Notre Dame Throttles Boston College 44-0 On Senior Day
In this story:
NOTRE DAME, IND. - In a game that featured almost at many Boston College turnovers (five) as Eagle third down conversions (six), Notre Dame dismantled its “little brother” Catholic school rival from the east 44-0 on Senior Day. The Fighting Irish (8-3) scored on their first eight offensive possessions of the game. Five of the scores were set up by BC (3-8) turnovers.
Senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey, junior tight end Michael Mayer and Benjamin Morrison all found their way into the school record books in a game that saw snow falling throughout most of the second half.
If there was a question about Notre Dame’s ability to run the ball, the Irish answered it on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Logan Diggs took a handoff and bolted through the line of scrimmage, leaving Eagle defenders in his wake. He gained 51 yards, taking a couple BC players with him at the end, before being tackled at the Eagle 24. A 12-yard pop pass to Mayer was followed by a Diggs 4-yard gain, but two Drew Pyne incompletions made the Irish settle for a 26-yard Blake Grupe field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
It took just three plays for the Irish defense to make an impact. Eagle quarterback Emmett Moorehead threw incompletions on his first two pass attempts, then Morrison jumped his third throw for his third interception in the last three games. Howard Cross applied the pressure on the play, which gave the ball at the BC 20, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Diggs five plays later. Diggs gained all 20 yards on the short field drive on five carries to make it 10-0.
After the defense forced a 3 and out, the offense sailed downfield on an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Matt Salerno. Pyne hit Deion Colzie for a 23-yard gain on 3rd and 8 and then he hit Diggs for a 28-yard gain on the next play. The Diggs pass play came out of 31 personnel – with him, Chris Tyree and Audric Estime all on the field together.
Boston College moved to the Irish 25 on a 39-yard pass to Zay Flowers on 3rd and 10. Moorehead underthrew a fade to the end zone on the next pass, allowing Morrison to come up with his second interception of the game. The Irish turned Morrison’s pick into a 41-yard Grupe field goal to make it 20-0 early in the 2nd quarter.
The smothering Notre Dame defense forced its third turnover in four BC drives when Jack Kiser jarred the ball loose from Moorehead and Foskey recovered at the Eagle 43. Grupe kicked his third field goal of the day, a 46-yarder, to make it 23-0.
Cam Hart broke up a backward pass intended for Flowers on a 3rd and 1 play on BC’s next drive. It was scooped up by Marist Liufau at the BC 42 and he ran to the end zone untouched. The play was originally called an incomplete pass, but replay ruled it a lateral and fumble. Because a whistle blew the play dead after Liufau’s recovery Notre Dame had the ball at the Boston College 42.
Four running plays later, Notre Dame turned the third turnover in as many BC possessions into an Estime seven-yard touchdown carry. With a 30-0 lead, Notre Dame had at least 30 points before halftime for the second straight week.
Tyree scored Notre Dame’s fourth turnover of the first half with 1:14 to play before halftime to make it 37-0. Tyree gained 26 yards on the first play of the four-play drive after Salerno’s 28-yard punt return gave the Irish the ball at the BC 49.
Foskey sacked Moorehead on 2nd and 11 on the final play of the first half. The sack gave Foskey 25 for his career and moved him past Justin Tuck to become the program’s all-time sack leader with 25.
Notre Dame’s defense forced a 3 and out on BC’s opening drive of the second half, but Salerno muffed the punt and BC kept possession at its own 48. It didn’t matter though. With the snow falling inside Notre Dame Stadium, Morrison came up with his third interception of the day at the Eagle 47.
Morrison’s fifth interception of the season is the most for a Fighting Irish player since Manti Te’o had seven in 2012. Morrison is also one of 15 Notre Dame players to intercept three passes in a game. Harrison Smith was the last to do it in the 2010 Sun Bowl.
Estime scored his second touchdown of the day eight plays and 4:29 later to make it 44-0 with still 8:54 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Estime’s six-yard TD run came on a handoff from tight end Mitchell Evans.
Boston College drove all the way to the Irish 20 on their next drive, but a safety blitz turned sack by Xavier Watts on 3rd and 2, followed by sack by Jordan Botelho and Justin Ademilola gave the Irish the ball back at their own 41 with 1:47 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Back-to-back passes to Mayer on the first two plays of the Irish drive gained a total of 15 yards, which moved the All-American candidate past 2,000 career yards.
The Fighting Irish scored on each of their first eight possessions of the game (five touchdowns and three Grupe field goals) before Chris Tyree was stuffed on 4th and 1 from the BC seven.
Notre Dame ran for 281 yards. It’s the fifth time in the last seven games they have rushed for at least 223 yards. Diggs led the way with 122 yards on 15 carries. Pyne finished his day by going 13 of 25 for 156 yards.
The Irish defense held BC to 56 rushing yards and sacked Moorehead four times. Moorehead was 9 of 22 for 117 with three interceptions.
Irish Breakdown Fans be sure to get your Notre Dame tickets from SI Tickets HERE
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense
Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @SeanStires
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook
