Notre Dame RB Josh Adams scores against Temple. Evan J. Thomas/ The Pit Media, LLC.
Week three is upon us and it seems like we are looking smack dab at a must win for Brian Kelly and his Notre Dame football team versus the Boston College Eagles. The dust is settling from what has been a tumultuous week for Kelly and his team after failing to come out as the victors against the Georgia Bulldogs in which they lost 20-19.
Kelly had his end of press conference sassy comments towards a reporter and article and article has been written about him in major publications on how we are looking at the beginning of the end for Kelly running the team. Fan comments on social media have been blazing this week as well, with much of the unhappy fan base demanding Kelly be replaced not just after the end of the season but right now.
Kelly needs to prepare for the task at hand as the Eagles come into this game with the same 1-1 record as the Irish. Coming off a 34-10 loss at home to Wake Forest, the Eagles are also looking to get back into the win column. If the Irish start off 1-2 on this young season the squawking from the Irish faithful will only get louder.
“So for our guys, an opportunity to get back in winning ways and certainly Boston College the same. So two teams looking for a win and knowing that it’s going to be a hard-fought, physical game.” Kelly stated.
The Irish will need to rely on the protection and run blocking by their offensive line. Week one against Temple they dominated the Owls, while in week two they were manhandled by the Bulldogs. The play calling needs to be crisp and the running game will need to be at the forefront of the offense as Kelly should utilize the talent he has running the ball as well as utilize the playmakers that quarterback Brandon Wimbush has at his disposal.
The defense played really well last week versus the Bulldogs two headed running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel as they limited them to 63 and 73 yards respectively. The Irish defense will be going up against Eagles freshman quarterback Anthony Brown. Brown was pulled by coach Steve Addazio after his third interception in the third quarter in their loss. This should be a matchup that the d-line should be licking their chops at.
Kelly said of Brown, “Oh, he’s a really gifted player. He’s got arm talent, size, athletic ability. You know, he’s a lot like our kid. He’s in the process of learning new things each and every week, but you can see how I’m certain that Coach Addazio is very excited about his future.”
The way I see it, Kelly should have his team firing on all cylinders and taking care of their end during this “must win” game. I’m predicting a 35-13 Irish victory. Let’s see if Kelly can keep the “arm chair A.D.’s” at bay for the time being.
