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Notre Dame Football: Five Problematic Boston College Eagles

By Sonny Martinez

CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 19: AJ Dillon #2 of the Boston College Eagles runs the ball during the first half of the game between the Boston College Eagles and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Alumni Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 19: AJ Dillon #2 of the Boston College Eagles runs the ball during the first half of the game between the Boston College Eagles and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Alumni Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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An old Notre Dame football rival returns to South Bend for Senior Day.

It’s already the final Notre Dame football home game of the 2019 season, and a game against one of the school’s biggest rivals is a great way to end the year.

The 5-5 Boston College Eagles are back in South Bend for the first time since 2011. Last time that happened, Boston College was 4-8 and led by guys like Chase Rettig and Luke Kuechly.

Boston College’s biggest moment on the national stage this year was getting blown out on a Friday night at home by Kansas, 48-24. They also lost to Wake Forest and Louisville by a combined five points, Florida State by 7 and 52 to Clemson.

Between Notre Dame and Pitt, Boston College needs one more win to reach bowl eligibility for the fourth straight season and 18th time in 21 seasons.

This seems like your typical Boston College team: the offense dominated by the run game and a star linebacker that is all over the field. Those are just two of the players that Notre Dame should be worried about on Saturday.

Dennis Grosel, QB

The season’s starter, Anthony Brown, is done for the year after a knee injury. That opened the door for 6’1″, 220 pound redshirt sophomore Dennis Grosel. His numbers aren’t eye popping, as is the case with most Boston College quarterbacks. However, the former walk on has been hitting his stride of late.

He’s completing under 50 percent of his passes on the season but has an impressive 4-1 touchdown to interception ratio. He’s not much of a rushing threat either, with only 107 yards. But over the last two games, against Syracuse and Florida State, Grosel has completed 28 of 39 (71.7 percent) with five touchdowns and one interception. If Grosel can play like that, it could be enough to keep the Notre Dame defense honest and give some extra space for Boston College’s biggest weapon.

AJ Dillon, RB

Dillon is a machine at running back and has been since his freshman year. He’s six feet tall, but weighing 250 pounds, he’s hard to bring down. Even in missing three games last season, he still crossed the 1,000 yard mark as he has in all three of his college seasons. It’s not hard to see why Notre Dame was recruiting Dillon out of high school.

Dillon’s 1,451 yards are third in the nation, behind only Chuba Hubbard and Jonathan Taylor. He’s not a receiving threat, with only 18 catches for 204 yards over his entire career. Dillon is one of the rare backs that even when defenses know a run is coming, it still takes every bit of effort to take him down. A solid performance against Notre Dame could boost his already impressive All American resumé.

David Bailey, RB

The second half of Boston College’s rushing attack would actually have more yards than Dillon if they had an even amount of carries. He may be the backup, but he’s still a serious threat. Only Chuba Hubbard and Spencer Sanders of Oklahoma State have more combined yards than Dillon and Bailey.

Bailey has 760 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns to go with it. He’s also not a big pass catcher, with only 8 receptions for 94 yards on the season. He’s had two massive games this season, thrashing both North Carolina State and Syracuse for 181 yards and 172 yards, respectively. Bailey is just as capable of a big day as Dillon.

Max Richardson, LB

One of the elite tacklers in the game, Richardson brings great speed, athleticism and instincts to the field. The former three star recruit had 13 offers, but only three from power five schools. Richardson has developed into another in the long line of great Boston College linebackers.

Richardson’s 95 tackles rank 18th in the country, the best that Notre Dame will face all season. His 63 solo tackles rank fourth in the country. He also leads the team in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (3.5.) He’s an underrated candidate for the All-American team that is likely a lock for the All-ACC team.

Jason Maitre, CB

A redshirt freshman, Maitre is a future star on the Boston College defense, and the future might be closer than you think. He’s another three-star prospect who has blossomed into a solid player. His only offers coming out of high school were from Boston College, Bryant and Rhode Island. Maitre is proving the doubters wrong and is only getting better.

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Maitre leads the team in passes defended with six. He also has a pick six to go along with it, which was his first career interception — coming in the game against North Carolina State. He’s not going to pack the stat sheet, only 25 tackles, but Maitre does all the small things right and is an excellent cover man.

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