Notre Dame Football Opponent Preview: Boston College Eagles Defense
By Andrew Hall
The Boston College Defense stops and starts with Defensive End Harold Landry.
Despite a lack of assistance from the offense, the Boston College defense performs well. The star of the unit is Defensive End Harold Landry. Notre Dame must find ways to prevent Landry from wrecking havoc against the Irish offense. Here is a brief summary of the Boston College defense:
Defensive Line
As previously stated, Landry leads the unit. Many NFL Draft experts believe he might become a 1st Round selection in Spring 2018. Landry checks in at 6’3″, 250 lbs. In 2016, he tallied 51 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. He led the nation in sacks.
After a rough performance against Georgia, the last thing the Notre Dame Offensive Line wants to see is the a pass rusher of Landry’s caliber. If McGlinchey truly is the player everyone thinks, he needs to play well against Landry. Leaving a Tight End in or chipping with a Running Back might be needed in this case.
The rest of the Defensive Line is rounded out by Zach Allen, Ray Smith and Noa Merritt. Allen is currently 2nd on the team in tackles.
Linebackers
Connor Strachan, Max Richardson and Ty Schwab start for the Boston College Eagles at the Linebacker position. The SAM Linebacker Connor Strachan led the Eagles in tackles in 2016 with 80 total tackles. Thus far, Schwab leads all Linebackers with 17 tackles.
Defensive Backs
Issac Yiadom and Kamrin Moore start for Boston College at the Left Cornerback and Right Cornerback repsectively. Yiadom broke up 10 passes and forced 1 fumble in the 2016 season. He tallied 10 tackles in the first two games of the season. His counterpart, Kamrin Moore, recorded 11 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 2 passes broken up.
On the backend of defense, Strong Safety Will Harris and Free Safety Lukas Denis. Harris currently leads the team in tackles with 19 total. He made 3 tackles for loss as well.
Bottom Line
Landry may represent the best Defensive Linemen that Notre Dame faces all year. Notre Dame will need to pay special attention to him. Although the Irish struggled with edge pass rushers during the Georgia game, the overall talent on Boston College makes it easier for the coaching staff to isolate Landry. Boston College currently is giving up 27 points per game. Notre Dame’s offense should reset on Saturday. However, the Notre Dame football program typically struggles with the Boston College.