Notre Dame Football: 5 Takeaways From Notre Dame-Boston College

A dominant 2nd half helped Notre Dame pull away from Boston College.

The Irish sprinted to victory after a sluggish first 3 quarters. Notre Dame rushed for an absurd 515 yards on 51 carries. With a 10.1 yard per carry average, the Fighting Irish defeated a scrappy Boston College team. Here are 5 takeaways for the Notre Dame football team from Saturday’s game:

Notre Dame Rushing Attack: Boom or Bust

In Notre Dame’s first game of the season, the Irish offense rushed for 422 yards. The following week against Georgia, Notre Dame only mustered 55 yards. Many of Josh Adam’s carries have been for no gain this season. Junior Quarterback Brandon Wimbush struggles to make his runs count. However, the Irish offense is always one play away from breaking a huge run.

Today, against Boston College, Notre Dame rushed for 515 yards. Much of the rushing came on the feet of Adams and Wimbush. Adams rushed for 229 yards on 18 carries (12.7 yds/car). Wimbush ran for 207 yards on 21 attempts. He scored 4 touchdowns on the ground.

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The Fighting Irish had runs of 65, 64, 46, 65 and 32 against the Eagles.

Notre Dame is currently averaging 330.67 yards per contest on the ground.

Brandon Wimbush: An Elite Runner

As stated above, Wimbush scampered to 207 yards and 4 touchdowns. He almost added a 5th touchdown late in the 4th Quarter. Wimbush used designed and improvised runs to punish the Eagles defense. Wimbush’s 207 yards broke the school record for rushing yards. The previous total was held by Bill Etter who rushed for 146 yards in 1969.

Although this performance by the Quarterback from Jersey City is nothing to sneeze at, it will hurt Notre Dame in the long run. Wimbush carried the ball 21 times against Boston College. So far, he is averaging 16+ carries per game. This total does not include plays that he is hit on passing plays. If he continues at this rate, Notre Dame will be playing Sophomore Ian Book at Quarterback.

Brandon Wimbush: A Below Average Passer?

If Notre Dame expects to be an elite offense, Brandon Wimbush must become a better passer. Through 3 games this season, Wimbush is only completing 51% of his passes. Notre Dame’s receivers need to play better. The Offensive Line needs to block longer. However, this could be a case where Wimbush is simply just not a good throwing Quarterback. He may be closer to Jarious Jackson or Arnez Battle than DeShone Kizer or Everett Golson.

Mike Elko Makes Adjustments

The Notre Dame Defense allowed 10 points and 228 total yards to Boston College in the 1st half. The Irish did not force any turnovers. After new Defensive Coordinator Mike Elko made adjustments at halftime, the Irish Defense improved significantly.

In the 2nd half, the Irish allowed 10 points and 172 yards while forcing 4 turnovers. Junior Defensive Back Shaun Crawford made 2 interceptions in the second half.

Elko has demonstrated that he can make adjustments and coach up the Irish Defense. Notre Dame is currently allowing 18.67 points per game. Last year, Notre Dame allowed 27.8 points per game.

Ball Disruptions

Throughout spring practice and fall camp, the new Irish Defensive Coordinator talked about “ball distributions.” His coaches preach this everyday in practice. In the first two games of the season, the Fighting Irish forced 3 turnovers.

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Today, Notre Dame forced 4 total turnovers. Shaun Crawford made 2 interceptions. MIKE Linebacker Myles Morgan and Sophomore Defensive End Julian Okwara forced Boston College fumbles.

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