Notre Dame is gearing up to take on their 8th opponent of the 2025 season, the Boston College Eagles. The Irish travel out east to Alumni Stadium for the first time since 2020 to play the 1-7 Eagles. Unfortunately, this season hasn't gone the way some thought it would for head coach Bill O'Brien in year two; Boston College is currently riding a seven-game losing streak behind a defense that ranks amongst one of the worst in the country.
The Eagles rank No. 126 in the country in points allowed per game (34.4), No. 111 in the country in yards allowed per game (410.6) and No. 123 in the country in passing touchdowns allowed this season (17). That being said, there are still a few key pieces on this defense the Irish will have to game plan for and it starts with a productive interior defensive lineman.
Defensive Tackle #88 Sedarius McConnell
The pass rush for Boston College hasn't been overly effective this season, especially after losing a talent like Donovan Ezeiruaku on the edge who accounted for 16.5 sacks last season. Some slack, however, is being picked up along the interior with defensive tackle Sedarius McConnell having the best season of his career so far in 2025. McConnell has 22 total tackles this season, leads the team in tackles for a loss with 6.5 and also leads the team in sacks with 2.5. The 6-3, 279-pound defensive tackle has been one of Boston College's most consistent interior defensive lineman this season, and he's gearing up to face one of his toughest match ups of the season.
Matchup To Watch: Left guard Sullivan Absher is making his first career start in a Notre Dame uniform this Saturday. The Irish lost redshirt junior captain left guard Billy Schrauth for a couple of weeks, likely until the end of the regular season, due to an injury against USC. Absher has rotated in quite a bit throughout the season at various spots, but will now step into the starting lineup on the road against Boston College. He'll routinely be matched up with their best interior defensive lineman and will have to execute at a high level to keep quarterback CJ Carr's jersey clean against the Eagles most productive pass rusher.
Linebacker #33 Owen McGowan
Boston College's middle linebacker Owen McGowan isn't the most athletic linebacker in the country, but he brings a lot of experience to the table. He's played in the Eagle's program since 2021 and is now their starting middle linebacker. McGowan currently leads the team in total stops with 22, which leads the linebacking corps by a wide margin. The 6-0, 236-pound linebacker is an old school box linebacker who makes a lot of his plays around the line of scrimmage. He's struggle a bit in pass coverage this season and has allowed 17 receptions on 20 targets for 212 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Boston College linebacking corps has been hit with injuries this season; McGowan is one of the only healthy backers still standing heading into November.
Matchup To Watch: Running back Jeremiyah Love has taken on a bigger role in the passing game this season in Mike Denbrock's offense. He has 19 receptions for 197 yards and three receiving touchdowns this season. Last game, against USC, he caught five balls for 37 yards on top of his 228-yard rushing performance. Denbrock will have to create matchups for Love in the passing game against McGowan who is allowing an 85% reception rate when targeted and has already allowed two receiving touchdowns this season.
Safety #0 Omar Thornton
Defensive back Omar Thornton is one of Boston College's younger players in the secondary but is one of their most productive. The 5-11, 201-pound sophomore is currently second on the team in tackles with 54, has one interception and is second on the team in tackles for a loss with 6.0. Unfortunately, due to his inexperience, he doesn't play sound at all times. Thornton has missed 16 tackles this season through eight games, allowed 16 receptions on 20 targets and four receiving touchdowns in 2025. At times, he's one of their best defenders, but his lack of consistency has been a problem throughout the season.
Matchup To Watch: Tight end Eli Raridon has had an interesting season so far for Notre Dame. He's second on the team in receptions with 21 and third on the team in receiving yards with 347; that's only one yard behind boundary receiver Malachi Fields. Some weeks, he's been a focal point of the offense and other weeks, he'll go without a target. Raridon at 6-7, 252-pounds has to be utilized this weekend against the 5-11, 201-pound Thornton who has already allowed four receiving touchdowns. Raridon has yet to record a receiving touchdown this season, but he's been close. This could be the weekend that streak ends.
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