Notre Dame Football: 5 Things We Learned in Win over BC

As a compelling contest, this game proved to surpass it's billing.

Boston College more than hung around, being competitive to the last second but being just weak enough an opponent to let Notre Dame struggle through a sloppy victory.

The defense played well but was not without fault. There was another dumb interception, a couple more personal fouls at bad times for the Irish and a lot of nervous fans in the stadium.

This outcome felt more like survival than victory.

Notre Dame ran out to a fast and easy 10-point first quarter lead and led 13-7 at the break before being held scoreless in the third quarter for the first time all season.

Notre Dame managed only three points through the second half, but thanks in large part to Boston College's anemic offense, the nine-point advantage proved to be enough.

Here are five things we learned in the ugly win.

Ugly Wins Still Count as Wins

The stats will look pretty good, but they are not telling of how the game progressed.

Credit Boston College with coming up with a great defensive game plan. They essentially jammed the middle, prevented the intermediate pass routes that Notre Dame lives by and prevented large gains on inside runs.

They forced Notre Dame to either play short or throw deep, both of which the Irish struggled to do.

With a stat line of 24-of-39 (61 percent) for 265 yards and an interception, Tommy Rees won't be remembered for having as rough a game as he did. Several times, the Eagles dropped eight into coverage and gave a good 10-yard cushion for Rees to run, knowing he never would.

The interception was another beyond dumb ball, attempting to throw a screen pass to a receiver that was blinded by an offensive lineman and perfectly covered by the linebacker who picked off the pass.

No receivers were gaining separation, and when they did catch a pass, the secondary was so congested with defenders yards after catch were impossible.

Michael Floyd also had an odd off game, dropping a pair of passes and drawing a pair of flags on one play that negated a 45-yard pass play.

In fact, after the first quarter, Jonas Gray touchdown run the Irish offense basically went into lock down.

It was Boston College's ineptitude in their own passing game that allowed Notre Dame to win.

Notre Dame Will Miss Jonas Gray

Senior running back Jonas Gray's breakout season seemed like it was continuing on nicely, as he opened the scoring on an electrifying 26-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Unfortunately for the big back, his night was cut short.

Gray received a screen pass on the left sideline on Notre Dame's first third-quarter possession and sustained what is likely a season-ending knee injury during the tackle.

Gray had carried 11 times for 61 yards and the touchdown adding a pair of receptions for 15 yards before the injury.

Cierre Wood did manage to carry for 94 yards, but he had difficulty running through the crowded interior and was not as successful breaking tackles.

Following Gray's exit, Notre Dame did not have the same traction and found early and despite a 417-250 yardage advantage as well as a nearly seven-minute time-of-possession advantage, Notre Dame had to survive an onside kick attempt and final defensive stand to clinch the win.

Next week against Stanford, the Irish will have to come up with a wrinkle to account for Gray's absence and prevent the offense from becoming one-dimensional.

Defense Good but Slow Learners

The interior of the Notre Dame defense played solid, inspired football all day, constantly harassing Boston College's passers and limiting the Eagles to just 80 yards rushing on 25 carries.

The outside backers and secondary struggled.

Until the fourth quarter, Boston College ran essentially two pass plays, one being a two-level out route with a deep out from the wide position and a quick out from the slot. Notre Dame's outside backers were continuously lost in coverage, and the safety was not there to help, allowing easy seven-yard gains to the slot receiver or tight end.

The other route was a skinny post that would bring a slot receiver just past the second-level defender (Te'o dropping into a zone) before bending just inside into the opening left by the two-deep outside contain safeties.

Both plays accounted for the bulk of Boston College's yardage, as well as the fourth-quarter touchdown.

Notre Dame never really adjusted to the flat route, and WR Bobby Swigert was open all day on the short out.

Again, thankfully Boston College's quarterback play was inconsistent, preventing an Eagle comeback.

David Ruffer Is Still a Rock

After missing four of his first seven kicks this season, senior kicker has hit his last seven including a trio of huge kicks today.

With a long of 41 and the Eagles threatening to overtake the Irish all day, each of Ruffer's kicks were key to the Irish victory.

Thankfully It Was Boston College

If there was a perfect opponent for a "trap game" sandwiched in between an off-site, prime-time "special" game at an NFL stadium and a season-ending trip to face a top-10 opponent, it has to be Boston College.

The Eagles sport a rather stout defense but little offense whatsoever.

Notre Dame did everything it could to keep it close.

Kickoffs out of bounds, drive-killing penalties, personal fouls to extend BC possessions, another painful turnover, all were enough only to prevent Boston College from fading away.

Had it been pretty much anyone else on the Irish schedule this year, a loss would have been probable.

Notre Dame managed to hang on.

That alone is something that is worth acknowledgment.

For many years now, over the last two coaching regimes, the Irish dropped these trap games.

Despite the ugliness, credit Notre Dame for not caving, shaking off the dirt and equaling their win total from a year ago.