Game Predictions – Notre Dame

For every Football, Hockey, Basketball, and Baseball game this year, the board members of WZBC Sports will be offering their picks on whether the Eagles will win or lose. Throughout the year, we will be tracking who has the best prediction record, crowning a winner at the conclusion of Baseball season. Here are our picks for the Holy War. 

Standings:

TJ Hartnett: Here it is folks, the game we have all been waiting for. Irish and Eagles. Catholic and Catholic. The Holy War. Sure, without each team being ranked, the possibility of a lackluster game, and 1-1 records galore, this rivalry doesn’t have the same spark from the national media landscape. But to a BC kid who has never had a ND home game at Alumni over this school tenure to date, this means so much more. Just the thought of a sell out crowd, a rocking student body, and a 3:30 start time for once can get anyone excited for Saturday. The Eagles struggled offensively against the Demon Deacons. That’s putting it lightly. To be successful, the Eagles cannot turn the ball over, especially in their own red zone. I wish my game plan had more in it, but that’s it. Do not turn the ball over, period. Defensively I have confidence in BC. My one fear is Wimbush’s feet. The ND QB can run but if he is contained like Georgia did last weekend, success can be achieved. All in all I truly believe BC will be beyond hyped for this game, carrying a chip on their shoulder from the 90% of people ruling them out. It’s going to be a mightly test, but closer than most think. I want nothing more than to see an upset, it would make my senior year. But realistically, I’ll need to see flawless USC game 2014 for that to happen. I’m pulling for you BC, make me eat my prediction. ND 30, BC 17

Quinn Kelly: Rolling into a matchup with their most storied rival, who are paying them a visit for the first time since 2012, the Eagles could not have less momentum. Prior to a game with the Irish that already promised to be tough, the Eagles took a curb stomping at the hands of the Demon Deacons in their home opener. A 34-10 loss to an ACC basement-dweller certainly doesn’t give you a lot of confidence going into a game against a team expected to sit around, if not in, the top 25 all season. The good news for the Eagles, though, is that the defense will be up to the test. Of those 34 points scored last week, 21 were off turnovers that required Wake Forest to travel a total of 28 yards to score. That’s the offense handcuffing the defense. When given a full field to work with, the Eagles D only gave up one drive of over 26 yards. The ND offense will be a tougher test, but the D will be up for it in front of a raucous sellout crowd. The question is, will the offense? Short answer is likely no. Anthony Brown has shown flashes of the raw talent that drew him such high praise as a recruit. Talent that seems far superior to that of Darius Wade. But, last Saturday we saw the extreme deficiency in decision-making from Brown that let there be a QB battle all summer. 3 interceptions absolutely will not cut it from Brown, and one would have to imagine he couldn’t make the same mistakes again next week. But this will be the biggest game of his young career, and against a more fearsome defense, it is highly likely a couple football neurons may misfire for the freshman, tagging the Eagles with some costly turnovers. Notre has taken the last 5 editions of the Holy War, and look poised to make it 6 straight Saturday. Notre Dame 27-BC 7

Steve McAlee: This game is far from the best case scenario, where both teams could have been sitting at 2-0 with Notre Dame coming in ranked. Instead, we have two 1-1 teams, and the energy on Saturday, despite still being very high, won’t hit its potential. BC always seems to play ND tough, but I just cannot give a close prediction for this game. The 3-9 team from 2015 had a frighteningly one-dimensional offense due to injuries, but the defense was outstanding. That was the defense that forced five turnovers on the #4 ranked Irish and kept BC in the game to the end at Fenway Park. What BC did in that game was come in with a very specific gameplan: that year’s ND offense was lightning and BC knew they would put up yards on them, so the plan was force turnovers at all costs. BC did that. BC’s hope this time against the Irish is come in a gameplan that plays to their strengths, one that Brian Kelly may overlook. In the end, I think Notre Dame simply will exploit the difference in talent, especially in the run game where the Irish have a great running back in Josh Adams and future NFL players on the line. I’m confused by BC’s use of Harold Landry and the rest of BC’s defensive line may not be as elite as we’d like to think. Maybe it’s a close first half, but the Irish walk out of here back above .500. Notre Dame 38 – BC 14

Landon Komishane: Boston College had a disappointing home opener last Saturday, and they have got an angry Notre Dame team coming off a loss of their own to Georgia. This isn’t the same Notre Dame team that was in contention for the College Football Playoff just two years ago, but the talent gap between these two teams is still significant. BC has a lot of questions to answer on the offensive end. The loss of Jon Baker is huge for BC as they cannot get anything going with the running game. Anthony Brown has been inconsistent so far, but that can change through experience. The offense is still predictable, and BC cannot afford to fall behind early. If BC has a chance in this game, they will need to find ways to catch Notre Dame off guard. They need some dynamic offensive plays. Harold Landry also needs to become a factor as he has had a slow start. It will be an exciting atmosphere to start out, but it is hard to see Notre Dame losing two straight. Notre Dame 34, Boston College 16

Matt Seelig: I don’t like to let Vegas influence my predictions, but things don’t look great when Notre Dame are 13.5 point favorites. I think a lot of outside observers underestimate BC’s defense. They did not play a great game against Wake Forest, but they are still one of the best defenses in the ACC, and I think they will be able to be able to hold ND to a one-score game through at least the first half. As always, look for Harold Landry to shine, particularly against QB Brandon Wimbush, who typically picks up a fair share the offense’s yards. Unfortunately, the same praise cannot be said of BC’s offense. QB Anthony Brown seems yet to build a rhythm with his receivers. He has the talent, but the results have not been there. Loosing Jon Baker at center is also a big loss to an offensive line which has had trouble in the past. And RB Jon Hilliman is still unable to capture the lightning in a bottle that was his freshman year. Put all that against a solid, experienced Notre Dame defense, and it is not a recipe for success. As predicted earlier, the first half will be closer than most expect, but Notre Dame’s offense will outpace ours as the game progresses. Notre Dame 34 – Boston College 17

Kyle Maslan: A lot of the optimism that surrounded the Boston College fanbase after beating NIU has all but disappeared after the Wake Forest game. The Eagles looked worse in every facet of the game, and the schedule only gets harder. Notre Dame lost a close game to a top 15 team last week vs Georgia, so expect a very motivated Irish team to come in. If Brian Kelly starts off the season 1-2 his job will become one of the hottest seats in the nation. Look for the more talented Notre Dame team to take this one. Anthony Brown needs to look better this week for BC to have a shot against ND, and it would be helpful to have a reliable running game. The Eags will miss Jon Baker for the year and the line could be beyond repair, which is not good for a young QB, and run based offense. Hopefully there will be a competitve game in front of what should be a sold out Alumni Staduim, but I would not bet on it. Notre Dame 31 – Boston College 17

Ben Neuwirth: The Eagles are coming off a tough loss to Wake Forest in which pretty much nothing went right. They face an even tougher opponent this week in Notre Dame. The Irish are fresh off a heartbreaker loss to Georgia and will be looking for blood. QB Anthony Brown will need to be electric, both on the ground and with his arm, if the Eagles are going to move the ball and score against an experienced and deep Irish defense. The backs will need to play better as well, whether that’s AJ Dillon, Jon Hillman or even Davon Jones, the Eagles are still a run first team at heart and have to be productive. Defensively they face a dual-threat QB in Brandon WImbush so edge integrity and gap disipline will be key. The big runs the defense has let up the last couple weeks cannot happen. This will be an uphill battle for the Eagles and although they played well in the last meeting of the Shamrock Series, this time may not be so kind. ND 35 BC 9

Al Preziosi: After a disappointing effort against Wake Forest, the Eagles will have a tough matchup against a talented Notre Dame team. Alumni Stadium will be packed, but I don’t expect the atmosphere to be enough for BC to pull out a victory. The BC defense will keep the game competitive for the first half, but the Fighting Irish should be able to pull away by the fourth quarter. ND 27, BC 13

Sam Parsons: It’s hard to be bullish on Boston College’s prospects against a Notre Dame team that just lost a heartbreaker to a top 15 team following an embarassing showing against a perennial ACC cellar dweller in Wake Forest. The Eagles are significantly less talented than the Fighting Irish, but they could stand a chance if they play fired-up, mental mistake-free football. However, that’s unlikely to happen: the Eagles lost 4 turnovers last week to Wake. They also had a tough time defending mobile QB John Wolford, and face another mobile QB this week in Brandon Wimbush. The Fighting Irish also have a formidable offensive line that will likely key in on Harold Landry. I’m not loving the Eagles’ chances in this one, but I’ll happily be proven wrong. ND 44, BC 10

Matt Sottile: In the latest installment of the Holy War, both teams are looking to avenge disappointing home losses. Notre Dame’s loss came at the hands of Georgia, a nationally ranked team, in a one point game. The Eagles, on the other hand, suffered a 34-10 blowout loss at home to Wake Forest in a game that Vegas favored BC to win. The Notre Dame front seven is coming off a strong game in which they held Nick Chubb to just 63 yards on 13 carries. While AJ Dillon showed promise in his first home start, and was patience in finding rushing lanes against a strong Wake Forest defense, Boston College enters Saturday averaging a measly 145 rushing yards per game. Center Jon Baker is out for the season with a knee injury, and the young offensive line will have to give redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Brown significantly more protection and time in the pocket if BC will have any chance in this game. After four poor turnovers last week, anything less than flawless offensive execution will result in short drives and an Eagles’ defense that will be forced to make plays and will tire quickly. Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush has a big day, and the Irish defense shuts down BC in front of a sold-out Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame 35, BC 13

Andrew Linnehan: Both teams are coming off a loss and are hungry for a win. However, the quality of losses certainly varied. The Irish lost a tough battle with an elite SEC school and lost by one point to Georgia. Oppositely, the Eagles got their tails feathered plucked by a much less formidable opponent in Wake Forest. BC goes in with low expectations from fans but let’s hope the coaching staff envisions something different. Despite his second half benching against Wake, Anthony Brown retained Addazio’s confidence which will be huge in his progression and development as a player. In his first Holy War, I expect AB to make some mistakes made from inexperience but I genuinely enjoy watching him mature with each mistake. Let AB learn, let Landry eat, have another perfect day for Lichtenberg, and continue feeding AJ Dillon and we may see a more populated student section in the fourth quarter. Although I expect a much harder fight and motivated team than last week, I think ND will exploit the lack of experience BC has in the maturation process. Notre Dame 35, Boston College 13