Jeremiyah Love’s pair of second-half touchdowns helped No. 12 Notre Dame hold off host Boston College 25-10 for its sixth consecutive win on Saturday.
The star junior back was limited to 40 yards on 11 carries before busting out for a 94-yard touchdown run with 11:07 remaining. Love (136 yards) also rushed for a 3-yard score in the third quarter to stop Boston College’s 10-point run, which brought them to within 12-10.
Notre Dame (6-2) finished with a 458-281 advantage in total yards while gaining 8.3 yards per play.
Quarterback CJ Carr was 18-for-25 for 299 yards and tossed a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes to Malachi Fields and Will Pauling. Carr completed seven passes of 15 yards or longer.
After Dylan Lonergan drew the start, Grayson James entered at quarterback for Boston College (1-8) and went 25-for-37 for 240 yards and one touchdown.
The Notre Dame defense racked up three interceptions, 12 tackles for loss and five sacks. Linebacker Drayk Bowen totaled a career-high 14 stops and added two tackles for loss and a sack.
Notre Dame had the ball for 10:18 in a scoreless first quarter before scoring on a 4th-and-6 play to begin the second. Carr aired out a 40-yard pass over the middle to Fields to cap a 10-play, 85-yard touchdown drive.
The following three combined series resulted in turnovers. After Tae Johnson intercepted Lonergan, the Irish drove to the Boston College 5-yard line where a Jadarian Price fumble gave the ball back.
The hosts turned the ball over on downs after eating up 7:11 on a 14-play drive, allowing Notre Dame to add to its lead on Carr’s 44-yard toss to Pauling. The Irish lead was just 12-0 after a missed PAT and 2-point conversion on its initial two scoring drives.
Grayson James led the Eagles on a 7-play, 75-yard series in just a 1:31 span before halftime, cutting the deficit to 12-7.
After spinning free to avoid a second straight sack, James connected with Lewis Bond (twice) and Jaedn Skeete on three straight 15-plus-yard passes. Two plays later, Reed Harris caught a 25-yarder in the left corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
Notre Dame’s Erik Schmidt missed a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
Coming out of halftime, Boston College strung together a 21-play, 74-yard drive over 11:20. Three fourth-down conversions helped James along the way, but consecutive empty plays forced the Eagles to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Luca Lombardo.
But Notre Dame responded. Following four first downs in a five-play span, Love rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 32 seconds left. Another missed PAT followed and the Irish led 18-10.
The fourth quarter featured a possible major swing. After the Irish appeared to recover a Skeete fumble for a touchdown, replay deemed he had recovered his own miscue.
However, eight plays later, the drive ended with Adon Shuler intercepting Lonergan’s deep ball before Love rushed up the sideline for an insurance touchdown.
