Friday, November 20, 2015

Week 11 Preview: Notre Dame vs Boston College

The 2015 edition of the Shamrock Series will get underway tomorrow night when the 4th ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (9-1) travel to historic Fenway Park to take on the Boston College Eagles (3-7). In the past, Boston College has spoiled some of Notre Dame's better seasons, but can the Eagles derail the Irish once again?

Here's what to look for tomorrow night...

1. Can the Irish run on Boston College? Despite their poor record, the Eagles have one of the best defenses in the country, particularly against stopping the run. We all know the Irish have had sort of a boom or bust rushing attack by gouging defenses with big runs, yet struggling to even gain positive yards on many occasions throughout the year. So, pay attention to the trenches early on. If the Irish can consistently gain positive yardage against the Eagles' stout defensive line, then it will be a long day for Boston College. However, even if the Irish can't run the ball effectively on a consistent basis, you can rest assure that Brian Kelly won't completely abandon the run given Notre Dame's tendency for explosive runs.

2. Kizer time. Considering how well Boston College has performed against the run, it will be up to DeShone Kizer to lead the Irish with his arm and his legs. When facing quality defenses like Temple, Clemson, and Pittsburgh, Kizer had some of his best performances of the season, and I expect that to continue tomorrow night. I'm asuming that the Eagles will load the box to take away the run, so look for Kizer to have opportunities for big plays in the passing game.

3. Complete defensive effort. The Irish defense has played great at times, but they have also struggled at some point in every game. Boston College has one of the nation's worst offenses, so now would be the time to shut down, or even shutout the opposition. Notre Dame's front seven appears to have a huge edge in skill, athleticism, and size, so let's see if they can take advantage of that mismatch. It is always hard to shutout any team in college football, but it should be a realistic goal to keep the Eagles out of the end zone.

This one could look similar to last week versus Wake Forest, but I think the Irish offense will fare a bit better if the time of possession isn't drastically skewed like it was last Saturday.

Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Boston College 6

-Eric Tichelbaut
Twitter @etichel07

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