Week 11 Notes: The Notre Dame Game

Old rivals Boston College and Notre Dame square off for the first time at Notre Dame Stadium since 2011 Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. with live coverage on NBC. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), former Boston
College quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie (analyst), Chris Simms (sideline analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporter) have the call. Coverage on the Boston College Learfield IMG Sports Network begins at 2 p.m. with Alastair Ingram, Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 93.7 FM, nationally on TuneIn and on Sirius channel 129, XM channel 382 and online via SiriusXM channel 971.

Boston College has been idle since the 38-31 setback at home to Florida State on Nov. 9. The Eagles are one victory away from the sixth bowl in seven years under head coach Steve Addazio. Notre Dame is coming off an impressive 52-20 victory over No. 23 Navy at Notre Dame Stadium last Saturday.

The Series
• Boston College and Notre Dame meet for the 25th time in series history Saturday.
• The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 15-9 as the two teams meet for the first time since Notre Dame's 49-20 victory over the Eagles at Alumni Stadium in 2017.
• Boston College is 5-7 all-time at Notre Dame. The Eagles are in search of their first win at Notre Dame since a 27-15 victory in 2007.
• Notre Dame has won six straight in the series, the longest winning streak for the Irish in series history. BC's longest winning streak in series play was six games from 2001 through 2008.
• The largest margin of victory for BC in the series was 19 (30-11 win in 1994) while Notre Dame's biggest win against BC was a 54-7 victory in 1992.
• The most points BC has scored in a game against Notre Dame was 41 in the 41-39 victory over the top-ranked Irish in 1993. Notre Dame's highest point total was 54 in the 1992 victory in South Bend.
• BC head coach Steve Addazio is in his seventh season at The Heights (43-43) and is 0-2 against Notre Dame.
• Addazio coached special teams along with the tight ends and tackles at Notre Dame from 1999-2001 under Bob Davie.
• Boston College running backs coach Brian White was a graduate assistant coach on the 1988 Notre Dame team that won the National Championship.
• The Eagles topped top-ranked and undefeated Notre Dame, 41-39, in South Bend on Nov. 20, 1993 - on a last second, 41-yard David Gordon field goal. It was the first victory against the Irish for the then 17th-ranked Eagles.
• BC also defeated the fourth-ranked Irish, 14-7, in South Bend on Nov. 2, 2002.
• Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly hails from Chelsea, Mass., and attended St. John's Prep in Danvers, Mass. BC tight end Jake Burt is also a graduate of the high school. He played and got his coaching start at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., 40 miles west of Chestnut Hill.
• BC is 31-110-1 all-time versus ranked opponents, including a 4-10 mark against ranked Irish squads.

An Irish Connection
• Boston College junior running back AJ Dillon has a special connection to Notre Dame. His grandfather Tom Gatewood was one of the best players in Irish football history.
• Gatewood finished as one of the all-time great wide receivers in Notre Dame history as he earned consensus All-America honors in 1970 as he set then school records with 77 receptions for 1,123 yards.

Winning the Close Games
• During Notre Dame's series-long six-game winning streak vs. BC, the Irish have won three of the six games by four points or less. Notre Dame started the current win streak with a 20-16 victory in South Bend in 2009. The Irish also defeated BC 16-14 in South Bend in 2011 and overcame five turnovers in a 19-16 victory at Fenway Park in 2015.

A Familiar Face
• Perhaps the greatest player to ever wear a Boston College jersey will be on the call for Saturday's game at Notre Dame. NBC's Doug Flutie, who won the 1984 Heisman Trophy to cap off a storybook career at Boston College, will serve as the color analyst on Saturday's national television broadcast.
• Flutie played football for Boston College, the only Division I-A school to recruit him, from 1981 to 1984, and won the Heisman Trophy and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award in his senior year (1984). Flutie became the first quarterback to win the Heisman since Pat Sullivan when he won in 1971.
• Flutie left BC as the NCAA's all-time passing yardage leader with 10,579 yards and was a consensus All-America as a senior. He earned Player of the Year awards from UPI, Kodak, The Sporting News and the Maxwell Football Club.

Record-Breaking Win
• Boston College finished with the most yards gained in a single game in 121 seasons of football as the Eagles rolled to a 58-27 victory at Syracuse on Nov. 2.
• BC's 496 rushing yards were the most by a team in a FBS vs. FBS game this season. Middle Tennessee's 471 yards were the previous high against FIU last week.
• Boston College finished with a school record 691 yards of offense. The previous record for a single-game was 656 versus Penn State in 1982.
• BC's 58 points were the most in school history in an ACC game. The previous record was 52 in the win against NC State in 2009.
• BC's 58 points are the most in 53 all-time meetings against Syracuse. The record was 42, set in the last visit to the Carrier Dome in 2017.
• Boston College finished with 496 rushing yards, the most ever in a conference game (BIG EAST or ACC).
• Syracuse allowed a school-record 496 yards rushing on 65 attempts against the Eagles. The previous Syracuse opposing team rushing record was 457 yards by West Virginia in 2006.

No. 2 is Now No. 1
• AJ Dillon became Boston College's all-time leading rusher with 76 yards rushing at No. 2 Clemson. Dillon broke the record with a 10-yard carry in the third quarter to move past Andre Williams into the top spot in BC history.
• One of the most impressive aspects of Dillon breaking the BC career rushing record? It took Andre Williams 44 games to total the previous record of 3,739 yards rushing. Dillon set the new school record in just his 31st career game.
• Dillon broke the all-time BC rushing record in just three seasons. He became the first player in BC history to run for 1,000+ yards in each of his first three seasons at the Heights.
• Dillon finished with 242 yards rushing, the ninth-best single-game total in Boston College history, in the 58-27 win at Syracuse on Nov. 2. It was the fourth 200-yard game of his career.
• Dillon became Boston College's all-time leader with 35 rushing touchdowns as he scored on a 51-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter against the Orange. He entered the game tied with Keith Barnette (1973-75) with 34 rushing touchdowns. Dillon ended the day with three touchdowns to up his career total to 37 rushing scores.
• Dillon became BC's all-time leader in total touchdowns with his 37th career score on the 51-yard run. Dillon now has 37 rushing touchdowns and two touchdown receptions in his career. He was tied with William Green and Troy Stradford entering the day.
• Dillon is now fourth in ACC history with 4,148 career rushing yards. He is the eighth player in conference history to reach the 4,000-yard plateau.
• Against Florida State, Dillon moved into second place in Boston College history with his 19th career 100-yard game. Dillon finished with 165 yards on a career-high 40 carries. He moved into a tie for eighth place in ACC history with the 19, 100-yard games with Virginia's Tiki Barber (1993-96).
• Dillon is third nationally in rushing yards (1,451) and rushing yards per game (145.1) in 2019.
• Dillon is also fourth nationally with 161.4 yards per game from scrimmage in 2019.
• Dillon is 455 yards away from setting the ACC record for career rushing yards.

Touchdown Dillon
• Junior running back AJ Dillon totaled his 21st career game with at least one rushing touchdown when he found the end zone three times in the 58-27 win at Syracuse on Nov. 2. BC is 15-6 when Dillon rushes for at least one TD.

Boston College Career Rushing TD Leaders
Player (Years) Rushing TDs
1. AJ Dillon (2017-present) 37
2. Keith Barnette (1973-75) 34
3. William Green (1999-01) 33
4. Andre Williams (2010-13) 28

Boston College Career Rushing Leaders
Player (Years) Yards
1. AJ Dillon (2017-present) 4,148
2. Andre Williams (2010-13) 3,739
3. Montel Harris (2008-11) 3,735
4. Derrick Knight (2000-03) 3,725
5. Mike Cloud (1995-98) 3,597

ACC Career Rushing Leaders
Player (Years) Yards
1. Ted Brown, NC State (1975-78) 4,602
2. Dalvin Cook, Florida State (2014-16) 4,464
3. Amos Lawrence, North Carolina (1977-80) 4,391
4. AJ Dillon, Boston College (2017-present) 4,148
5. LaMont Jordan, Maryland (1997-00) 4,147
6. Lamar Jackson, Louisville (2015-17) 4,132

ACC Career 200-Yard Rushing Games
Player (Years) Games
1. Thomas Jones, Virginia (1996-99) 6
2. Andre Williams, Boston College (2010-13) 5
3. AJ Dillon, Boston College (2017-present) 4
James Connor, Pitt (2013-14, 16) 4

Among the Nation's Best
• AJ Dillon is third nationally and leads the ACC with 4,148 career rushing yards. Among the top 10 active career rushing leaders, Dillon has played in the fewest amount of games.

NCAA Active Career Rushing Leaders
Player, School Yards (Games Played)
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin 5,634 (37)
2. Walter Fletcher, Ball State 4,487 (42)
3. AJ Dillon, Boston College 4,148 (33)

NCAA Active Career Rushing Yards Per Game Leaders
Player, School Yards Per Game
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin 152.3
2. AJ Dillon, Boston College 125.7

100-Yard Games Piling Up
• In 27 career starts, AJ Dillon has 19 career 100-yard games at Boston College in 33 games played.
• He is second in BC history with 19 career 100-yard games. BC is 12-7 when Dillon rushes for 100+ yards
in a game.

Boston College Career 100-Yard Rushing Games
Player (Years) Games
1. Montel Harris (2008-11) 22
2. AJ Dillon (2017-present) 19
Derrick Knight (2000-03) 18
Mike Cloud (1995-98) 18

ACC Career 100-Yard Rushing Games
Player (Years) Games
1. Ted Brown, NC State (1975-78) 27
2. Amos Lawrence, North Carolina (1977-80) 23
Lamar Jackson, Louisville (2015-17) 23
4. Montel Harris, Boston College (2008-11) 22
5. Warrick Dunn, Florida State (1993-96) 21
Dalvin Cook, Florida State (2014-16) 21
7. Joe McIntosh, NC State (1981-84) 20
8. Tiki Barber, Virginia (1993-96) 19
AJ Dillon, Boston College (2017-present) 19

"The Buffalo Boys" Are The Nation's Best 1-2 RB Duo
• Boston College features two of the most physical running backs in the country - 250-pound AJ Dillon and 240-pound David Bailey. The "Buffalo Boys" are first nationally with 2,216 combined rushing yards in 2019 for a pair of running backs. Only Oklahoma State's duo of RB Chuba Hubbard and QB Spencer Sanders (2,351) have more combined rushing yards.
• Dillon and Bailey became the first two running backs in school history to run for 180+ yards in the same game in BC's 45-24 victory over NC State. Dillon finished with 223 rushing yards and three touchdowns while Bailey added 181 yards rushing and two scores against the Wolfpack.
• The Buffalo Boys were the first BC teammates to rush for over 100 yards in the same game since Bailey (102) and Ben Glines (107) did so vs. Louisville on Oct. 13, 2018.
• Dillon and Bailey combined for 414 yards and five touchdowns in the 58-27 win at Syracuse on Nov. 2. Dillon totaled 242 yards and three scores while Bailey ripped off 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Orange.
• Prior to this season, the last time two Boston College running backs gained at least 150 yards on the ground in the same game: Oct. 18, 1997 in a 45-44 home loss to Miami. Omari Walker (185) and Mike Cloud (157).

Offensive Explosion
• Boston College scored 44 points and totaled 484 yards of offense in the first half of the 58-27 win at Syracuse. It marked the most points and total yards in a half for the Eagles in an ACC game. The 44 points scored were the most by any ACC team in the first half in 2019 and the 484 yards were the third-most by any FBS team in the first half in 2019.

O-Line U
• Most college football pundits predicted it would be a rebuilding year on the Boston College offensive line after losing a first-round pick in Chris Lindstrom along with multi-year starters in left tackle Aaron Monteiro and center Jon Baker.
• Despite the graduation of that trio of full-time starters along with co-starter Sam Schmal, the Eagles have been strong up front in 2019 with new starters at left tackle (Tyler Vrabel), left guard (Zion Johnson) and center (Alec Lindstrom).
• BC is second nationally with 0.60 sacks allowed per game in 2019. The Eagles are fifth nationally in rushing with 282.2 rushing yards per game.

Protecting the Blind Side
• Redshirt freshman left tackle Tyler Vrabel currently owns the No. 2 pass block grade (84.6) among OTs in the ACC according to Pro Football Focus.
• Vrabel has yet to allow a sack or QB hit on 224 pass blocks this season. He has not allowed a sack in his entire NCAA career on 280 pass blocks.
• In 2019, Vrabel has allowed zero sacks, one QB hit and just four hurries. Vrabel's 99.0 pass block efficiency is tied for second in the ACC in 2019.

First Half Fireworks
• Boston College has been explosive in the first half in 2019 on offense. BC has totaled 232 points in the first half, an average of 23.2 per game in the first 30 minutes of play.
• The Eagles have scored touchdowns on their first possession in four games this season (Richmond, Kansas, Rutgers, Florida State).

Max Effort
• Max Richardson is first in the ACC and ranks 18th nationally with 9.5 tackles per game in 2019. He leads BC with 95 total tackles, 63 solo stops, 14.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 3.5 sacks.
• Richardson is fifth nationally with 63 solo tackles this season.
• The Georgia native is 11th nationally with 14.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 2019.

Big Game Hunter
• Redshirt sophomore tight end Hunter Long is quietly developing into one of the best tight ends in the ACC. Long is second on the team in receptions (21), receiving yards (411) and leads the team averaging 19.6 yards per reception.
• Long leads all tight ends nationally with 19.6 yards per reception.
• Per Pro Football Focus, Long's overall grade of 79.2 ranks first among TEs in the ACC and his ELITE receiving grade of 91.9 ranks first in the entire FBS at his position.
• Long has hauled in 21 of 26 total targets (80.7% catch rate) this year for 409 yards, 1 TD and a passer rating when targeted of 115.5. 249 of his 409 receiving yards (60.8%) have been earned AFTER the catch this season.
• Long has yet to drop a pass in 2019 on 21 catchable targets. His 4.13 yards per route run this season is
nearly two full yards more than any other tight end in the ACC has gained and more than a full yard more than any other tight end in the FBS this year.
• Long is currently on pace to record the most yards per route run by an FBS TE in the PFF College era.

Big-Play Passing Offense
• Boston College is tied for 10th nationally with eight pass plays of 50+ yards in 2019.
• In 2018, BC had just three pass plays of 50 yards or more the entire season.
• Going back to 2014, the Eagles have just five total passing plays covering more than 50 yards.
• Steve Addazio's first season marked the largest total of 50-yard pass plays as BC connected on eight passes of 50 yards or more.

Chunk Plays
• Boston College is third in the ACC with 28 plays of 30+ yards in 2019.
• The Eagles are tied for 20th nationally with 28 plays covering 30 yards or more.

Putting Up the Numbers ...
• Boston College features the nation's 12th overall total offense (483.7 yards per game) in 2019. The Eagles are fifth nationally in rushing offense (282.2 yards per game), 33rd in scoring offense (33.8 yards per game) and are ninth nationally in turnovers lost (9).

Dennis the Menace
• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Dennis Grosel turned in the best performance of his young career in the 58-27 win at Syracuse.
• Grosel was the first BC quarterback to throw two TD passes of 50 yards or more since Matt Ryan (2007) with scoring strikes of 64 yards and 50 yards at Syracuse.
• Grosel completed 8 of 10 attempts for 193 yards (19.3 ypa), 3 TDs, 0 INTs and a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
• Versus pressure against the Orange, Grosel went 5 for 6 for 170 yards (28.3 ypa), 2 TDs and 0 INTs. Grosel's overall grade from Pro Football Focus of 92.5 ranked first among QBs in the ACC for the week and second overall in the nation among QBs with at least 10 attempts.
• Grosel's 19.3 yards per attempt were the most for an FBS QB in week 10 with at least 10 attempts.

Scouting Notre Dame
• Notre Dame enters Saturday's Holy War with an 8-2 record and ranked 15th in the AP and Coaches Top 25 rankings. The Fighting Irish own wins over Louisville (35-17), New Mexico (66-14), No 18 Virginia (35-20), Bowling Green (52-0), USC (30-27), Virginia Tech (21-20), Duke (38-7) and No. 23 Navy (52-20). Notre Dame's two losses in 2019 both occurred on the road against No. 3 Georgia (23-17) and No. 20 Michigan (45-14).
• In his 28th season as a collegiate head coach and ninth year at the University of Notre Dame, Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Brian Kelly brings a championship tradition as the school's 29th head football coach.
• Kelly is the winningest active coach in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. He is the only coach to win
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (2009, 2012 and 2018) on more than one occasions. Kelly is the fifth-winningest coach in school history.
• Notre Dame averages 36.0 points per game, 19th nationally. The Irish rank 57th in the country in total offense (420.7 ypg), 48th in passing offense (252.7 ypg) and 55th nationally in rushing offense (168.0 ypg).
• On defense, Notre Dame ranks 29th nationally in total defense (332.4 ypg), 18th in scoring defense (19.3
ppg), 79th in rushing defense (169.9 ypg) and fifth in passing yards allowed (162.5 ypg).

Boston College Athletics

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Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Jon Baker

Jake Burt

AJ Dillon

Ben Glines

Dennis Grosel

Zion Johnson

Alec Lindstrom

Chris Lindstrom

Hunter Long

Aaron Monteiro

Max Richardson

Sam Schmal

Tyler Vrabel

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