The former Notre Dame recruiting target and grandson of Irish great Thom Gatewood is a big back (240) with good feet.
The problem for them is that Dillon and fellow back Jon Hilliman have had little to no room to run. They both run hard and physical, but they get contacted in the backfield or behind the line of scrimmage a lot because the offensive line isn't very good.
They are big and have experience, but they struggle with lateral movement. Notre Dame should be able to shoot gaps up front and have backers play downhill for most of the game. This is in between the tight end and the tackle here, but it reflects how there line in general doesn't do well linemen, in this case the end, shooting inside to disrupt the play.
The tackle does not move his feet and that end is the one who makes the play in the backfield. So far this season they have given up 18 tackles for loss.
About the only running play that BC has had consistent success with is a jet sweep to receiver Thadd Smith. They execute is really well with Smith running full speed and getting around the corner at a rate that NIU and Wake weren't ready for.
The safety makes the correct read here, but he doesn't anticipate the speed at which BC runs this. He gets caught trailing and it ends up in good yardage.
Smith is currently the leading rusher for BC with 101 yards and he averages 9.2 yards a pop on these kind of plays. I'm sure Mike Elko and his staff were working on defending this the entire week leading up to the game.
If Notre Dame is looking at a specific target on the line to beat with movement, they may want to look at freshman center Benjamin Petrula. He previously was at right tackle and was not the starter until returning starter Jon Baker was injured at the end of the NIU game.
Baker is out for the season and Petrula did not have a great first starter against Wake.
In addition to a couple of poor snaps, Wake was able to beat him rushing the passer quite a bit. That was something that greatly affected quarterback Anthony Brown in the pocket.
I love the match-up for Notre Dame with Jerry Tillery going against him at nose. I think he can beat him quite a bit like the Wake nose guard did here. This pressure ends up causing Brown to let the ball go earlier than he wanted to and it ends up getting picked.
This happened a few other times with Brown being forced out of the pocket to throw the ball away. But if they keep him in the pocket like this, he's going to make some poor decisions and the Notre Dame linebackers and defensive backs need to jump on these opportunities.
If the Irish play like they did against Georgia on defense, I find it hard to imagine BC moving the ball on them very well. Brown is athletic and has a big arm, but he struggled with pressure in his second start of his career last week. And if Notre Dame is shutting down their running game and forcing 3 and long, then I expect them to get pressure whether they are blitzing or just rushing four.
The Irish may need to play well on defense to have short fields to work with on offense because it won't be easy moving the ball on BC. Notre Dame has quite a bit more talent than Wake, but the 34 points they put up were a bit misleading.
They were up 21-7 at half, but only had 147 yards on 9 drives (16 yards per drive). They mostly scored because of turnovers by the BC offense.
I expect the Irish to have more success than Wake did, but I can't say how much until we see them go out and execute after not doing so against Georgia. But if Notre Dame plays disciplined, wins the turnover battle, and keeps progressing on defense, I can't see them losing this game. It really shouldn't be all that close, but I'm sure Boston College will do everything to make this a tight one.
That's probably because BC doesn't have many obvious rivals. Notre Dame has more than a few. The Irish have won the last five meetings between the two schools. The most recent one took place at Fenway Park in 2015. It was one of those memorable games for all of the wrong reasons.
Notre Dame won the game, but they lost just about any chance of a making the College Football Playoff after dropping out of the top four due to an underwhelming performance. They were 16 point favorites and ended up only winning the game by a field goal due to five turnovers.
The turnovers were the only reason that game was close. Boston College did not have the offense that could take advantage and win the game. It's two years later, but they'll have to have similar results on defense in order for this game to be close in my opinion because their team is really similar to the one they had in '15: Strong on defense. Not so strong on offense.
The Irish are currently favored by 14 points, yet they obviously can't sleep walk through this game and expect to win. There is no doubt that BC will come to play, especially on defense.
Let's start with a look at that side of the ball where the Irish will have to worry about an outstanding pass rusher for the Eagles and might have to be patient with their approach in order to put points on the board.
It could be tough sledding for the Irish backs
Wake Forest has rarely been a juggernaut on offense, but Northern Illinois has traditionally had one of the best rushing offenses in the nation. In seven of the last eight seasons they've been ranked in the top 20 in that category so they're used to having success on the ground. Both NIU and Wake didn't get much going against BC in the first couple of games because they yet again are a good team versus the run.
It all starts up front where they are solid across the board. They get plenty of penetration into the backfield and their ends in particular are a huge factor. Harold Landry (7) is known as a tremendous pass rusher (more on that later), but he wins with quickness to set the edge in the running game. He can make plays as a chase player from the backside as well.
Opposite him is big Zach Allen (2), who is 6'5" and in the 280 range, yet moves like a much smaller player. He already has 17 tackles (2 for loss) this season and will be a tough player for the Notre Dame tackles and tight ends to block.
Together with the rest of the defense, they've held non-quarterbacks to 131 yards on 55 carries (2.38 YPC). There is a very good chance that the Irish will struggle to get Josh Adams, Tony Jones Jr., and Dexter Williams going in this game.
The good news is that the two quarterbacks BC has faced have had success running the football against them. NIU and Wake's QBs rushed 32 times for 189 yards (5.9 YPC). Opportunities will be there for the Brandon Wimbush to have a few big chunk plays on the ground.
They will sell out a bit too much on the running back on the zone read, like they did here versus NIU, and Wimbush will need to take advantage of it.
As I mentioned, Allen is a very good football player. However, if he gets caught crashing down too much like he did on this play, Wimbush should be able to get the edge on him.
Wake ran the read quite a bit against BC as well, but they had the most success on a quarterback counter play. Twice it gained big yards, including this touchdown.
Notre Dame had a lot of success with DeShone Kizer running a similar play the previous two years. I think we'll see a version of this against BC on Saturday.
Landry vs Everybody
It's really going to be Landry versus just a few different players during the game, but Notre Dame is going to have to make him feel like it's everybody to hopefully slow him down as a pass rusher.
Last year he led the nation in sacks with 16.5. This year he is off to a slow start in terms of his numbers, but that doesn't reflect the amount of pressure he has been putting on quarterbacks on a consistent basis. He is a dangerous player when he is coming off the edge and I don't think Notre Dame can single block him with the tackles for the majority of the game.
He's so explosive off the ball and he can bend like not many others can to get to the quarterback. The sack is avoided on this play, but barely.
Later, he does finish with a ridiculous dip underneath the shoulder of the right tackle.
Needless to say that I don't like the match-up of Tommy Kraemer or Robert Hainsey against him on 3rd and long. I can't see Mike McGlinchey shutting him down for most of the game either. Landry is better than the Georgia edge rushers who had so much success last week, which is scary but true.
So, how can Notre Dame combat this problem?
Not getting into obvious passing situations is one way around it. They rotate Landry and try to get him fresh as much as possible to rush the passer. They can try to wear him down by running the ball, but that is easier said than done.
Whether it is constantly lining up a tight end on his side to give initial help or using a back to chip, they need to show different looks to not let Landry get comfortable. This was a great job by NIU with the back coming over to help and getting a big shot on him.
They may also want to try and flare out the back in certain situations when they anticipate blitz coming. It could work to get him to peel off and cover like he was forced to here.
Ignore the horrendous throw by NIU's quarterback and concentrate on Landry having to shift outside to cover the back rather than rushing.
It's going to be a fine line for Notre Dame when it comes to adjusting to Landry, though. At some points BC is going to bring the house with six rushers and Notre Dame won't be able to double him on every snap.
They just need to slow him down on enough snaps so that he can't wreck the game. Double, chip, do whatever to contain him. And definitely try to get the football out as quickly as possible.
Make the big men move
Flipping over to the other side of the ball, Boston College really wants to be a team that controls the line of scrimmage. They will run a ton of heavy formations with multiple tight end and multiple backs. They even have the right kind of running back to play that way in true freshman AJ Dillon. The former Notre Dame recruiting target and grandson of Irish great Thom Gatewood is a big back (240) with good feet.
The problem for them is that Dillon and fellow back Jon Hilliman have had little to no room to run. They both run hard and physical, but they get contacted in the backfield or behind the line of scrimmage a lot because the offensive line isn't very good.
They are big and have experience, but they struggle with lateral movement. Notre Dame should be able to shoot gaps up front and have backers play downhill for most of the game. This is in between the tight end and the tackle here, but it reflects how there line in general doesn't do well linemen, in this case the end, shooting inside to disrupt the play.
The tackle does not move his feet and that end is the one who makes the play in the backfield. So far this season they have given up 18 tackles for loss.
About the only running play that BC has had consistent success with is a jet sweep to receiver Thadd Smith. They execute is really well with Smith running full speed and getting around the corner at a rate that NIU and Wake weren't ready for.
The safety makes the correct read here, but he doesn't anticipate the speed at which BC runs this. He gets caught trailing and it ends up in good yardage.
Smith is currently the leading rusher for BC with 101 yards and he averages 9.2 yards a pop on these kind of plays. I'm sure Mike Elko and his staff were working on defending this the entire week leading up to the game.
Look for inside pressure
If Notre Dame is looking at a specific target on the line to beat with movement, they may want to look at freshman center Benjamin Petrula. He previously was at right tackle and was not the starter until returning starter Jon Baker was injured at the end of the NIU game.
Baker is out for the season and Petrula did not have a great first starter against Wake.
In addition to a couple of poor snaps, Wake was able to beat him rushing the passer quite a bit. That was something that greatly affected quarterback Anthony Brown in the pocket.
I love the match-up for Notre Dame with Jerry Tillery going against him at nose. I think he can beat him quite a bit like the Wake nose guard did here. This pressure ends up causing Brown to let the ball go earlier than he wanted to and it ends up getting picked.
This happened a few other times with Brown being forced out of the pocket to throw the ball away. But if they keep him in the pocket like this, he's going to make some poor decisions and the Notre Dame linebackers and defensive backs need to jump on these opportunities.
If the Irish play like they did against Georgia on defense, I find it hard to imagine BC moving the ball on them very well. Brown is athletic and has a big arm, but he struggled with pressure in his second start of his career last week. And if Notre Dame is shutting down their running game and forcing 3 and long, then I expect them to get pressure whether they are blitzing or just rushing four.
The Irish may need to play well on defense to have short fields to work with on offense because it won't be easy moving the ball on BC. Notre Dame has quite a bit more talent than Wake, but the 34 points they put up were a bit misleading.
They were up 21-7 at half, but only had 147 yards on 9 drives (16 yards per drive). They mostly scored because of turnovers by the BC offense.
I expect the Irish to have more success than Wake did, but I can't say how much until we see them go out and execute after not doing so against Georgia. But if Notre Dame plays disciplined, wins the turnover battle, and keeps progressing on defense, I can't see them losing this game. It really shouldn't be all that close, but I'm sure Boston College will do everything to make this a tight one.
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