Notre Dame Football: Position report card for Irish in week 3

Notre Dame football’s 29 point win over Boston College wasn’t completely indicative of their success. Here is a positional breakdown for the Irish in Week 3.

Notre Dame’s 49-20 win over the Eagles was the rebound they were looking for after dropping one at home against Georgia, but there were certainly some concerns to go along with the positives of the big win.

The deeper one looks into the stats, the scarier things look for an Irish team that initially struggled to get things going against a reeling Eagles defense. The Irish run game was once again the focus of offensive coordinator Chip Long, and it once again worked to perfection.

However, there were many flaws that the Irish displayed during this contest, flaws that will be much more difficult to cover up against future opponents such as USC, Miami and Stanford. There were certainly some positive takeaways from this game, but positives were expected against a team like Boston College.

With that said, here are report cards for each position after the Irish’s latest win.

The offensive line, held to be one of the program’s most prestigious positions over the last few decades, had its hands full with an energized Boston College front early on in the game. While this game was certainly for those who love defense (at least for the first half), it was a bit disappointing in terms of sacks.

Boston College was not able to record a sack on the day, a stat that often bodes well for an opposing offensive line’s success. Notre Dame technically allowed three quarterback hurries, but it felt like much more with the ever eager Brandon Wimbush ready to tuck the ball and run at any given moment.

The line initially had some difficulty keeping the pocket stable for Wimbush in the early moments of the game, but the Eagles’ lack of playmakers allowed the Irish to shift their focus to standout defensive end Harold Landry.

At one point, Landry had All-Americans Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson double-teaming him, likely frustrating him in a game where he was already struggling to get things going. Much like the rest of the team, the Irish line only improved as the game progressed.

The offensive line’s contributions in the run game are what give them their A- rating, as the Irish were able to put up 515 rushing yards on what used to be a stout defensive front. Their early struggles to keep Wimbush steady in the pocket drop them down a bit, but they were once again one of the most dominant units on the football field.