<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=085UfW_1H6KqhcZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=085UfW_1H6KqhcZ00" width="800" height="450" >Clouds filled a drab sky at mid-afternoon as temperatures started to dip — an eerily familiar environment for a particular contingent of Notre Dame faithful.Everyone in the stadium, young and old, knew about the events of Nov. 20, 1993. Those who lived through the heartbreak, however, stand a tad more pensive all these years later.That game started a couple of hours earlier, with the temperatures running a touch colder. Boston College was ranked 17th on a seven-game winning run and jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead.The matchup looked very different in 2026, and head coach Marcus Freeman’s team reminded everyone of that from the opening kickoff.After winning the toss and electing to defer, the Irish defense surrendered just one first down before forcing a punt. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash deployed Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa as a spy on 3rd-and-8, and the talented junior linebacker tripped up a scrambling Mason McKenzie short of the line to gain.Notre Dame’s opening script included a heavy dose of run, with sophomore back Nolan James Jr. collecting 28 yards on a march down the field, but it was Heisman-favorite CJ Carr who broke the deadlock. The junior quarterback escaped a blindside rusher and fired a strike on the run to junior wideout Micah Gilbert, who shook off his corner and walked into the end zone for his team-high sixth touchdown through the air this season.The Irish forced a three-and-out and picked up where they left off on offense, this time with the ball in Jonaz Walton’s hands. After the freshman running backs’s 17 yards brought Notre Dame to midfield, senior wide receiver Jordan Faison made a costly drop that stalled the drive. Faced with a decision on 4th-and-2, Freeman elected to punt.Notre Dame’s defense capped off the first quarter with another quick stop. Viliamu-Asa and McKenzie had a chess match on second and third downs, with Viliamu-Asa getting the better of him on both occasions. On second down, Viliamu-Asa paused for a beat before joining the Irish rush and hurrying McKenzie into an incompletion. On third, McKenzie waited for the running back to leak out late and locked onto him. Without the same outlet that gained the Eagles their only first down on the drive, McKenzie was forced to dirt the ball. In man coverage on both plays, the Irish blanketed every Boston College option downfield.To start the second quarter, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock utilized a more balanced attack: Gilbert and senior receiver Jaden Greathouse caught chunk plays while James continued to grind, capping off the drive by trucking an Eagles defender and powering into the end zone.At this point, momentum was building rapidly.Boston College went three-and-out again, courtesy of more sticky coverage from the Irish secondary. Seemingly trading touches each drive, it was now Walton’s turn to run all over the Eagles. After his 28-yard gain got the offense in business, a crafty toss play to Faison brought Notre Dame two yards away from a three-score lead. On the third time of asking, Walton punched it in to make it 21-0.Only three plays into the next drive, senior defensive end Boubacar Traore came up with a strip sack that allowed fifth-year linebacker Jaylen Sneed to dive in the end zone, making the score 28-0.It seemed like nothing could go wrong for the Irish, and even when it did, they had an answer. After forcing yet another three-and-out, Faison fumbled on the punt return, handing the Eagles their first real opportunity of the evening. They went not three, but four-and-out this time.Freeman called all three of his timeouts, leaving Carr and company with just under a minute to work with. That was all they needed to set up junior kicker Spencer Porath with a 40-yard field goal try — which he nailed. If there were any doubts in the minds of Irish fans before kickoff, they were gone after the first 30. Beyond the 31-point onslaught, the Boston College offense was held to just 46 yards, 2 first downs and 4 plays in Irish territory.For a Notre Dame team plagued by slow starts this season, it couldn’t get much better.Coming out of the locker room, the Eagles showed signs of life.A rare misplaced Carr pass — his second interception of the season — set Boston College up at Notre Dame’s 27-yard line. After Viliamu-Asa’s illegal hands-to-the-face penalty tacked 11 yards onto a Bo MacCormack run, the sophomore back ran it in two plays later.Carr responded as one would expect a Heisman hopeful to, completing four passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Atoning for his earlier mistake, Faison added another brilliant catch to his highlight reel, high-pointing a jump ball in the corner of the end zone and, after further review, completing the process of the catch. It may not have been tightrope-walk-against-Miami good, but it sure wasn’t far behind.The remainder of the third quarter featured more Notre Dame defensive dominance as the Eagles managed only two first downs after the early score. The Irish generated another fourth-down stop to begin the fourth quarter, and looking to pile on, drove into field goal range behind a 50-yard scamper from Walton. While the drive ultimately fizzled out, Porath nailed his second field goal of the game from 37 yards to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 41-7.Notre Dame Stadium’s light show at the TV timeout, accompanied by heavy-hitting electronic dance music, was probably the most entertaining part of the game’s remainder. Both teams fielded backup quarterbacks and dug into the depth chart, neither putting points on the board as the clock ran out.The wire-to-wire demolition in every phase was a testament to how Freeman and his coaching staff prepared the team long before taking the field on Saturday.“Their job is just to go out and practice as hard as they can, and really focus on what we’re asking them to focus on,” Freeman said after the game. “Our job is to make sure we hold our guys accountable to the standards we set … We do that every day.”The ever-improving Irish offensive line bullied Boston College to the tune of 276 yards on the ground. Barring an uncharacteristic mistake, Carr was as poised as ever, connecting with 11 different receivers for 217 yards and a pair of scores.The Notre Dame secondary barely put a foot wrong in coverage, allowing the defensive line to wreak havoc all night. Ash’s unit held the Eagles to 136 yards of offense, turned them over twice and stopped them on all four fourth-down attempts. Of all the talented players on this Irish defense, very few have had Viliamu-Asa’s impact. With senior captain middle linebacker Drayk Bowen out due to an injury, he has taken the new leadership role in stride, not only with his on-field production, a team-high seven tackles, but with the effort he puts in day in and day out.“I’ve coached and played with some real dudes … He’s on a different level,” Freeman said of Viliamu-Asa’s intensity in practice. “Guy on offense will try to get mad and start fighting; he’ll run back to his huddle and start laughing and smiling.” He paused with a wry smile. “It’s a little bit sick, man.”It was a night full of standout performances on both sides of the ball for the Irish. They got about as close to perfect football as a team can get.Do that two more times, and Notre Dame can expect to find itself in the College Football Playoff with as good a shot as anyone to go all the way.</div></body>

Block Source: Notre Dame & Saint Mary Observer

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Clouds filled a drab sky at mid-afternoon as temperatures started to dip — an eerily familiar environment for a particular contingent of Notre Dame faithful. Everyone in the stadium, young and old, knew about the events of Nov. 20, 1993. Those who lived through the heartbreak, however, stand a tad more pensive all these years later.

‘Holy War’ victory proves history doesn’t repeat itself

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Clouds filled a drab sky at mid-afternoon as temperatures started to dip — an eerily familiar environment for a particular contingent of Notre Dame faithfu

‘Holy War’ victory proves history doesn’t repeat itself

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