No. 3 Notre Dame keeping this week's focus on Boston College instead of its playoff prospects

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — No. 3 Notre Dame refuses to play the numbers game.

Sure, it improved its playoff position by beating top-ranked Miami last week. And, yes, the Fighting Irish (8-1, No. 5 CFP) are trying to make sure they don't lose ground Saturday when they host struggling Boston College.

But they're not worried about the rankings, even after being left out of the playoffs last season. They just want to continue to play winning football.

“We just have to keep doing our job, keep playing the games, winning the games, and if we take care of our business each day and each week, then the results should add up, and we should get to where we should be at,” running back Nolan James Jr. said. “We’re not result driven in that aspect. It’s just something where we’ve got to do our job each and every day, and hopefully the rankings take care of themselves.”

On paper, this game looks like a mismatch.

The Eagles (4-5) have lost two straight including last week's 31-24 defeat to Florida State, four of their last five and 10 straight in the Notre Dame series.

Yet Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman knows what to expect. He reminded his team of what happened in 1993 when the Irish upset then No. 1 Florida State and lost the next week at home — to Boston College.

And he's seen enough of Eagles quarterback Mason McKenzie to know he will challenge the stingy Irish defense with his legs as well as his arm. McKenzie leads all ACC quarterbacks with 676 yards rushing for a team that averages 165.9 yards per game.

“As you look at their offense, you know, it all starts with the quarterback," Freeman said. "He can run it, he can throw it. There are designed quarterback runs, there are quarterback scrambles, so we have to know where he’s at, keep him contained and not let him beat us with his feet in particular and extend plays, because it could be a long day.”

Boston College's defense has struggled, too. It's giving up 27 points per game and has allowed touchdowns on 24 of 37 red-zone trips. But Boston College coach Bill O'Brien believes his team is on the cusp of a breakthrough moment, and it could come at Notre Dame again — if the Irish aren't fully focused on the actual game rather than the numbers.

“We feel like with the exception of Duke, where obviously we got drilled, we feel like we’re close, and close is not good enough,” O'Brien said. “We really understand that. We know that that’s not good, but we feel like we’re building something."

One thing Boston College does well is force turnovers. It leads the ACC with 12 interceptions and 15 total takeaways.

Notre Dame, however, protects the ball. Quarterback C.J. Carr has thrown only one interception — none in his last 172 attempts — and James has scored at least one touchdown in every game this season.

The Irish also are trying to extend their school record of consecutive games with 24 or more points scored to 22.

O’Brien knew long ago that Freeman had a bright future in coaching.

How? Well, when he was coaching the Houston Texans, one of his players and future NFL head coach Mike Vrabel invited Freeman to watch the Texans practice, and O'Brien got to interact with the two former Ohio State players.

“You could tell he was a great coach and was into the details of the game,” O’Brien said. “He’s done an unbelievable job. He was a great assistant coach, and that’s why (Notre Dame) elevated him to head coach, because he had a great care for the players and he could teach the players. He had that balance of being really demanding, but you know also really caring about the players.”

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