After Costly Collapse Against Florida State, Boston College Faces Uphill Battle at Notre Dame

Disappointing might be the best way to describe last Saturday’s loss to Florida State. After jumping out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead, BC (4-5, 2-4) was outscored 31-14 over the final three quarters. The 31-24 defeat puts the Eagles under .500 overall and in the league. With three games left in the regular season, making a bowl game just got a lot more difficult. That’s because the Eagles will play two of their final three on the road against ranked teams. First up is a trip to South Bend, Ind., to face Notre Dame, a team they are 9-19 against all-time.

But before we look ahead, let’s look back at what happened against the Seminoles. As mentioned, the Eagles started fast against FSU. They scored on their first two drives of the game and three of their first four. However, they would score just once over their final six drives. Two interceptions and a turnover on downs stopped the offense. On defense, the Eagles got off to a good start, forcing FSU to punt after having the ball its first two times. Then the Seminoles scored three straight touchdowns in the second quarter to turn the game around.

As head coach Bill O’Brien said after the game, “We did not make enough plays” or stop the run. The Seminoles ran for 207 yards and four touchdowns, and they were a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone. RB Amari Thomas had two of those scores on the way to 98 yards on 19 carries. QB Ashton Daniels was solid, throwing for 178 yards on 15-of-26 passing with a pick. BC running back Bo MacCormack ran well, totaling 105 yards on 19 carries with a 6-yard touchdown run. QB Mason McKenzie was 15-of-27 for 166 yards and two scores—one to Javarius Green from 2 yards out and one to Nedrick Bolden Jr. for 29 yards. In the end, BC did not do enough to win a game that was theirs for the taking, given that FSU was playing with an interim coach who was not fazed about using gadget plays, including a fake field goal for a touchdown in the second quarter that O’Brien called “brutal by us.”

Holy War Week https://t.co/Z9ovDegBUJ

— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) November 9, 2026

Now it’s on to the Irish (8-1), coming off maybe their best win of the season last Saturday night at home against then-No. 1 Miami, 31-24. ND has won the last 10 meetings vs. BC. At Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish are 9-5-0. The teams are playing for the Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl, named after the Hall of Fame coach. The Irish have been very good at scoring off turnovers, tallying 69 points off 18 turnovers. The Eagles are pretty good at forcing turnovers themselves, with 15 takeaways, 12 of which have been interceptions. The Irish offensive line has been very good at protecting its QBs, allowing just two sacks in 287 pass attempts and none over the last six games. ND has won 26 straight home games against ACC opponents, and they have scored at least 24 points in 21 straight games. Both of these are program records. QB CJ Carr has gone 172 passing attempts without throwing an interception, the longest streak of his career.

A difficult task awaits the Eagles in South Bend on Saturday. However, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.