There were moments in the third quarter when it seemed Notre Dame might start bending. But for almost every play like that, there was one that showed Boston College which team was in charge. Even if you didn’t see any of those, all you have to do is look at that 38-23 Irish lead after three quarters.
Phil Jurkovec began the second half by leading what looked to be a productive drive for the Eagles, primarily because of his arm. Though he got his offense to the Notre Dame 9-yard line, it was stuffed on fourth-and-1. The Irish’s offense also looked poised to drive the field for its first possession of the half. Ben Skowronek’s 31-yard reception nearly made that the case, but Josh DeBerry forced a fumble that was recovered by Max Richardson. Not to worry because Jack Kiser promptly picked Jurkovec off and gave his team great field position.
C’Bo Flemister made it his mission on this drive to really make his mark on this game, although he had one score already. He caught an Ian Book pass that he took for 27 yards all the way to the Boston College 1. It only made sense for Book to give the ball right back to him and finish what he started, which he did for his second touchdown.
You can’t count the Eagles out yet, though. Jurkovec led a drive that nearly ended prematurely on a interception, but he got right back to it when that pick was wiped out by a face-mask penalty. This time, he mixed up the run and pass a lot more, and it worked. David Bailey ran for a 3-yard touchdown, so the pressure on the Irish to finish remains.