Keys to Victory For Notre Dame Over Boston College - Offense Edition
Notre Dame (7-3) will look to earn its fifth straight win this weekend when it takes on the Boston College Eagles (3-7). The 20th-ranked Fighting Irish are huge favorites over Boston College, but if Notre Dame is going to dominate this game the way it should the offense absolutely must step up its game.
It is imperative that Notre Dame put together a strong four quarter performance against the Eagles, something it has only done once this fall. There are several keys to victory for the Irish offense, not just to beat Boston College but also to get the unit going forward with momentum ahead of its matchup against No. 7 USC.
Of course there are always things like don't turn it over, don't commit penalties, and other keys that are true each week. Here are the more specific keys to success.
1. Start Fast - Notre Dame's offense has been a unit that often plays with a bit of a fragile psyche. When the unit struggles it has rarely shown the ability to get out of whatever funk it is going through. I'm concerned about the confidence of this unit after watching the second half of the Navy game. The result were bad enough, but the body language of the offensive players was also concerning. Notre Dame cannot afford to allow that to continue, and the Irish offense must come out of this game feeling good about itself heading into the matchup against No. 7 USC.
A fast start is just what this unit needs. Coming out hot not only ensures victory against an out-matched Boston College team, it also gives the offense a boost in energy and confidence. That will lead to the necessary momentum that could boost the unit heading into the contest against the Trojans. Coming out fast can hopefully lead to a much-needed blowout, which would allow the Irish staff to rest some of its starters in the fourth quarter.
2. Get Tight End-Running Back Pass Game Going - Weather conditions seem to have cleared up a bit, with the wind expected to be a bit calmer and the snow showers should be done by the time we get to kickoff. It will still be cold, and Notre Dame's pass game is already limited. I would love to see Notre Dame take a couple of shots downfield to Braden Lenzy, Tobias Merriweather and Michael Mayer, but the pass game, from a volume standpoint, is going to thrive if it can get the backs and tight ends rolling.
When the Irish offense has been at its best, and most balanced, is when it is involving the backs into the pass game plan. That's especially true out of 21 personnel. We saw it against California, we saw it against North Carolina and we saw it against Clemson. Over the next two games it would make a lot of sense for Notre Dame to make better use of the 21 personnel, with Chris Tyree being mixed in as the second back with Audric Estime or Logan Diggs. Getting his speed more involved in the game as both a runner and pass catcher is so incredibly needed.
Getting the tight end position involved is obvious, and I fully expect Mayer to get targeted early and often. I would love to see Notre Dame try and steal a couple of big plays with the other tight ends. A play-action deep shot, a quick play-action hot pass against heavy pressure, or a post-snap wheel type of route to Mitchell Evans or Holden Staes would make a lot of sense, and give the BC and USC defenses a lot more to worry about.
3. Mix Up The Run Game - Yes, I get that Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees loves Duo, and as the season has worn on the offense has gotten a lot better at it. The issue is that Rees tends to go way overboard with his use of it, and the lack of diversity in the run game can be problematic at times. We saw it against Stanford and Navy, and BC is going to load the box in hopes of stopping the inside runs. Sure, Notre Dame could probably bully its way to a victory over BC by running a lot of Duo, but does that really make this football team better? Does it really prepare this offense to go out West and beat USC, and then maybe earn a big bowl win? Maybe, but I doubt it.
What would give the Irish an even better chance to dominate Boston College, and then be in position to be even better running the ball against USC and in the postseason, would be an expanded ground attack. Against Clemson the Irish used more Inside Zone, which worked quite well as a change up with Duo for a number of reasons. Notre Dame needs to use that more, it needs to figure out a way to be better running counter, and it absolutely, positively must start to make better use of outside runs.
Notre Dame's unwillingness to mix up its run game with more outside concepts, like we saw in 2017 with the Buck Sweep and Outside Zone concepts, not only limits the team's big play ability, it has been a primary reason for the run game stalling when it has this season.
Being more creative with the tempo and formations like we saw against Clemson, and being more effective with the RPOs would also give the run game a chance to really take off against BC, and beyond.
4. Need A Strong Third Quarter - Notre Dame has yet to have a game where it truly put a team a way, and in a way that allowed it to empty the bench. One of the reason's is the offense's abysmal third quarter performances. For a number of reasons the Notre Dame offense has struggled coming out of the break, and opponents have been far more successful with their halftime adjustments.
That can't be the case against Boston College. Notre Dame cannot allow Boston College to hang around and gain confidence, especially after the Eagles upset No. 16 NC State on the road last weekend. Notre Dame needs to put BC down early (start fast) and put them away in the third quarter.
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