Everything that stood out from Bill O'Brien, Jordan McDonald & Carter Davis as Holy War week begins

It’s Holy War week.

Unfortunately, it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

The 12th-ranked Fighting Irish visit Chestnut Hill on Saturday as prohibitive (30 points as of Tuesday) favorites over the 1-7 Eagles.

BC was back practicing on Tuesday ahead of the 3:30 matchup at Alumni Stadium on Saturday. Here’s what stood out from press conferences for Bill O’Brien, running back Jordan McDonald and defensive back Carter Davis:

O’Brien on who starts at QB vs. Notre Dame

“I’d say it’s TBD based on a lot of things. Not because of the way anybody played or anything like that. So, it’s just between me and the team.”

O’Brien on the Notre Dame-BC rivalry

“It’s a great rivalry. You think about the past great games in this rivalry. The game back in ’93 when (Notre Dame) was No. 1. We just inducted Brian St. Pierre into the Hall of Fame here, he beat them three times. So, there’s been some great BC victories. There’s been great games and this is a good football team. Marcus does a great job with his football team and I’m glad we have them at home. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

O’Brien on how people might get caught up in the ‘mythical figure’ of Notre Dame

“I have great respect for Notre Dame. I worked at Notre Dame for 48 hours. So, a long time ago, a very long time ago. No, I have great respect for Notre Dame. I’ve been there. I’ve coached in a game there when I was at Georgia Tech. I worked out guys there. We drafted Will Fuller when I was in Houston. We had Nick Martin, was our center in Houston. I have great respect for Notre Dame. The history of college football is awesome and Notre Dame’s a big part of the history of college football, so is Boston College.

“It’s the only two Catholic schools that play Division 1 football. So, it’s just a great rivalry and it’s an event, especially for the fans. Our players are excited about it.”

On what a win would mean during a rough season

“No doubt. Yeah, no doubt. It’s not the year that anybody wanted, but we have four guaranteed opportunities left. This is a guaranteed opportunity and our guys are going to approach it that way.”

On balancing getting a look at young guys for 2026 and still trying to win

“What’s best best for the team is to do the best job we can of winning. We try to win the game. The wins are more important right now than anything else. So, every decision we make relative to this game, the next game, the next game after that is about putting our team in the best position to win.”

O’Brien on if he’s more of an analytics guy or a gut feel guy on 4th down decisions

“You know, analytics is important. We use that as a guide. That’s what it is. It’s a guide. You have to get a feel for how the game’s going. How your defense is playin. What’s the weather like? How’s your special teams playing? How’s your punter punting? How is their returner? And probably 50 other questions that aren’t involved with analytics. So, analytics is a guide, but it’s actually being in the moment and seeing how the game is going, how the game’s being played.

“How many timeouts do you have left? How much time is left? How’s the defense playing? All of that. What’s the length of the yardage that you need for the first down? Is it three? Is it eight? Is it 10? What are your chances of making that play? Have you made any 3rd-&-8’s? Have you made any 4th-&-8’s? There’s about a hundred other questions that go into that?”

O’Brien on if he feels analytics has taken over too much in football

“No, no. I think it’s very important. I think it’s a guide. We use it as a guide. No, I don’t think it’s taken over too much, not in my opinion.”

O’Brien on if the team understands what a mean might mean over Notre Dame despite being young

“Oh yeah. We teach them. We teach them what the rivalry means and what it means to this school, to both schools. So, we talk to them about it and the opportunity that they have and all that. I think they have a very good idea. A lot of these guys probably visited Notre Dame. Whether it was a junior day or something like that, they probably went to see Notre Dame, went to camp there. So, they’re aware of the rivalry, no doubt.”

O’Brien on his comments last week that there has been a bigger commitment to football & if it’s financial or just alignment with his vision

“I think we’re aligned. I think it’s a good question. I don’t think it’s a question for me. I’m the football coach. I’m trying to coach the football team to the best of my ability. I haven’t done a great job of that this year. I’m just trying to concentrate on Notre Dame. I would say that those questions are for people above me.”

McDonald on how the staff has educated the team on the ND-BC rivalry

“Well, it’s the Holy War. If you don’t know about it, you don’t need to be at BC, so…”

McDonald on if he expects more energy on campus this week

“Yeah, I definitely expect it. It doesn’t really matter about the record, it matters more about the team. We’re the only two Catholic schools really playing in Division 1 football at a high level. So, it’s a big game. It’s something the school is going to come out for, something that people at BC have been looking and waiting for this season. It’s a good game waiting to happen.”

McDonald on what a win would do for a bad season

“Well, not to sound crazy or anything, but to me, really…ever since we lost that last game (to Louisville) that last game has really been out of my mind. It’s only been Notre Dame that I’ve been focusing on. to me, it’s not about whether or not it erases anything of the past, it’s just about setting the future. So, we’re just going to go ahead and get a win out there.”

Davis on how the team is staying motivated

“It’s a lot of football left and it’s a lot of great teams we got left on the schedule that’s coming to play. So, that’s the motivation right there. It doesn’t matter what our record is. We’re blessed. We have another opportunity to wake up and play the game of football. A lot of people can’t do that. A lot of people wish they could do that. The motivation is not just wins, losses, our destiny or whatever it is…it becomes bigger than just the game of football.”

Davis on his experience with the Holy War

“I heard a little bit about it, especially because in NCAA the football (video) game. So, I see how it is, the trophy and stuff like that. It’s going to be a great experience. It’s going to be a war between us two and let the best man win on Saturday. I played it (in the video game) before, but this is going to be my first time playing in it in college.”