Everything Boston College coach Jeff Hafley said about Notre Dame football

Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley said he could sense some momentum starting to build for his Eagles even in a seven-point loss to Duke two weeks prior to this Saturday’s game against Notre Dame. He was right.

Boston College (3-7) went on the road and beat then-No. 16 North Carolina State 21-20 this past weekend in the second career start of redshirt freshman quarterback Emmett Morehead. Hafley’s team has another tough test away from home this week in snowy South Bend.

Here’s everything Hafley said about No. 18 Notre Dame (7-3).

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On facing a fourth ranked team in six games

“Every time we play a game it feels like it’s against a ranked opponent. Which, hey, our goal is to get there. And to get there, you have to play the good teams. Notre Dame is another one of them. What are they, 18th now? They’ve done a really nice job of fighting back.

“Marcus [Freeman] has done a nice job with the slow start. Some ups and downs. Pushing through and persevering and winning some good games like the Clemson game and battling last week against Navy who is a tough team. He’s done a really nice job. It’s a good football team. A veteran team, especially on defense.”

On the Notre Dame defense

“Defensively, it’s all seniors and grads except the one, I think they have a true freshman corner playing right now. Defensive line is big and really well coached. No. 7 [senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey] is a good player. He’s also the guy blocking all those punts. Nose guard is a good player. Linebackers are aggressive. And their back end, they got a lot of experience.

“They play really hard. Al Golden has done a really good job schematically with them. They’ll throw a lot at you. They’ll play man, they’ll play zone. They’ll send six-man pressure. Five-man pressure. They’ll double people. I’m sure they’ll have a plan for Zay [Flowers] that is a little different than what they’ve done.”

More Notre Dame football

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On the Notre Dame offense

“It starts up front. Their offensive line, very experienced. Very big. It’s the biggest offensive line that we will have played this year. I know their quarterback has been injured, but [Drew] Pyne has come in and it seems like he’s got great leadership. He’s a quick kid. He can make the throws. He’s got a quick release, strong arm. Their wide receivers are good players.

“I think their tight end is the best in the country and will be an extremely high draft pick. I was impressed with him as a freshman. Even more impressed with him now. He’s bigger. He’s stronger. He has double the targets of the rest of the wideouts. You can tell him and Pyne have a really strong connection. Seems to be the heartbeat of their team.

“And then the backs. They’ve got three of them. No. 7 [sophomore running back Audric Estime] is enormous. Runs through people. Plays with passion. They’re a downhill team that’s been running the ball on everybody right now. It’s very evident in how they played Clemson and got after them. Respect for their staff and a ton of respect for their team. It will be another good fight and a good test for us, and we’re looking forward to it.”

On Michael Mayer

“A lot of the pass game is going to go through him, especially on some downs and distances. You better know where he is, and you better have a guy on him. Sometimes two. He’s a game-changer. The thing about him is, he’s a good blocker, too, which is what the NFL will love.

“He can run routes, he’s big, he catches the ball. He’s got a huge catch radius. He’s got really good run after the catch. I remember his first year when we played here two years ago, he caught a crosser and he was jumping over people. So you better know where he is, and you better have a plan for him because he’s a great player.”

On playing on the road

“Whether we are home or away, we get there and it’s just us. We’ll get on the plane again, and we’re excited for it. Last week is done. I told the team that today. It’s over. It’s done. It doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s what’s ahead of us now. We got the 18th-ranked team in the country.

“We have to go there to another veteran team, another senior day. Probably 3-touchdown underdogs again. I haven’t looked, but I’m guessing. We got our work cut out for us, that’s for sure.”

On the 2020 game vs. Notre Dame

“It’s the same coordinator on offense, so you definitely take a look back. I think they were ranked No. 2 at the time in the country. I thought we fought early on, fought back at the end. I think we lost by 14. That was a really good football team. I think we had just played the No. 1 team in the country, and then we played the No. 2 team in the country, and it was our 10th straight game during COVID.

“We were one of the only teams to get through that many games. So I do have a vivid memory of that. I do remember that game. I’ve watched that game. There is a lot we can learn from it when you take a look at it.”