Could Clash With BC at Fenway be a Trap Game for Notre Dame?

Could Clash With BC at Fenway be a Trap Game for Notre Dame?

The Eagles and Fighting Irish will meet under the lights at Fenway Park on November 21.

By: Anthony Iati

A classic, old-school rivalry: the Boston College Eagles and the #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The first football game held at historic Fenway Park since 1969. ND head coach Brian Kelly’s first crack at the Eagles in the Steve Addazio era. Sold out crowd. National television. On the surface, this appears to be a game that should have the undivided attention of every player, coach, and fan involved.

As part of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series, in which the Irish play one home game each year away from South Bend, the Irish will technically host the Eagles in the latter’s own backyard on Saturday, November 21. Thus far, Notre Dame is 6-0 in the Shamrock Series, with venues stretching from Texas to New York City. The 2015 Irish (8-1 with a home matchup against Wake Forest upcoming) have every reason to fight tooth and nail to extend their Shamrock hot streak. A perennial national championship contender under Kelly, Notre Dame has a legitimate chance to earn one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff. To get there, they will likely need to win their remaining three contests: vs. Wake (3-6), vs. BC (3-7), and at Stanford (8-1). A loss in any of these games would likely send ND to a respected bowl game, albeit a notch below the CFP.

This brings us to Boston College. In Year 3 of the reign of Steve Addazio, the Eagles have dropped six straight games and are 0-7 in ACC play. The dormant offense has been much-maligned while the kicking game has been nearly as scrutinized as it was in 2014. BC’s seventh loss, coming 24-8 at the hands of the NC State Wolfpack on November 7, rendered it ineligible for a bowl game for the first time under Addazio. After a grueling ten consecutive weeks of games, BC has finally reached the bye week it so desperately needed. While it comes too late to save BC’s season, the Eagles can look to parlay the extra week of rest and preparation into a thrilling upset over one of their traditional rivals.

Assuming Notre Dame, currently a 27-point favorite this week, takes care of business and defeats Wake Forest, it will roll into Boston knowing that a crucial date at Stanford looms on November 28. For the Irish, all roads currently lead to Palo Alto and the #7 Cardinal. Consequently, it is possible that Notre Dame will overlook BC in a classic “trap game,” instead focusing their energy for the cross-country trip to take on one of their chief competitors for a coveted spot in the CFP.

Meanwhile, this game means everything for Boston College. The Eagles would like nothing more than to spoil Notre Dame’s chance of reaching the national semifinals. Without a bowl game to play, the Shamrock Series serves as their de facto bowl. The Eagles have settled on starting freshman walk-on John Fadule at quarterback, as he threw for 257 passing yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate start vs. NC State. If offensive coordinator Todd Fitch can use the bye week to preach ball security to the offense to eliminate turnovers, the combination of Fadule and one of the nation’s stingiest defenses could provide just the right recipe for an upset at Fenway.

This game will also be the final time the 2015 Eagles play in Boston, as they end the year a week later at Syracuse. For the seniors, such as linebacker Steven Daniels, safety Justin Simmons, and wide receiver David Dudeck, the Notre Dame game is a special opportunity to close out their time as Eagles with an exclamation point that would also send their rivals reeling. The Eagles are sure to have their hands full with quarterback DeShone Kizer, receiver Will Fuller, and the rest of the talented Irish, but BC has no excuse not to be ready. They just have to hope that Notre Dame leaves its best performance in South Bend, awaiting the clash with Stanford.