What they’re saying about Notre Dame’s 44-0 win versus Boston College
No. 18 Notre Dame improved to 8-3 on the season by crushing Boston College 44-0 during a snowy South Bend afternoon.
In this article, we’ll take a look around at what the media is saying about Notre Dame’s triumph against the Boston College, including Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer and Tim Hyde giving their instant reaction in a postgame YouTube live show.
Make sure to subscribe to the Blue & Gold YouTube channel here and tune in to The Mike Goolsby Show, which will be live on the page at 7 p.m. ET Sunday.
Patrick Engel, Blue & Gold: How Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame rewrote the script to deliver a no-doubter vs. Boston College
SOUTH BEND – Greg Mailey strolled into the Notre Dame Stadium tunnel still in awe. The grad student walk-on wide receiver best known for being a signaler finally stepped on the field, playing cornerback on Saturday’s final snap. The Irish wanted to put as many seniors in as possible, and with Boston College bleeding out the clock, they would not have a chance to play Mailey at his normal position.
So out he ran for the play that iced a 44-0 dusting of Boston College, a Senior Day romp that afforded the Irish a chance to play a receiver on defense. Nearly 10 minutes later, he recounted the moment to quarterback Tyler Buchner as they left the field, eyes wide like saucers and a grin overtaking his face.
That snap will be among the most forgettable for Notre Dame this year. To reach that point, though, is hardly insignificant.
Notre Dame needed a game like this where it pantsed an overmatched opponent and then took their belts. The Irish built a big early lead and kept adding. They buried the Eagles by halftime and kept throwing dirt on them, something they couldn’t do one week earlier against Navy or in late October vs. a depleted UNLV outfit. They couldn’t even take a halftime lead against California, Marshall and Stanford.
Tyler Horka, Blue & Gold: Grading Irish football in win over Boston College
Notre Dame Passing Offense: B
The numbers aren’t incredible; junior quarterback Drew Pyne was 13-of-25 for 156 yards and 1 touchdown. He did not throw an interception, though, which is objective No. 1 for the backup-turned-starter. He also spread the ball around to six different receiving targets.
Junior tight end Michael Mayer led the way with 5 catches for 64 yards. Former walk-on Matt Salerno caught the first touchdown pass of his career. Sophomore wideout Deion Colzie moved the chains on third down, which has become a good trend for the blue and gold.
You’d have liked to have seen a better completion percentage than 57.7%, but completing 6-of-7 passes for 77 yards on the drive that ended in the Salerno score was a positive stretch. When the Irish are running the ball well, they really only need one drive like that per game from Pyne. They got it vs. the Eagles.
Douglas Farmer, NBC Sports: Blizzard of turnovers, strong Notre Dame run game plow through Boston College
The second half of Notre Dame’s rout of Boston College was always going to lack for intrigue, thanks to the No. 18 Irish (8-3) leading 37-0 at halftime. Blinding snow at least brought some entertainment in South Bend, as Notre Dame watched its step on the slippery turf, keeping the blowout in check at only 44-0.
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The week of the 30th anniversary of the “Snow Bowl” win against Penn State, the Eagles (3-8) offered no such drama. Their defensive line collapsed against every Irish run in the first half, beginning with Logan Diggs’ 51-yard jaunt on the first snap from scrimmage. Their offensive line — a seasonlong weakness done in by injury and compounded this week by a unit-wide bout with the flu — gave up four sacks, including Notre Dame senior Isaiah Foskey’s 25th of his career, breaking Justin Tuck’s Irish record.
The only thing that could slow Notre Dame was the snow that covered the field in the third quarter, making visibility both on the broadcast and from the stands difficult, players noticeably chopping their steps to avoid slipping and sliding too far. The sixth snow game in Notre Dame Stadium history, the Irish are now 6-0 on those optically-delightful occasions.
Three different Notre Dame running backs found the end zone in the first half, with sophomore Audric Estimé adding a second in the third quarter, underscoring the Irish dominance in the rushing game. Notre Dame finished with 281 rushing yards, compared to Boston College’s 89 (sacks adjusted), a disparity that would have been starker if the Irish had not been understandably slowed by the snow.
Tom Noie, ND Insider: Snow globe perfection as Notre Dame dominates Boston College
SOUTH BEND — Following are three quick thoughts and other news and notes and anecdotes following Saturday’s game between Boston College and No. 18 Notre Dame, won by Notre Dame, 44-0, in front of an announced crowd of 73,503 brave/cold souls at Notre Dame Stadium.
∎ The last two first halves on offense sure have been fun for Notre Dame (8-3). Starting slowly certainly hasn’t been an issue for that group.
Building off the previous week’s 35 first-half points — scoring touchdowns on five of six possessions — Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and his group were even better Saturday against Boston College.
Notre Dame opened with its foot firmly on the accelerator and it seldom let up. The Irish had the ball seven times. It scored seven times — four touchdowns and three Blake Grupe field goals. Just as was the case against Navy early, Notre Dame was going to do something to find the end zone each time it had the ball. You could feel it. You could see it.
As tough as quarterback Drew Pyne made it all look in the second half against Navy, he made Saturday’s first two quarters look easy. Way easy. Hand the ball off. Throw the ball to open receivers. Move the chains. Get in the end zone.