This is from yesterday's ND press conference....
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"You know, Boston College will be our seventh team that had the week off to prepare, and certainly, they will be ready to come here and play their very best.
"They always do. They're always very difficult games. It's a team that quite interesting enough, has really evolved into a very difficult team to defend offensively with both the two running backs in Dillon and Bailey. Just outstanding backs. One is 240 pounds, 250 pounds, depends on what scale you look at.
"But both of them are just outstanding. Dillon has got the burst to get to the edge, the physicality that you're going to need more than one guy to bring him down.
"Unfortunately, they lost the starting quarterback, but the kid that's gone in there was a baseball player, but he plays with great confidence. He's comfortable back there. Just a savvy kid. He does what he's asked to do, play-action pass, gets the ball to White, who's a really good receiver.
"But the bottom line here is this is one of the top-scoring offenses in the country. Mike Bajakian is doing a great job. I know Mike. He is an outstanding offensive coordinator. Very good offensive line.
"Defensively they have lost a lot of guys in back end of their defense. This is traditionally a defense that turns over a lot of NFL players, so they've got some younger players back there that are going to be good.
"So, again, from our perspective, it continues to execute at a high level offensively, control the line of scrimmage as best we can against a team that really wants to assert themselves in running the football. Should be a great matchup for our football team." ....
On what he remembers about AJ Dillon...
"That he was a really good player, somebody that we had offered and would've liked to have come to Notre Dame. But I think there were other reasons maybe that he didn't want to come here. I don't know what they were. We never really had an opportunity.
Felt like BC was the best fit for him and it's obviously worked out quite well for him."
On what he remembers of BC growing up in Massachusetts...
"I wasn't following Boston College that much growing up. I mean, it was more Notre Dame. I didn't pick up Boston College until I was just about ready to leave. That was a little bit of the Holy Cross/Boston College games that were being played that were competitive back then.
"But I wasn't much of a fan of anything but Notre Dame really growing up. That's all we had on TV. Boston College wasn't on the television set much growing up in Boston. It wasn't until I was gone from Boston that BC started to be played on radio and television."
On what he's seen from BC's program more recently...
"I think just from a football standpoint, you know, being in the ACC has obviously benefited them greatly. They have certainly a reputation of being a physical football team. Obviously going back to Coach Coughlin in terms of they have either turned out great defensive players or obviously the tight ends, quarterbacks.
"I played Boston College when I was at Central Michigan with Matt Ryan. It's always been a program that has turned out really fine players year in and year out, and an extremely competitive football team that can beat anybody on any given day.
"Certainly know the difference here that when they're playing Notre Dame, this is a big game. We know obviously they're playing for bowl eligibility, so there is a lot playing for this game."
**********
"You know, Boston College will be our seventh team that had the week off to prepare, and certainly, they will be ready to come here and play their very best.
"They always do. They're always very difficult games. It's a team that quite interesting enough, has really evolved into a very difficult team to defend offensively with both the two running backs in Dillon and Bailey. Just outstanding backs. One is 240 pounds, 250 pounds, depends on what scale you look at.
"But both of them are just outstanding. Dillon has got the burst to get to the edge, the physicality that you're going to need more than one guy to bring him down.
"Unfortunately, they lost the starting quarterback, but the kid that's gone in there was a baseball player, but he plays with great confidence. He's comfortable back there. Just a savvy kid. He does what he's asked to do, play-action pass, gets the ball to White, who's a really good receiver.
"But the bottom line here is this is one of the top-scoring offenses in the country. Mike Bajakian is doing a great job. I know Mike. He is an outstanding offensive coordinator. Very good offensive line.
"Defensively they have lost a lot of guys in back end of their defense. This is traditionally a defense that turns over a lot of NFL players, so they've got some younger players back there that are going to be good.
"So, again, from our perspective, it continues to execute at a high level offensively, control the line of scrimmage as best we can against a team that really wants to assert themselves in running the football. Should be a great matchup for our football team." ....
On what he remembers about AJ Dillon...
"That he was a really good player, somebody that we had offered and would've liked to have come to Notre Dame. But I think there were other reasons maybe that he didn't want to come here. I don't know what they were. We never really had an opportunity.
Felt like BC was the best fit for him and it's obviously worked out quite well for him."
On what he remembers of BC growing up in Massachusetts...
"I wasn't following Boston College that much growing up. I mean, it was more Notre Dame. I didn't pick up Boston College until I was just about ready to leave. That was a little bit of the Holy Cross/Boston College games that were being played that were competitive back then.
"But I wasn't much of a fan of anything but Notre Dame really growing up. That's all we had on TV. Boston College wasn't on the television set much growing up in Boston. It wasn't until I was gone from Boston that BC started to be played on radio and television."
On what he's seen from BC's program more recently...
"I think just from a football standpoint, you know, being in the ACC has obviously benefited them greatly. They have certainly a reputation of being a physical football team. Obviously going back to Coach Coughlin in terms of they have either turned out great defensive players or obviously the tight ends, quarterbacks.
"I played Boston College when I was at Central Michigan with Matt Ryan. It's always been a program that has turned out really fine players year in and year out, and an extremely competitive football team that can beat anybody on any given day.
"Certainly know the difference here that when they're playing Notre Dame, this is a big game. We know obviously they're playing for bowl eligibility, so there is a lot playing for this game."
