Football Notebook: Irish Duo Runs Rampant

Boston College will have to deal with the two-headed monster in the Notre Dame backfield this weekend if it is to have any chance of winning.

The Irish have two backs with a legitimate chance at breaking 1,000 yards this season in Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray. Both are averaging well over five yards per carry and have combined for 20 rushing touchdowns. The Eagles may be up against the best one-two punch in the nation and certainly the best that they have seen this season.

"They're dangerous," linebacker Luke Kuechly said. "Cierre Wood has some speed and Gray is a big, bruising back. He's got that downhill running style but at the same time he can move his feet. We've got to try to do what we always do. We need to keep them in front of us, plug our gaps, and prevent them from circling the defense."

Defensive end Max Holloway echoed Kuechly's words and added that stopping the run game would be directly related to disrupting the offensive-line play of the Irish.

"The Notre Dame offensive line is really physical," Holloway said. "We're going to have to match their physicality and their intensity. We've seen them really bring it to other defensive lines, so we need to just come at them."

Swigert distracts defenses

Coming off a week in which he caught just one pass for four yards, wide receiver Bobby Swigert could easily be down on himself. After starting the season as a favorite target of Chase Rettig, his production has dropped off in recent weeks, especially on third downs, as a result of increased coverage. However, he has not lost faith in his ability to make plays. In fact, he believes that the added attention he has received  lately has lead to more opportunities for fellow receivers Colin Larmond, Jr. and Alex Amidon.   

"I get a lot more bracket coverage now than earlier in the season," Swigert said. "I usually have a guy on the inside and the outside of me. But it actually opens up a lot for everyone on the outside, so I don't mind it. It's kind of easy to recognize, so when Chase sees it, he knows that he'll have a one-on-one match-up on the outside. It's pretty much the same basic defense on first and second down, but teams have really started to catch on for third downs."

A familiar face

Before becoming the head coach of Notre Dame, Brian Kelly held the same position at Cincinnati and recruited BC star Luke Kuechly. While Kuechly eventually decided against his hometown school, Kelly pursued him for a long time and made quite an impression on the linebacker.  

"[Cincinnati] was definitely on my radar," Kuechly said. "I think they were the first team that offered me a scholarship. But I wanted to get out of Cincinnati and expand my horizon a little bit. UC is really about 15 or 20 minutes away from my house, and I played on their field a few times when I was growing up. I just wanted to see what else was going on in a place like Boston that was a bit farther away from Cincinnati."

Kelly spoke earlier in the week about creating a game plan to try and slow down the All-American linebacker he once tried to recruit, especially after his fourth quarter effort against NC State last weekend. The main way he hopes to do this is with his offensive line, which Kuechly admits is among the best he has seen.

"They've got some players over there," Kuechly said. "Their offensive line is good. It's a rare combination over there. Those guys are big, they're physical, and they can move. We haven't seen any big guys who can move at that pace, so we need to do a good job getting our hands on them before they get their hands on us."