Hey, you! Yes, you, over there, nervously rocking back and forth and biting your nails because the first half of the Boston College game felt a little too close for comfort. Take a deep breath. It’s okay. Notre Dame is 2-1. It’s week 4 and the Irish have already won half as many games this season as last season! It’s going to be okay.

Good

Run game

While you were complaining about Notre Dame’s lack of a passing game, Brandon Wimbush was sneakily breaking the Irish record for rushing touchdowns and yards rushing in a game.

Golden Tate got involved with a celebratory tweet!

But as I stated earlier, many of y’all were too busy complaining about the not so spectacular passing game on Saturday from the Irish QB. Appreciate a quarterback who can move, see gaps in the pocket, and score on his feet. The passing needs work and I assume that will be emphasized in practice, but Wimbush proved four times on Saturday that he has good instincts.

Josh Adams had another stellar game, rushing for 229 yards on 18 carries. The combination of Adams and Wimbush proved lethal. The two accounted for the majority of the Irish’s 611 total yards, a magnificent feat against a Boston College defense that was supposed to be good.

Defense

The defense continues to look WAY better than last season. The first half was a liiiiiittle shaky, but in the end the D easily took care of business. Shaun Crawford finished with two interceptions, including one of the most athletic plays we’ve seen this season.

Punt

IDK if you guys noticed but Tyler Newsome is still really good!!! And now he’s on the Ray Guy Award watch list! PUNTERS!!!!!!!!!!!

Those are a couple happy things to remember...return to this section if you need to be cheered up after reading the following:

BAD

The entire first half

After taking a somewhat impromptu trip to Boston for the game, I almost immediately regretted the four hour bus ride to Boston as soon as the game was underway.

The first two quarters of this game were brutal for Irish fans. As I sat in the stands during halftime I actually had to contemplate what I would do if Notre Dame lost to Boston College. Would I be able to mentally and physically conjure up the energy to go out with my friends after the game? Would I be able to enjoy the following day of scheduled sight-seeing activities in Boston? Would I be able to face my colleagues at work on Monday? Would I have to quit my job, change my name, move towns, renounce my alma mater, my faith, my family and live on a remote island without cable or electricity for the rest of my days on this planet?

It was a trying time.

Pass offense

That stat line is...not ideal. And it did not look as though Irish receivers and Wimbush were on the same page for most of the game. There were overthrown balls, a couple dropped passes, and a lot of missed opportunities.

I suppose it’s worth noting that Boston College does tout some high-caliber defensive players, most notably Harold Landry.

One of my favorite moments from rewatching the broadcast was listening to a BC coach’s game plan for Landry:

“I’m going to manage his number of snaps so that I have him in the fourth quarter to rush the passer when I really need him.”

h8ers

Like I said, y’all need to chill. How sad is it that QB1 tweeted this a couple days after breaking TWO Irish records.

Although we don’t know for sure that it’s in response to all the hateful tweets I saw this weekend, it probbbbably is. Internet folks: a friendly reminder to CHILL THE FUCK OUT.

It reminded me of back in the day when former Irish QB Tom (née Tommy) Rees dealt with some very obnoxious fans in his twitter mentions. Hopefully QB Coach Tom will have some sage advice on this subject.

Chip Long

An interesting tidbit from the broadcast:

A lot of people were wondering what this Notre Dame offense was going to look like. It s the first time that Brian Kelly has given up play calling duties and now its Chip Long. He’s coming over from Memphis. He was there for one year. and he was calling the plays there for the Tigers.

What I find is interesting is Brian Kelly didn’t have a previous relationship with Chip Long ...didn’t know him from Adam. he called him cold and it was only the first year last year that Chip Long was really calling plays so really nobody has a great idea how he’s gunna be as a play caller.

My deduction from all of this is that Chip Long is actually a front for Brian Kelly. Just like that one pizza place in South Bend is really a front for a meth lab. You know which one I’m talking about. I’m not really even sure if Brian and Chip are two different people. I’ve never seen them in the same room at the same time so there is really no way to be sure. BK has been calling the plays all along. That is why we still keep seeing so many FREAKING bubble screens.

IRISH

This was my first trip to Chestnut Hill. I must admit, the campus is charming and Boston College fans were friendly and delightful. BUT I HAVE BEEF WITH YOUR STADIUM.

ALUMNI STADIUM

• Alumni Stadium has only one sound effect during games. It’s the church bell sound effect from the beginning of Hells Bells. They don’t play the opening guitar riff, just the bells. And they play it during every fucking down. If you want to play the ominous church bells on like, 3rd down? Fine. Whatever. Notre Dame does that shit too. BUT EVERY DOWN??? PLEASE, SHOW SOME CREATIVITY.
• Every time the Eagles scored the teeny scoreboard said, “TOWEL TIME.” This stood out to me, as I only witnessed about six people in the stadium actually waving towels.

• The PA announcer was barely audible from where I was sitting. This also may be a result of the visiting fans being shoved in the corner of the stadium in direct sunlight where my brain was literally cooking in the heat.
• The scoreboard ribbon across from my seats was wrong on like, virtually every play. How the shit am I supposed to know what yard line the play is on? You shoved us in the corner, remember?
• There was band music pumped over the sound system and it’s not like other schools don’t also do this, it’s just like... it was so obvious that it was sad.
• There was a heat advisory and one of the concession stands was out of water. OUT OF WATER.
• Did I mention the bells?

**All of these complaints were negated by the fact that the stadium served alcohol.**

Shamrock Series 2015

Blast from the past!!

The broadcast showed some highlights from the 2015 Shamrock Series...A game at Fenway Park that showcased the best of what the Shamrock Series could be. It was played in an amazing, historic venue, the uniforms were actually REALLY cool, and Boston has a ton of Irish fans. I just want to take a moment to reflect on this game.

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Some nights I lie awake, thinking about how beautiful these green alternate uniforms were. RIP Shamrock Series (for now).

*whispers* charlie weis

As I was enjoying a delightful Sunday morning brunch in downtown Boston, I happened to look up at the television and subsequently spew my coffee onto my lap. CHARLIE WEIS. WAS. ON. TV. I did not know he still did TV in Boston. Charlie, you have more money than THE LORD, HIMSELF, why not take the money and retire to your birds and leave my poor soul at peace.

BOSTON COLLEGE’S PANTS

Lol let’s please never imitate this look.

On to Sparty!