Notre Dame 21, Boston college 6 | monday, november 12, 2012 | ndsmcobserver.com Staying perfect Irish use long drives to build lead, hold on to beat Eagles on same day No. 1 Alabama falls

comfortable with each other,” Junior linebacker Prince Kelly said. “Getting the ball to Shembo said the Irish were pre- Eifert is very important and pared for the various plays. putting the ball in a good po- “We knew this was like sition where he can go up and their Super Bowl so we knew use his size. That’s what I liked there was going to be a lot of tonight. The little nuances of trick plays and stuff like that. [Golson’s] game tonight is he Everyone was ready and pre- put the ball in areas where Tyler pared,” Shembo said. can play [6-foot-5] because if he Junior Bennett can play at that size, he’s hard to Jackson led the Irish defense defend.” with a team-high eight tackles, Notre Dame turned the including seven solo stops and ball over twice on by one for loss. Shembo re- Riddick and sophomore run- corded three sacks in the win. ning back George Atkinson. The “I wasn’t doing anything spe- Irish now have five turnovers in cial, just chasing quarterbacks,” the past two games. Shembo said. “In the past “The only thing I’m not happy weeks, I would get to the quar- with is the turnovers, we’ve got terback and he would throw the to take better care of the foot- ball every time, throw it out of ball. They played hard and they bounds. This guy wanted to played physical for four quar- hold it so I was like ‘All right, ters,” Kelly said. “These are guys cool, it’s about time.’” that have carried the ball a lot, Graduate student defen- they’ve got to do a better job.” sive end Kapron Lewis-Moore The Irish defense allowed just and sophomore defensive end 300 total yards of offense, in- Stephon Tuitt each added sacks cluding only 53 rushing yards. of their own. The Eagles were creative on Te’o bolstered his Heisman offense, calling screens and Trophy candidacy with five reverses to try and catch Notre tackles an in the Dame off guard. fourth quarter. It was his sixth “There were some plays where of the season, the most in a sin- you thought you were at Disney gle year by an Irish linebacker. World, there was Mickey Mouse Te’o leads the country in turn-

MACKENZIE SAIN | The Observer plays everywhere,” senior line- overs forced, with two Sophomore quarterback Everett Golson throws a pass under heavy pressure from Eagles junior linebacker backer Manti Te’o said. “There recoveries in addition to his six Steele Divitto during Notre Dame’s 21-6 win over Boston College at Alumni Stadium on Saturday. were reverses, screens, that was picks. the most screens I’ve ever de- “When you need a big play, By MATTHEW DeFRANKS Golson finished the game 39 in the red zone,” Kelly said. fended in one game. Our guys he’s going to be around the foot- Associate Sports Editor rushing yards on 11 carries. “Once he starts playing at the came out and everyone flew to ball,” Kelly said. “We got a great push up front level we need him in the red the ball. When something hap- Te’o said the Irish can still be CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — and I was able to run for the zone, we’ll start scoring touch- pened, was somebody there.” better. An early 95-yard touchdown first downs,” Golson said. “I like downs and not just field goals.” Eagles junior quarterback “We can do better with our ef- drive was all No. 4 Notre Dame to think that’s what makes me, Two series after Boston Chase Rettig was 27-for-43 for fort,” he said. “We can do better needed as it beat Boston College me. … It also takes the other College (2-8) cut the Notre 247 yards and an interception. executing. We’ll come back on 21-6 in front of 44,500 people at guys around you to comple- Dame lead to 7-3 with junior He was also sacked five times. Sunday and Monday and cor- Alumni Stadium on Saturday. ment you and can finish the kicker Nate Freese’s 36-yard Boston College became the rect the mistakes and get ready Irish sophomore quarter- play off.” field goal, Notre Dame scored fifth team to not score a touch- for Wake Forest.” back Everett Golson engineered Dating back to the Pittsburgh again on a long drive. down against Notre Dame. The Irish will welcome the the 13-play, 95-yard march on game, Notre Dame converted This time, the Irish went 87 “I think they ran every play Demon Deacons to Notre Dame Notre Dame’s first possession on 12 consecutive third downs yards in 16 plays, taking up imaginable,” Kelly said. “Our Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 of the game, going 3-for-5 and before an incompletion in the 8:30 of the second quarter. guys defensively saw so many p.m. scoring on a 2-yard touchdown third quarter. Notre Dame went 4-for-4 on different plays tonight but they plunge on third-and-goal. “It’s something we harped on, third down on a drive capped kept fighting and kept them out Contact Matthew DeFranks at The Irish (10-0) were 3-for-3 a lot of repetition,” senior run- by a 7-yard touchdown pass to of the end zone.” [email protected] on third downs on the opening ning back Theo Riddick said. Niklas. The grab was Niklas’ drive and converted their first “Everyone was very detail-ori- first touchdown of his career. 10 attempts on third down for ented in what they were doing. Riddick, who ran for 104 yards the game. Golson picked up six Everyone was on the same page on 18 attempts, said Golson was first downs on the ground. and it worked out tonight.” the key to the long drives. “We did a nice job on third Notre Dame entered the “Long drives are going to tire Player of the game down,” Irish coach Brian Kelly game scoring touchdowns on out the defense and [Golson] said. “Our quarterback play was less than half of its red zone made perfect checks and he really good, picked up one of the chances but converted all three knew what he was doing and it everett golson best plays I think he had when red zone trips into touchdowns was a result of his play,” Riddick Notre Dame quarterback he ran it on third down, put Saturday, including scoring said. his foot in the ground and ran passes to sophomore tight end Senior tight end Tyler Eifert Golson only threw for 200 yards but completed 16 of his 24 passes and north and south and showed Troy Niklas and graduate stu- continued to develop a rap- did not turn the ball over. He continuously converted third-down some real toughness. We were dent receiver John Goodman. port with Golson, grabbing six runs into first downs and accounted for all three Notre Dame touch- effective because our quarter- “Everett Golson played the catches for 67 yards. downs. The sophomore signal caller also ran for 39 yards on 11 car- back was effective tonight.” way he needs to play, especially “I think they’re feeling more ries, making him Notre Dame’s second-leading rusher for the game. 2 The observer | monday, november 12, 2012| ndsmcobserver.com Insider Report Card Quarterbacks A- Everett Golson had another solid performance as a game manager and avoided any turnovers. He made plays with his legs as well while Tommy Rees was per- fect in his one play of action. Running Backs B- Theo Riddick topped 100 yards again but the Irish backs were marred by turnovers. Riddick lost a fumble and George Atkinson also coughed the ball up. Cierre Wood was almost a non-factor, getting only six carries. Receivers B Tyler Eifert had another nice game as Golson contin- ues to look for him on offense. He had six catches for 67 yards. TJ Jones had key catches on third down while John Goodman and Troy Niklas each made their only reception count, scoring touchdowns. Offensive line A- The offensive line continued their quiet dominance of opponent, this time opening holes and allowing the Irish to average 4.6 yards per carry. The unit also did not allow the Eagles to sack Golson.

EILEEN VEIHMEYER | The Observer Defensive LIne Notre Dame captains, from left to right, linebacker Manti Te’o, defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, of- fensive tackle Zack Martin and tight end Tyler Eifert walk out together for the coin toss Saturday. A Every game, the defensive line seems to get better. They continously pressured Chase Rettig and did not allow the Eagles to establish any rushing game. Boston College managed just 2.3 yards per carry as Stephon Notre Dame continues to Tuitt and Kapron Lewis-Moore tallied sacks. Linebackers tune out noise, history A- Prince Shembo was the star of the linebacking corps, outshining Manti Te’o with three sacks. Te’o recorded the edge, exploiting a huge Eagles. The players knew that five tackles while also intercepting a Boston College Chris Allen talent advantage in the and did what they needed to pass. Ishaq Williams also had a solid game with three Sports Editor trenches and at the skill posi- do to get the win. tackles. tions. Those 1993 and 2002 That ability to block out the CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — squads let upset-minded outside world will be crucial Defensive Backs All week they heard the noise, Boston College teams stick in the coming weeks. Sure, even if they did not listen. around — a recipe for di- many will agree that Notre B The secondary allowed Rettig to throw for 247 yards but There was the caution- saster, as opponents smell a Dame needs a loss by either he did so on 43 attempts. Bennett Jackson had a team- ary tale of David Gordon, monumental late-season up- Oregon or Kansas State to high eight tackles but dropped an interception. Zeke the heartbreak of the 1993 set to highlight their seasons. ensure a chance to play for Motta continued his solid season with seven stops. bunch, who scored the big win These 2012 Irish shut the door the BCS title. But the play of against Florida State and let early with two long, thorough the Ducks and the Wildcats Special teams it slip away to Boston College. scoring drives in the first will not affect what happens There was the 2002 group, half and solid, opportunis- against Wake Forest or at USC. B+ Kyle Brindza made all three of his extra points and the who fell to the very same fate tic defense. A team that was The Irish now play with a kickoff coverage team held Spiffy Evans to 56 return against the Eagles. concerned with a haunting large, inviting target on their yards on three attempts. Ben Turk also landed two But from the opening whis- history of upsets would not backs. Wake Forest will give punts inside the 20-yard line. tle, this 2012 incarnation of have come out to such a start. Notre Dame its best game the Irish seemed unburdened Kelly and his bunch don’t just — and everyone knows how Coaching by history. Every college foot- talk about ignoring the noise. much USC would love to add a ball team will say it is unaf- They displayed it on the field loss to Notre Dame’s resume. B At some point, the Irish should dominate the inferior fected by outside noise, it does Saturday night. It wasn’t the If the Irish are caught watch- teams they face instead of producing underwhelming not look at history or trends prettiest victory Kelly will ing the scoreboard or think- efforts in victories. or hype. But it is becoming bask in all season, but the ing of BCS scenarios in their evident that this Irish bunch Eagles never got close to the heads for even a second, they actually means it. upset they so desperately will get beat. The leadership of Under a microscope more wanted. Notre Dame, Kelly and Manti Overall GPA: 3.33 powerful and more magnify- The Irish do not listen to the Te’o, has done a great job in- ing than they have been in de- outside hype. Which is good, stilling a week-to-week men- The game was never in doubt and the Irish dominated Boston cades, the Irish are currently because it’s about to get a lot tality. Just as they did for each College even if the score did not show it. Notre Dame played down the subject of unprecedented louder, still. of the previous nine wins this to the 2-8 Eagles but still found a way to win. For the first time national attention as they sit Just minutes before Notre season, Notre Dame will cel- since 1993, Notre Dame is 10-0, but they still find themselves on two games from finishing a Dame kicked off against the ebrate for 24 hours. Then, with the outside looking in, sitting at No. 3 in the latest BCS rankings. once-unthinkable undefeated Eagles, clear-No. 1 Alabama BCS winds swirling, with me- 2012 season. The closer the fell 29-24 to Texas A&M in a dia attention and magazine Irish get to that goal, the loud- thrilling game that will thrust covers and awards lists rolling er the “noise,” as Irish coach the Irish even closer to the top in daily, with hype coming in Brian Kelly calls it, will get. On of the BCS rankings. After the from every direction, they will Play of the game Saturday night in Boston, the game, a handful of Irish play- go back to work. Notre Dame team that took ers spoke about the different And they won’t hear a word the field was deaf to the hype ways they found out about of what is said. being tossed around in the Alabama’s loss. But the play- te’o seals the game with his sixth interception stands around it. ers all shared the same senti- Contact Chris Allen at The Irish quickly ensured ment: The loss did not affect [email protected] With Boston College driving and the game still within reach, that Boston College would them. The game did not affect The views expressed in this Manti Te’o made a diving catch on a tipped Chase Rettig pass to stage no upset bid by aggres- what happened between the column are those of the author steal possession and seal the game. Notre Dame was able to run sively running the football white lines at Alumni Stadium and not necessarily those of the clock down before punting the ball back to the Eagles. and passing the football on between the Irish and the The Observer. Insider ndsmcobserver.com | monday, november 12, 2012 | The Observer 3 Notre Dame stays focused Scoring Summary after No. 1 Alabama’s loss 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total 7 7 7 0 21 0 3 0 3 6

1 Notre Dame 7, Boston college 0 Everett Golson 2-yard run (Brindza kick) 7:26 remaining Drive: 13 plays, 95 yards, 5:39 elapsed

2 Notre Dame 7, Boston college 3 Nate Freese 36-yard field goal 14:55 remaining Drive: 15 plays, 69 yards, 7:31 elapsed

notre dame 14, boston college 3 Troy Niklas 2-yard pass from Everett Golson (Brindza kick) MACKENZIE SAIN | The Observer 0:26 remaining Irish coach Brian Kelly addresses the media following Notre Dame’s 21-6 win over Boston College on Drive: 16 plays, 87 yards, 8:30 elapsed Saturday. Notre Dame moved up to No. 3 in the BCS rankings after Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M. 3 notre dame 21, boston college 3 By MATTHEW DeFRANKS concerned about it,” the junior “A win is a win, and a win is John Goodman 18-yard from Everett Golson (Brindza Associate Sports Editor cornerback said. “You can’t not easy,” Jackson said. “Style kick) come out and be happy that a points are style points. We’re 10:44 remaining CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — team lost when you still have a going to come out and give it Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:16 elapsed Everett Golson was watching game to compete in.” our all and try to come up with it. Bennett Jackson found out Prior to its win over Boston a victory.” 4 Notre Dame 21, boston college 6 before the game. Theo Riddick College, the Irish (10-0) were Te’o, who had five tackles Nate Freese 45-yard field goal said no one knew about it. But part of a logjam of four un- and an interception in the win, Irish coach Brian Kelly and the defeated squads at the top of said Notre Dame does not fo- 13:44 remaining Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 4:56 elapsed Notre Dame coaching staff did. the rankings. While Alabama cus on style points. No. 1 Alabama had lost. fell, No. 2 Kansas State beat “It’s always about the win, The top-ranked and previ- TCU and No. 3 Oregon topped that’s all that matters to us,” he ously undefeated Crimson California. said. Tide dropped their first game Notre Dame is now one of Kelly said the Irish have their statistics to 29-24 to Texas A&M on three teams vying for just sights set on Wake Forest, their Saturday. The upset happened two spots in the BCS National next opponent, and not on how Rushing yards before No. 4 Notre Dame took Championship game in Miami many points they win by. 184 the field for its game against on Jan. 7. “We’re going to work on win- 53 Boston College, but Kelly said With the Irish unbeaten ning against Wake Forest and the coaches did not share the through 10 games, senior line- take care of what we can take news with the players. backer Manti Te’o said the na- care of and then when it’s all Passing yards “Absolutely not,” the Irish tional championship picture is said and done, we’ll see where 209 coach said. “We didn’t talk in sight, but Notre Dame can- we are,” Kelly said. “We really 247 about Alabama.” not get too far ahead of itself. can’t waste any of our energy. With a 21-6 win over “It’s only as real as Wake You see how hard it is to win in Time of Possession Time of Possession Boston College, coupled with Forest,” Te’o said. “We have to . We can’t wor- 32:23 27:37 Alabama’s loss, the Irish moved deal with them and play one ry about those things. up to No. 3 in the BCS rankings game at a time, that’s college “We have to focus on what Sunday night. football. Anyone can beat any- we can do and that is win it on Passing Jackson said the result of the one at any time.” the field. If people don’t like Golson 16-24-200 Rettig 27-43-247 game did not impact Notre The Irish have been unim- us winning, I don’t know what Rees 1-1-9 Dame’s game plan. pressive in wins over BYU, else to tell you.” “We had our minds focused Pittsburgh and Boston College, on what we wanted to get but have found ways to pull out Contact Matthew DeFranks at Rushing done. We really weren’t too wins and stay undefeated. [email protected] Riddick 18-104 Finch 7-40 Golson 11-39 Amidon 1-14 Wood 6-33 Swigert 1-9 Atkinson 4-9 Dudeck 4-9 Irish start with long drive Receiving By CHRIS ALLEN the final minutes of the second the Eagles resulted in a first Eifert 6-67 Amidon 6-84 Sports Editor quarter. The drive culminated down. On the season, Eifert Riddick 4-56 Finch 5-25 in a seven-yard touchdown has either converted a first Jones 3-39 Evans 4-47 CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — pass from sophomore quarter- down or scored a touchdown Daniels 2-22 Dudeck 4-40 The Irish initiated the scor- back Everett Golson to sopho- on 24 of his 34 total receptions. Goodman 1-18 Swigert 3-23 ing in their 21-6 victory over more tight end Troy Niklas. In Notre Dame started the night Niklas 1-7 Pantale 3-14 Boston College on Saturday total, Notre Dame possessed converting its first 10 third- with a 95-yard touchdown the ball for 12:27 of the second down conversions and fin- Tackles drive in the opening half of the quarter and extended its lead ished 11-of-14 on third down. Jackson 8 Rositano 10 first quarter. The drive, which to 14-3 in the period. Spanning The Eagles converted 8-of-15 Motta 7 Daniels 8 lasted 13 plays and spanned the Pittsburgh game and the third-down conversions by Te’o 5 Simmons 7 5:39, was the longest Notre first half of Saturday’s win, comparison. Shembo 5 Sylvia 7 Dame touchdown drive of the Notre Dame had five out of six “Some of it was our execu- Fox 4 Divitto 6 season. The Irish last record- scoring drives take 11 plays or tion. Some of it was their ex- Calabrese 4 Duggan 6 ed a touchdown drive of over more. ecution. Some of it was their 95 yards in the 2011 season improvisation,” Eagles coach kickoff returns opener against South Florida, Moving the chains Frank Spaziani said. “When Atkinson 3-78 Evans 3-56 when they drove 99 yards for a Notre Dame senior tight you’re losing, you’re not mak- touchdown in the waning sec- end Tyler Eifert helped Golson ing your share of plays.” sacks onds of a 23-20 loss. move the chains through- Shembo 3 The Irish followed up that out Notre Dame’s win. Five Contact Chris Allen at Tuitt 1 drive with an 87-yard drive in of Eifert’s six catches against [email protected] Lewis-Moore 1 4 The observer | monday, november 12, 2012| ndsmcobserver.com Insider

MACKENZIE SAIN | The Observer Junior cornerback Bennett Jackson, 2, attempts to tackle Eagles junior receiver Alex Amidon as senior linebacker Manti Te’o, center, and freshman safety Nicky Baratti, left, trail the play. Jackson finished the game with a team-high eight tackles during Notre Dame’s 21-6 win over Boston College at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Saturday.

Notre Dame opened the game with a 95-yard touchdown drive and never looked back, cruising to a 21-6 win over Boston grounding the College. Sophomore quarterback Everett Golson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Irish rolled up 393 total eagles yards on offense. The win pushed Notre Dame to 10-0 for the first time since 1993 and into the No. 3 position in the BCS rankings.

MACKENZIE SAIN | The Observer MACKENZIE SAIN | The Observer JULIE HERDER | The Observer Eagles junior quarterback Chase Rettig readies to throw a Graduate student defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore tries Senior safety Zeke Motta brings down Eagles junior pass as Irish senior linebacker Manti Te’o pursues him. to corral Eagles junior quarterback Chase Rettig. receiver Alex Amidon during Notre Dame’s 21-6 win.

MACKENZIE SAIN | The Observer JULIE HERDER | The Observer Senior running back Theo Riddick tip-toes the sideline as multiple Boston College Sophomore defensive end Stephon Tuitt, 7, and graduate student defensive end Kapron defenders chase him. Riddick finished with 104 rushing yards in Notre Dame’s 21-6 win. Lewis-Moore, 89, try to block a Boston College field goal during Notre Dame’s 21-6 win.