Notre Dame football: It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't close

So many times Notre Dame fell short of coach Brian Kellys mission to have the head of a champion, along with the heart.

Hard to beef about the production, though.

Notre Dame had three possessions in the first half and controlled the ball more than 18 minutes. The Irish generated 256 yards and converted on all eight of its third-down tries.

The 11-point edge at halftime was hardly as dominating as it seemed.

It was the Irish defense that had its struggles.

Boston College took advantage of Notre Dames pursuit with screen passes and misdirection running plays. BC had five short pass plays for double-digit gains in the first half. Spiffy (Dont you just love the name Spiffy?) Evans turned a short pass into a 28-yard gain late in the third quarter. It was the key play in a drive that set up BCs second field goal, cutting the Notre Dame lead to 21-6.

No problem. Boston College wasnt good enough to make it interesting.

History wasnt a factor. Neither was style.

Forget one. Better start paying attention to the other.

Staff writer Al Lesar:

alesar@sbtinfo.com

574-235-6318