Underdog BC Undeterred

Even during a season filled with disappointment, students and fans alike will be buzzing come Saturday as Boston College takes on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Ind. (4 p.m., NBC).

"The Holy War—there's nothing bigger on the BC schedule" junior defensive end Max Holloway said. "Players and coaches, we all get amped up for this week especially. As a player, it's a privilege to go over and play in their place. You feel the tradition and you want nothing more than to beat those guys."

The 21st match-up between the only two Catholic-affiliated teams in the FBS, dubbed "The Holy War," looks to have a slightly different character, however, than in years past. As a rivalry historically filled with close-fought games between bowl-bound teams, the Eagles opened as a 24.5-point underdog against the Irish.

Prior to a 31-13 BC loss last year in Chestnut Hill, no more than 13 points separated the teams in the previous nine match-ups. Out of those nine games, six were decided by a touchdown or less. Despite two consecutive losses by the Eagles in '09 and '10, the series is still extremely tight, as BC holds nine victories, compared to 11 for the Irish.

Heading to South Bend to play in front of 80,000 beyond-passionate fans is an experience like no other in college football and provides an extra incentive and challenge for BC this weekend.

"Everyone says [playing at Notre Dame] gives you a special feeling, so I'm looking forward to that feeling," sophomore wide receiver Bobby Swigert said. "It might be the only time I ever get to play there in my life, so I'm definitely going to cherish it, and hopefully we can get a win. That would make it even better."

In 11 meetings, BC is 6-5 at Notre Dame Stadium. This is an impressive feat, considering that Notre Dame is 461-118-13 all-time at home. For the Eagles to even their record in South Bend, they will need to learn from the contest just a year ago, in which Notre Dame dominated from the start.

"You can't get too overly hyped during the week because, if you're too emotional in the week, you're going to lose it during the game," junior linebacker Luke Kuechly said. "That's what happened to us last year. We came out, maybe, overly emotional or overhyped, and it took us a while to get settled down. When we got settled down, we ended up being all right."

While the Eagles look to channel their emotions, they will also need to perform at the peak of their physical abilities to keep pace with the Fighting Irish.

"Notre Dame is one of the best teams I've seen on film this year," Swigert said. "Watching them defensively, at least, they're solid pretty much everywhere. Their highly touted recruits are really coming into their own because they have a great coach and a great system working. They're very balanced and that helps them be a well-run football team."

On the offensive end, senior wide receiver Michael Floyd will lead the Irish. He is a dynamic player, currently ranking third in both receiving yards and touchdown catches among all FBS wide receivers. On the other side of the ball is junior linebacker Manti Te'o, who has often been compared to Luke Kuechly. He leads a unit currently ranked 36th in the country in total defense.

In a game filled with so much passion and tradition, it may be simplicity above all else that leads the Eagles to an upset victory.

"People would be lying if they said it was just another game," Kuechly said. "But going in, you've got to treat it the way you treat every other week. Once the game starts, it's football. Personally, when the game starts, it's everything within the lines."