Notre Dame has one of the most consistent and balanced offenses in the country. They rank 9th in the country in points per game (39.3) and have an almost dead-even split between passing touchdowns (22) and rushing touchdowns (21) as a team. They're fresh off of a 31-point outing against Miami last weekend in South Bend and this weekend, they're gearing up to face a struggling Boston College defense. 

Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock started to open up the offense against the Hurricanes and I'm hoping to see more of that going forward against BC, SMU and Syracuse to end the season. The headline for this game is 'don't screw this up' if you're Notre Dame, and to avoid the big let-down game, the offense is going to have to be firing on all cylinders. Here are the three biggest storylines, two crucial battles and one player to watch in tomorrow afternoon's contest inside Notre Dame Stadium. 

1. Put It Away Early

This should not be a competitive game for long if the offense can start fast and put this game away early. The talent advantage for Notre Dame on both sides of the ball is outstanding, but offensively they should be able to take advantage of several matchups across the board. The offensive line has the opportunity to dominate Boston College in the trenches and their skill on the perimeter doesn't compare to Notre Dame's. This will also give the opportunity for some much-needed rest to some key starters like receivers Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse and Micah Gilbert who played over 400 snaps combined against BYU and Miami. 

2. Opportunity For Big Play Hunting

Boston College ranks 95th in the country in pass plays of 30 yards or more allowed and 58th in the country in rush plays of 20 yards or longer allowed. They rank 76th in the country in total 30 yards plays allowed from scrimmage and 77th in the country in pass plays of 40 yards or longer allowed. So what does this mean? Notre Dame's offense has the opportunity to go big-play hunting in this matchup. Let's be real about something, the Irish could run the ball 65 times, go for over 300 yards and leave the stadium with a significant victory. But this is the opportunity for Denbrock to continue opening up the offense and hit some massive plays. 

3. CJ Carr's Heisman Push

Last season, we saw a concerted effort from Notre Dame for running back Jeremiyah Love's Heisman push. This season, after their 31-24 win over Miami, quarterback CJ Carr is nearing the forefront of the Heisman Trophy campaign. Putting this game away early by hitting big plays would make a strong case for Carr to continue his push to the heralded Heisman Trophy. The Saline, Michigan native had his 'moment' last week against Miami. Now, the 6-2, 215-pound signal caller needs numbers and he has the opportunity to do that against a Boston College team that allowed 230 passing yards to Rutgers, 259 passing yards to Georgia Tech and 233 passing yards to Duke. 

1. Jordan Faison vs Max Tucker

To avoid the daunted 'let-down' game, Notre Dame's offense will need their dudes to be dudes and right now, the Irish don't have a bigger dude at receiver than senior Jordan Faison. The Florida native currently leads the team in receptions (44), yards (574) and is tired for the team lead with Micah Gilbert in receiving touchdowns (5). This weekend, he'll likely be matched up against Eagles corner Max Tucker who is one of their bigger cornerbacks on the roster at 5-11, 190-pounds. It's likely Notre Dame will try to get Faison involved early and often to get this game put away early. 

2. Will Black vs E'Lla Boykin

Sophomore left tackle Will Black had a lot of high expectations coming into this season and now that we're nine games in, I'm comfortable in saying that he's surpassed those expectations. The 6-7, 316-pound tackle has only allowed one sack this season and that came in the first half of the season opener against Wisconsin. Since then, he's stonewalled every edge rusher he's faced including Miami's Marquise Lightfoot. This week, he'll be matched up against E'Lla Boykin who leads the team in total pressures (16). Black will have to continue his dominant streak and not have a let-down performance in his own right. I'm confident he'll remain steady and dominant. 

Notre Dame's offensive line has played extremely well this season and has continued to improve every week. One player, however, that's struggled over the past few games has been center Ashton Craig. Low snaps have been an issue recently and he's coming off of his worst performance of the season against Miami. This week, he won't be going up against two potential first round picks like he did last week against the Hurricanes. This is a 'get right' opportunity for the 5th-year center. 

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