By the Numbers: Notre Dame Football’s Defense Shuts Down Boston College

A week after knocking off No. 1 Miami, Notre Dame had every excuse for a flat afternoon. Boston College came to South Bend at 4-5, the weather was miserable and the emotional high of the biggest win of the season was still fresh. The third-ranked Irish didn’t give the Eagles an opening. They led 31-0 at halftime, won 41-7 and moved to 9-1 with two regular-season games left and a playoff berth square in their sights.

The Fighting Irish defense set the tone, the same way it did in the first half against Miami. Boston College had never gained fewer yards against Notre Dame in 29 meetings, and its only touchdown came after a CJ Carr interception to open the second half handed it the ball at the Irish 27. Over the last two weeks, this defense has held the top-ranked team in the country to three first-half points and a struggling Boston College team to 136 yards. The pass rush has been rejuvenated as well with six sacks across the last two weeks after going quiet in October.

Jonaz Walton keeps adding to a freshman season that has put him in company with some of the best backs in program history. His 141 yards moved him into fifth on Notre Dame’s all-time rushing list for true freshmen. The afternoon wasn’t clean, howevver, with two turnovers and nine penalties. Against Boston College, it never mattered. Sloppiness like that could very well matter in the post season should the Irish secure a spot in the playoffs.

Here’s how the numbers tell the story of Notre Dame’s ninth win of 2026.

Key Stats

136 – Boston College’s total yards, an average of 2.4 per play and the Eagles’ lowest output in the history of the series. No Power Four opponent had been held under that against Notre Dame since Washington’s 124 in 2008.

-10 – Boston College’s yards in the second quarter, on 13 plays and without a first down. Notre Dame kept possession for 12:26 of the quarter and put up 24 points.

141 – Walton’s rushing yards on 15 carries, 9.4 per attempt, with a one-yard touchdown. A 50-yard run on second-and-20 in the fourth quarter was his longest of the day. He added 48 yards on two kickoff returns for 194 all-purpose yards.

655 – Walton’s season rushing yards, fifth among Notre Dame true freshmen. He passed Randy Kinder (537 in 1993) and Allen Pinkett (532 in 1982) on Saturday, and Autry Denson’s 695 from 1995 is next on the list.

4 for 32 – Notre Dame’s sacks and the yards they cost Boston College. Boubacar Traore, Luke Talich and Rodney Dunham had one apiece, and Bryce Young and Elijah Hughes split the fourth. The Irish also had seven quarterback hurries.

-24 – Net yards on Boston College’s possession after Walton’s touchdown made it 21-0. Mason McKenzie lost three on a fumbled snap he recovered, then took sacks of seven and 14 yards. Traore’s strip on the second sack popped the ball loose at the 1, and Jaylen Sneed recovered it and got into the end zone with 1:51 left in the half.

34 – Non-offensive touchdowns for Notre Dame since the start of 2021, more than any FBS team.

0-for-4 – Boston College on fourth down. The Eagles were 2-of-14 on third down.

27 – Yards Boston College needed for its touchdown. Carr’s pass on the first play of the third quarter was picked off at the Irish 27, and a personal foul on Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa helped the Eagles score three plays later.

9-of-14 – Notre Dame on third down, including 7-of-9 in the first half.

500 – Notre Dame’s total yards on 72 plays. The Irish ran 40 times for 276 yards, 6.9 a carry.

8-of-24 for 51 – Boston College’s passing line. Dallas Golden and Christian Gray broke up two passes each, and Ethan Long picked off a fourth-down throw.

Milestones, Firsts, and Career Highs

Carr threw his 46th and 47th career touchdown passes, a 26-yarder to Micah Gilbert in the opening quarter and a 13-yarder to Jordan Faison in the third. The second one pulled him even with DeShone Kizer, who threw 47 from 2015 to 2016, for sixth in program history. Carr has thrown multiple touchdown passes in eight games this season. He’s 197-of-290 for 2,385 yards with 23 touchdowns and two interceptions, and the pick on Saturday was his first since Purdue.

Nolan James Jr. ran for a 10-yard score in the second quarter He has scored in every game this season, 10 for 10. Only seven players in program history have longer streaks of games with a touchdown, and James now shares eighth place with Denson and Creighton Miller.

Traore now has five sacks and three forced fumbles this year, more than anyone else on the roster in either category.

Faison caught a four-yard pass on Notre Dame’s first offensive snap, his 31st straight game with at least one catch. That’s the second-longest streak in program history, behind TJ Jones’ school record of 40 from 2010 to 2013. He has 1,933 career receiving yards and 147 catches. His 28-yard run in the second quarter was the longest carry of his career.

Notre Dame hasn’t lost to Boston College since 2008, and the Irish have now won 11 meetings in a row. Purdue is the only other opponent the Irish have beaten 11 in a row right now, a run that started in 2008, and the lone active streak that’s longer belongs to the Army series, where Notre Dame hasn’t lost since 1965 and has won 16 straight.

Freeman’s November record is now 16-2, and his teams haven’t lost in that month since falling at Clemson in 2023, a run of 13 wins. He’s 9-0 in November games at Notre Dame Stadium.

Against teams currently in the ACC, Freeman’s record is now 24-4.

Firsts on the day:

Bubba Frazier – tackle and reception, the catch a seven-yarder on third-and-4 in the fourth quarter

Career highs: Jordan Faison with a 28-yard rush.

Positive Trends

The second quarter was close to perfect. Notre Dame scored on all three of its offensive possessions in the period and added a defensive touchdown, and Boston College’s 13 snaps produced negative yardage.

The 276 rushing yards were Notre Dame’s second-highest total of the season, behind only Stanford. Walton, James and Kedren Young combined for 248 yards on 34 carries, and Young converted a third-and-1 late in the fourth quarter with a 19-yard run.

The pass rush stayed hot. A week after two sacks against Miami, the Irish had four, along with five tackles for loss and seven hurries. Dunham had a sack and two hurries.

Notre Dame scored on all four of its red-zone trips, with three touchdowns and a field goal.

The offense answered the interception. After Boston College cut the lead to 31-7, Notre Dame went 73 yards in seven plays on its next possession, and the Faison touchdown that finished the drive was originally ruled incomplete before replay overturned it.

Boston College never threatened through the air. McKenzie and Femi Babalola completed eight of 24 passes, and the Eagles’ longest completion went for 16 yards.

Negative Trends

Nine penalties for 66 yards is too many. Viliamu-Asa’s personal foul set up Boston College’s touchdown, Ko’o Kia’s personal foul in the fourth quarter turned a second-and-18 into a first down, and Mark Zackery IV’s hold extended a Boston College drive on fourth-and-2. Ty Washington’s holding call wiped out a 22-yard Walton run, and the Irish also had three false starts and a delay of game.

Two turnovers gave Boston College short fields. Carr’s interception came on the first snap after halftime, and Faison muffed a punt at his own 27 late in the second quarter. The defense held on downs at the Irish 26 after the muff, with Gray breaking up the fourth-down throw.

A third-quarter drive went 48 yards in eight plays and came away empty when Walton was stopped a yard short on fourth-and-2 at the Boston College 21.

The offense slowed down after halftime. After 31 first-half points, Notre Dame scored 10 in the second half, and one of those scoring drives stalled at the 19 after an intentional grounding call.

The play-by-play lists Young as injured on a third-quarter snap.

Team Notes

Shuler, Faison, Bowen and Carr went to midfield for the toss. Notre Dame won it, chose to defer and opened on defense at the south end.

The 77,622 fans made it 25 straight sellouts at Notre Dame Stadium. Only two of Freeman’s last 32 home games have fallen short of a full house.

The Irish lead the series with Boston College 20-9 after Saturday’s 29th meeting, and they’re 10-5 against the Eagles at home.

The two schools play for a crystal trophy named for Frank Leahy and presented by Notre Dame’s alumni club in Boston. Its base lists the result of every game since the series began in 1975. Leahy coached Boston College in 1939 and 1940, then coached Notre Dame from 1941 to 1943 and from 1946 to 1953.

Notre Dame’s all-time home record is now 539-133-13.

Boston College fell to 4-6.

Final Word

Boston College is a 4-6 team, and the Irish treated it like one. The defense owned the line of scrimmage, the second quarter was as one-sided as any 15 minutes this season, and the game was out of reach long before the fourth quarter. Walton is turning in the kind of freshman season that only a handful of Notre Dame backs have had, and he’s still climbing.

The cleanup list is short but real and just enough to give the coaches some things to harp on this week. Two turnovers and nine penalties won’t matter much against an opponent like Boston College. With two games left on the regular-season schedule, they’re the kind of mistakes that can cost a team in a playoff game.