 
NCAA Game Summary - Notre Dame at Boston College
(Saturday, November 10th)
Final Score: (4) Notre Dame 21, Boston College 6
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sports Network) - Everett Golson threw for two touchdowns
and ran in another, as No. 4 Notre Dame handled lowly Boston College, 21-6, at
Alumni Stadium.
The Fighting Irish (10-0) are off to their best start since the 1993 squad won
their first 10 games. Boston College ended that perfect season by winning on a
last-second field goal, but solving Golson proved too much in trying to pull
off another upset.
Notre Dame's freshman quarterback completed 16-of-24 passes for 200 yards and
added 39 yards on 11 carries for Notre Dame, which came in ranked fourth in
the BCS standings and will likely move up after No. 1 Alabama lost to Texas
A&M Saturday afternoon.
"Everett played the way that he needs to play, especially in the red zone,"
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said of his quarterback. "We said that once he
starts playing at the level that we need him in the red zone, we will start
scoring touchdowns and not just field goals."
Boston College (2-8) has dropped two straight following its win over Maryland
-- the program's only victory against an FBS opponent this season.
The Eagles managed a mere 300 yards, 247 coming via the arm of Chase Rettig,
who completed just 27-of-43 attempts and was intercepted by Heisman trophy
hopeful Manti Te'o in the fourth quarter.
"A couple of times we kept the ball ten, twelve plays and we came away with
nothing so we have to make plays," Boston College coach Frank Spaziani
remarked. "That's how you beat a team like that."
Nate Freese made two field goals for Boston College, including a 45-yarder
that cut the deficit to 21-6 early in the fourth quarter.
Theo Riddick lost a fumble near midfield on the ensuing possession, but the
Eagles only gained one first down, eventually turning the ball over when
Rettig was sacked on fourth down.
The next time Boston College touched the ball, Te'o came away with a diving
interception at the Notre Dame 43-yard line off a tipped pass, and the Irish
held on from there.
Notre Dame gained 256 yards on three possessions in the first half and kept
the chains moving by going 8-for-8 on third-down conversions.
Golson capped a 13-play, 95-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run midway
through the opening quarter, and used his legs again by picking up nine yards
on 3rd-and-8 at the Boston College 16. After the pickup, Golson hit Troy
Niklas in the middle of the end zone for a 14-3 lead at the break.
Notre Dame's only other drive in the first half ended with George Atkinson III
losing a fumble at the opposing 26-yard line.
The Eagles' only fruitful drive before halftime stalled when Rettig was sacked
on third down, forcing Freese to come on for a 36-yard field goal on the first
play of the second quarter.
Golson showed off his arm on the first possession out of the intermission,
completing 5-of-7 attempts for 61 yards, including an across-the-field 18-yard
toss to John Goodman in the end zone.
Game Notes
The Irish opened a season with 10 straight wins for the eighth time in school
history ... Riddick led the Irish with 104 yards on 18 carries, while Boston
College's Alex Amidon led all receivers with 84 yards on six catches ... Notre
Dame, which converted 11-of-14 third-down tries, finished with 393 yards ...
Nick Clancy, Boston College's leading tackler, left the game with an upper
body injury in the first half and did not return ... Boston College offensive
lineman Bobby Vardaro and Notre Dame nose guard Louis Nix III were both
ejected following their shoving match late in the fourth quarter ... Notre
Dame was awarded two trophies for its win against the only other Catholic
University at the FBS level, capturing the Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl trophy
and the Ireland Trophy.
11/11 01:06:16 ET
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