Notre Dame Football at Boston College Eagles: 3 Biggest Surprises

Notre Dame Football at Boston College Eagles: 3 Biggest Surprises

Notre Dame was able to overcome sloppy play in a rivalry game on the road.

If I told you before the game that Notre Dame would turn the ball over three times and commit eight penalties, you would probably guess that the Irish lost the game. Well, that is exactly what happened in this game. Not only did Notre Dame win the game, but they won comfortably.

The first turnover for the Irish was the most worrisome. It set Boston College up on the edge of the red zone and allowed them to extend their early lead. Fortunately for Notre Dame, their second and third turnovers were immediately followed by Boston College turnovers. Effectively canceling them out.

Then there were the penalties. The Irish defense was called for a holding penalty and a facemask penalty on two separate third downs.

Without the penalties, those plays would have resulted in a field goal attempt and a punt. Instead, Boston College was awarded two first downs. The Eagles would go on to score touchdowns on both of those drives.

Even more surprising was the three (yes, three) unsportsmanlike conduct penalties Notre Dame received. Two of those calls were questionable at best. It seemed like the officials were trying to control emotions in a rivalry game, but they should have given the players some more leeway.