Holy War
Nov. 1, 2025 Chestnut Hill, Mass.
GAME PREVIEW
3 17 1 years since their last matchup. years since the Eagles’ last victory. Holy War.
Here’s what you need to know
Boston College
Offense: Sitting last in the conference, BC’s 2025 campaign has not established itself as the bowl-game contender it was expected to be.
In fact, it’s been the Eagles’ worst start to the season since 1989.
Alabama transfer quarterback Dylan Lonergan offered signs of life for BC’s offense in its early September matchup against Michigan State, where he threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns.
But it was not enough to come home from East Lansing, Mich., victorious.
Since then, Lonergan has more sacks on the season than his nine touchdowns.
The redshirt sophomore has failed to reach 200 passing yards in his last three games, compared to an average of 330 yards in the first three.
And conference play hasn’t gotten
per game.
That, paired with the defense’s inability to come up with big game-winning plays, is a tough pill to swallow.
After finishing the 2024 season with 17 interceptions, the Eagles are far from that mark this time around. In fact, they have just two through eight games.
Notre Dame
Offense:
Entering the Holy War with a 5–2 record, the Fighting Irish have gained steam after narrowly dropping their first two games against then-No. 10 Miami and then-No. 16 Texas A&M. All the pendulums are swinging in favor of Notre Dame, which ranks 21st in the FBS for total offense and posts roughly 7.05 yards per play through Week 8. That, combined with Notre
BC last played Notre Dame in 2022, losing 44–0 in South Bend.
Dame’s average of 462 yards per game, is a combination for disaster for a BC defense that couldn’t even contain UConn at home.
After graduating Riley Leonard, the Fighting Irish have turned to redshirt freshman CJ Carr.
While he wasn’t QB1 in Notre Dame’s national championship appearance, he is a part of the legacy that head coach Marcus Freeman is creating in South Bend.
And now, he is the point person for the Notre Dame offense with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.
While he may have been at the helm for the Fighting Irish’s last five wins, he hasn’t always been safeguarded by his offensive line, which has allowed 10 sacks.
That could be to the Eagles’ advantage.
Two other names that may come up on Nov. 1 are running back
Jeremiyah Love and wide receiver
Jordan Faison, who serve as Carr’s go-tos.
Boasting 758 rushing yards and 436 receiving yards, respectively, both Love and Faison are likely to shake things up in the Holy War.
Defense: The most dangerous part of Notre Dame football’s game may, in fact, be its defense. While the box score may not completely show it, the Fighting Irish’s defense is heating up after Texas A&M put up 488 yards of offense.
One difference maker in the equation has been the Fighting Irish’s Adon Shuler. With his 40 tackles on the season, Shuler has come up in big moments.
Most recently against Southern California, Shuler delivered a career-high 11 tackles and forced a late fumble in the fourth quarter,
which led to a decisive victory over the Trojans. Leonard Moore, Luke Talich, and Christian Gray combined have quadruple the interceptions on the season as the entirety of the BC roster.
Notching 17 sacks and 13 interceptions on the season, the Notre Dame defense is not likely to go down without a fight.
Outlook
Saturday may look ugly for the Eagles. In fact, BC fans expect it.
Lacking a sense of stability, BC has been unable to nd its footing the entirety of the season. Until the Eagles nd their identity in every aspect of their game, the Fighting Irish are likely to cruise right past them—possibly leaving them scoreless 44–0 just as they did three years ago.
CALLIE OXFORD / HEIGHTS EDITOR
17 YEARS OF SILENCE:
The Story of BC’s Last Holy War Win
This is bigger than just one game.
This year’s game marks half a century of the Holy War. It is a rivalry, a tradition, and a legend. But it’s also a competition—one that Boston College has not won since 2008, when the Eagles shut out Notre Dame 17–0 at home in front of nearly 45,000 people.
Here’s the story of that game, told by the people that were there to witness it.
BY MARIA STEFANOUDAKIS Sports Editor
A thin mist blanketed Alumni Stadium, catching the light to create a slight sparkle on everything it touched. Seas of yellow T-shirts and maroon beanies created a BC-themed checkerboard in the overflowing crowd, with brightly colored rain ponchos sticking out like sore thumbs. The 8 p.m. start came with a full day’s worth of anticipation. Finally, though, the time had arrived.
“That’s the game that we all have circled on our calendar going through fall camp,” BC cornerback Donnie Fletcher said. “It’s probably the best game of the year when it comes to atmosphere.”
Junior linebacker Mark Herzlich led the Eagles out of the tunnel. He carried his shimmery gold helmet instead of wearing it, showing off the jet-black paint drawn around his eyes. The war began.
THE HEAT RISES
prospect of losing a tiebreaker raised the stakes even more.
Notre Dame linebacker Brian Smith paid BC players a visit during warmups—unshockingly, exchanging pleasantries was not on his agenda.
“I hope you don’t play as soft as you look,” Smith yelled. “Things change tonight.”
Notre Dame’s offense, led by quarterback Jimmy Clausen, got the ball first.
“They had this quarterback that just, nobody liked at the time—Jimmy Clausen,” BC kicker Steve Aponavicius said. “Kind of a pretty boy from Southern California and thought he was the greatest thing to ever come around.”
Down 3–0 with a little under seven minutes left in the first half, Clausen and the Irish were facing 3rd-and-7 at midfield. Clausen took a shot down to BC’s 25, but overthrew his receiver and ended up shipping the ball right into the hands of BC senior Paul Anderson.
Anderson tucked the ball against his chest, then did what any safety is trained to do in that situation: run his butt off.
Anderson’s journey to the opposite endzone was pure chaos, as white jerseys flew at him from all different
Notre Dame’s Golden Tate came out of nowhere, darting across the field and tracking Anderson down. He made one last-ditch effort, diving at Anderson’s feet right outside the end zone.
Anderson kicked Tate off like a bug and completed a 76-yard pick-six right in front of BC’s student section. He tossed the ball behind him and pointed both fingers into the crowd.
Those students didn’t know it yet, but BC’s defense was just getting started
LEFT REMINISCING
It’s always devastating when a team loses its best player.
BC said its farewells to Matt Ryan—arguably the best quarterback to ever call Alumni Stadium home—in the spring of 2008 when the Atlanta Falcons drafted him with the third pick in the NFL Draft.
It was not quite LeBron-to-theHeat-level heartbreak, but there was a definitive feeling of disappointment. Even knowing that a departure is coming doesn’t take away the sting when it really happens.
The Eagles’ end to the 2007–2008 season certainly didn’t help.
They had climbed to an all-time high No. 2 ranking but ultimately fell to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game.
And with Ryan gone, the window
another one would make its way to Chestnut Hill. Redshirt senior Chris Crane took over for Ryan the following August. Despite doubts, he led the Eagles to a 5–1 start, including a narrow home win over No. 17 Virginia Tech.
After that exhilarating win, though, things took a turn for the worse.
First, what had been a consistently stout defensive unit gave up 45 points to unranked North Carolina in a blowout loss.
Then, BC handed Dabo Swinney his first win as Clemson’s head coach, falling to the Tigers 27–21 on home turf.
One year prior, Ryan had led the Eagles to a comeback win at Clemson. Crane’s attempt to do so didn’t go as well, and comparisons crept back in.
The truth that many had been avoiding—that BC’s offense just wasn’t that good—had become exceedingly apparent. And just like that, the doubt that was lingering at the beginning of the season had snuck back in as the Eagles prepared to take on their biggest rival.
GRITTY IN GOLD
“You try to live by those ‘coachisms’ that you always hear, that ‘every opponent is the same,’ and ‘make sure you prepare for every game in the same way,’” Aponavicius said. “But there’s no denying that when someone like Notre Dame is coming to campus, that there’s a different feel.”
When kickoff finally arrived, however, that excited energy didn’t transfer to BC’s offense. Instead, it came out flat.
Aponavicius missed a 34-yard field goal to start the game. He hit a 27-yarder before the first quarter ended to put BC on the board, but the Eagles didn’t score an offensive touchdown until the second half. Luckily for head coach Jeff Jagodzinski, his defense had come to play.
Anderson’s pick-six in the second quarter put the Eagles up 10–0, and it only got worse from there for the Irish. Notre Dame finally seemed to be putting together a complete drive as the half neared its end.
Clausen racked up five completions, including one to Tate for 16 yards that got the Irish to BC’s 25-yard line. A score to end the half would have swung the momentum, reviving the otherwise lifeless Irish.
Rollins had none of that.
Clausen aired out a pass for a long first down, but Rollins dove through the air, snatching the pass out of its arc and sending the Eagles into the half up 10–0.
BC intercepted two more of Clausen’s passes before the night was over—including a second interception
Still, the Eagles’ offense never heated up. In fact, the scoreless Irish registered nearly three times as many
passing yards as Crane and BC did.
e shutout was not glamorous. e Eagles certainly didn’t look like they had in 2007, when Ryan threw for almost 200 yards and two touch downs to beat Notre Dame and remain undefeated.
“Leaving the game, everyone was pretty fired up because there was some recognition that this was not quite the 2007 team of BC, but this team was still creating some memorable wins,” then-Associate Sports Editor for The Heights David Amstutz said.
So no, the 2008 win wasn’t pretty. But is war ever pretty?
“Those are some of the memories
leading to frequent overlap in athletic recruiting.
Fletcher, a true freshman back in 2008, picked off Clausen in the fourth quarter. It was the game-sealing interception—the cherry on top of an all-around defensive masterclass from the Eagles.
At one point, though, there was a chance that Fletcher would be wearing a white jersey instead of a maroon one that night. Fletcher said Notre Dame heavily recruited him before committing to BC.
“It’s the same type of guy that they kind of recruit,” Fletcher said. “Everyone had a story about Notre
in 2009. He flew there, but many BC students were invested enough to pack up and make the drive.
“A bunch of students would just pack RVs and drive out to South Bend,” Amstutz said. “That was definitely, I would say, a highlight in the football season.”
Perhaps it was easier for fans to be invested in the rivalry then.
In the spring of 2008, BC men’s
think BC was kind of like an annoying little sibling. The problem for Notre Dame, at the time, was that BC just kept winning.”
Today, BC struggles to keep students in the stadium for the whole game.
The student section consistently empties by the third quarter, with the few faithful stragglers finding their way to the front rows.
Back in 2008, it was hard to get students to come in on time. But once they were in, they didn’t leave.
“BC was notorious then—for the crowd would show up late,” Amstutz said. “People usually stayed, which
MORE THAN A GAME
ere’s been a handful of competitive games since 2008, but the last four meetings have been blowouts, with the Irish outscoring BC 178–58.
is 17-year stretch might feel like eternity—like Notre Dame has always been, and will always be, the superior team.
But the Holy War existed long before 2008. And it will (probably) go on long after.
e Holy War game on Nov. 1, 2025, is just one in a long history.
Regardless of the outcome, it is part of something bigger: a tradition that has endured one-sidedness and unexciting play.
It’s lasted half a century, starting in ally televised game played in Foxborough, Mass.—back when being on national TV
BC hasn’t won in a while. And this year’s matchup doesn’t exactly promise
eld on Nov. 1—all you can really do is sit back
“It is really easy as a player to get kind of swept up in preparing for the game and being focused on the game,” Aponavicius is is truly a once-in-a-lifetime Make sure to enjoy it a
OPINIONS
FitzGerald: BC Doesn’t Need a New Coach. It Needs a New Culture.
BY SEBBY FITZGERALD Asst. Sports Editor
Tension is at its highest—not a lot of Boston College football fans would have guessed head coach Bill O’Brien would be ridiculed this heavily halfway through his second season.
Sitting at the bottom of the ACC with a 1–7 record, O’Brien’s defense has surrendered the secondmost points among all Power Four schools and has yet to beat an FBS opponent.
The former right-hand man to Bill Belichick and Nick Saban has had nothing but high expectations for the 2025 season, and he has fallen short of them.
Some of the BC faithful have quickly called for O’Brien’s firing, but an extended head coaching carousel will only contribute to the never-ending cycle of lingering mediocrity in Chestnut Hill.
The hardest part about rebuilding, though—especially given this is a Power Four school—isn’t the losing.
It’s convincing yourself, year after year, that this time, the foundation will hold.
Growing up a Cleveland sports fan, I’m no stranger to an everchanging roster and front office. The Browns’ 41 different starting quarterbacks and 10 head coaches in the past quarter-century can do a number on a fan’s mental health.
Since Frank Spaziani took over the Eagles in 2009—one year after back-to-back seasons of top-20 placements in the AP Poll, including a No. 10 finish in 2007—BC has rolled over four head coaches and cracked the Top 25 just twice. In fact, Spaziani’s 2009 season was the last time BC surpassed the eight-win mark.
Spaziani kicked off his coaching campaign with two straight bowl
appearances—a 2–10 record in 2012 had him say goodbye. Steve Addazio took over, won BC’s first bowl game
Now, he has seemingly replicated Kelly’s very impressive resume, already racking up four bowl wins
in nine years, and added on four other bowl appearances—another 6–6 finish would’ve driven BC fans crazy, though, so to the gutter he went. Jeff Hafley didn’t exactly tackle the “mid” allegations either, never jumping the seven-win hurdle and leaving the Eagles in the dust for Green Bay.
It’s a simple equation at all levels of football: Consistent coaching equals consistent winning.
So why is it so easy for the Eagles’ Catholic counterpart ?
Brian Kelly’s 12-year stint with Notre Dame featured five bowl wins, four top-5 finishes, and a national championship appearance in 2012.
In his last five years, he never had more than three losses and reestablished the Fighting Irish as a perennial contender after a rough 4–8 record in 2016.
It seemed Notre Dame would be in for a couple of rebuilding years after moving on from its legendary coach, but instead, current head coach Marcus Freeman walked through the doors and immediately thrived.
Freeman had no head coaching experience before his first game as the interim in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
and claiming runner-up in last year’s national championship against Ohio State.
Was there ever a doubt about Notre Dame football, though? It’s unfortunate to say from the other side of the rivalry, but the Fighting Irish’s program is one of the most famous and expensive programs in the nation. It will always be in contention for high-end bowl games year in and year out.
O’Brien’s hiring was initially praised as BC’s “saving grace,” especially after its Week 1 win over No. 10 Florida State. And even after yet another 7–6 finish with a bowl loss in year one, there were flashes of promise, especially with the subpar roster he fielded in his first season.
The former Alabama offensive coordinator also pulled in two former four-star recruits from his time with the Crimson Tide through the transfer portal: quarterback Dylan Lonergan and tight end Ty Lockwood. Fast forward to the present day, and one was just demoted to the bench while the other has one reception for 14 yards.
It’s hard to entirely blame O’Brien for the absolute trainwreck that has been the 2025 season, but
he’s already taken some of the blame himself.
“I’ve got to do a better job with the offensive game plan,” O’Brien said after BC’s 48–7 loss to Pittsburgh. “I’ve got to—like I said—I’ve got to coach better. I’ve got to gameplan better. I’ve got to get the players and the coaches to coach and play better. That’s on me.”
There’s no reason to jump the gun on a seasoned coach like O’Brien, though. So let’s get this out of the way: O’Brien should not be fired at the end of the season.
O’Brien is the classic example of a scapegoat—all the ridicule is directed at him when the full structure of the football staff needs to be reevaluated. Consider defensive coordinator Tim Lewis and quarterbacks coach Jonathan DiBiasio. I can say comfortably that these guys need their units to perform much stronger to keep their jobs next year. Yes, the run game is iffy and the play-calling has been questionable, but your defense and quarterback are what win games.
Let me bring it back to my Ohio roots as an example.
In 2022, C.J. Stroud led the Big Ten in passing yards and touchdowns, cementing himself as a Heisman candidate. That same season, Ohio State couldn’t get over the national championship hump after surrendering 42 and 45 points in its final two games. Its defense finished in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten for yards and points allowed— something not normal for them.
The very next year, the defense was a different story, allowing 11.2 points per game and the third-fewest total yards per game in the Big Ten. But with Kyle McCord as gunslinger, the offensive drop off was steep, even with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka at the wideouts. Ohio State’s season ended disappointingly—by
its standards—missing the playoffs and putting up three points in the Cotton Bowl.
The Buckeyes finally put it all together in 2024, allowing the fewest total yards in the Big Ten, and quarterback Will Howard led the conference in passing yards and touchdown passes—they ultimately won the national championship with their sturdy defense and calm-and-collected quarterback. Head coach Ryan Day, though faced with ridicule from a harsh fanbase, stayed put through it all and has finally seemed to find the guys that complement him best.
My point is Lewis needs his defense to step up big time.
A stronger defense provides more cushion and confidence for whoever the signal caller is on Nov. 1, whether it be Lonergan or Grayson James. And although DiBiasio shouldn’t be condemned for the quarterbacks’ poor play, there’s no reason for BC to be cycling through three guys in the heart of the season. Settle on one and let him go to work.
BC rebrands and rebuilds, coach after coach. Notre Dame doesn’t rebuild with a new coach—it reloads. Instead of criticizing O’Brien, give him the time to structure his staff correctly.
The Holy War will be the biggest game of O’Brien and his staff’s BC career—one that, as of now, is not panning out to be terribly long.
This game is more than a lopsided rivalry.
It’ll be the foremost example of how the only two Catholic programs in the nation have built completely different houses despite sharing the same blueprint. One grows stronger with change, while the other struggles and tanks.
A win changes everything.
A sliver of daylight appears not only for O’Brien and co. but also for all of those on the Heights who hope and pray the story changes. n
Stefanoudakis: This Is Not a Rivalry
BY MARIA STEFANOUDAKIS Sports Editor
If you were to split a rivalry open and take a look inside, the heart of it would be competition.
The legs might be frequent meetings, and the arms might be mutual hatred, but the heart is what pumps blood into those places. Without competition, they can’t move. They mean virtually nothing.
Boston College and Notre Dame are rivals by many standards. They meet frequently, and there’s a definite animosity between their fanbases.
But by the most important standard—competitiveness—the schools aren’t rivals. They really aren’t anything close, and that is especially true in football.
Notre Dame’s ranked football team will visit Chestnut Hill on Nov. 1 for the first time since 2020, when the Irish marched in and beat the Eagles 45–31.
But the Holy War—an event that used to ignite tangible excitement
and legitimate hatred—doesn’t do so anymore.
The Irish lead in all-time wins 17–9, a tally that’s not so lopsided that a competitive rivalry is unimaginable.
But the Eagles have not beaten the Irish since 2008.
And although there have been a few competitive games since, such a long stretch without a BC win has dragged what was once an exciting rivalry through the mud.
The shutout in 2008 was the last win of BC’s six-game, eight-year streak.
While it might not have been a sentiment shared by all fans, some media members seemed to think that the rivalry was getting boring—that perhaps it was time to move on.
“Who needs Notre Dame?” Steve Buckley wrote in the Boston Herald on Nov. 9, 2008. “Notre Dame football is a lot like your 401k: It ain’t what it used to be.”
Buckley ended his column with the following:
“Besides, this was BC’s sixth straight victory over Notre Dame.
What rivalry?”
If eight years without a Notre Dame win was enough to get BC fans to doubt the rivalry’s existence, imagine what 17 years might do to fans of the Irish.
With BC heading into this year’s game winless in ACC play—and against FBS opponents in general— there is really no question about who will come out victorious.
Here’s a hint: It won’t be BC.
Sure, miracles do happen—but you can’t count on them. And if you do, you’re going to be pretty disappointed when your team loses seven out of every eight games (BC is now 1–7 following last weekend’s loss to Louisville).
True competition produces uncertain tension, and fans spend the entire game anticipating the relief that will come when that tension is resolved.
When competition dies, so does uncertainty. When uncertainty dies, so does interest. And without interest, it’s not a rivalry. It’s not a war. It’s just a game. n
Just as Bill O’Brien’s football team has been practicing for weeks, it’s time to start preparing for what some might say is one of Boston College’s longest and most infamous
It doesn’t just take throwing a ball or scoring a touchdown to win the Holy War game against Notre Dame. It also takes effort from BC students—outfits, tailgating, chants, and all. Touchdown Jesus won’t save them anymore.
Here is everything you need to get ready for the biggest game of
Clash of the Catholics
In order to stick it to the Notre Dame fans, you need to hit ’em with the history. How many times has BC won the Holy War? Where and when did the rivalry start?
Here are a couple facts about the Holy War to prove that BC students aren’t only the holiest between the two rivals—they’re also the smart-
Dating back to 1975, the Holy War is officially called The Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl. How’s that for a coincidence?
The name “The Holy War” comes from the fact that BC and Notre Dame are the only two Catholic universities in the United States that still compete in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision.
The two schools have faced off a total of 26 times, with BC winning nine times and Notre Dame win -
Don’t let this stat discourage you, though. Each university seems to start a winning streak every few years. Notre Dame dominated most of the Holy War games from the early 1980s through the late 1990s, while BC took the flame in the early
Since 2008, Notre Dame has been undefeated, but it may be time for the Eagles to break this streak and take home the gold.
Vestments for Victory
If they aren’t going to hear us cheer for BC, at least they’re going to see us. Wear something that pops so we can fill Alumni Stadium with colors and costumes.
Don your BC Superfan shirt for a splash of color and to show Notre Dame fans that we show up for our team. Get creative by turning it into a T-shirt dress, cutting off the sleeves to show some muscles, or layering a long-sleeved shirt underneath to protect against the cold.
You can also never go wrong with Red Bandanna gear. One of BC’s most cherished traditions, the merch sold at the BC Bookstore, makes for a spirited, vibrant outfit.
Want to remind the Notre Dame fans just how long the rivalry has been going on—and that we haven’t given up yet? Throw on some vintage BC gear. You can find some great options on Etsy or Homefield sold by BC alums hoping to pass on their spirit.
Let’s face it—the weather might be brisk. As someone from Tennessee—where temperatures are just starting to dip below 75 degrees—I was unprepared to stand in the student section during October and November games. Make sure you grab your sweatshirts, coats, hats, and scarves sporting the BC logo to stay warm and energized throughout the game.
If you’re really feeling the “war” in “Holy War” and want to keep the Halloween spirit high, head to Spirit Halloween or Amazon and purchase a knight costume or armor to bring the battle to the football field. The Fighting Irish might have the fists, but we’ve got the swords.
Holy Bites and Tailgate Treats
Nothing screams BC football game like a good tailgate. Elevate the already amazing tailgating experience by putting a Holy War spin
old-fashioned barbecue sauce. For an extra kick, make them sinfully spicy to keep your blood boiling— and yourself warm—while cheering on the Eagles.
If you’re in the dipping mood, pull out some “Competition Queso” and surround the bowl with an army of crackers, tortilla chips, vegetables, and pretzels. Make it extra fun by creating a mini catapult with popsicle sticks and rubber bands to launch your soldiers into the cheesy castle.
For red meat lovers, whip up some “Seven Deadly Sliders” mini burgers—tiny, yet irresistible. Let your tailgating guests draw the Notre Dame logo with ketchup or mustard before taking a big bite and crushing the foe.
And don’t forget dessert! “Blessed brownies,” just as rich as the history of this iconic rivalry, will win over anyone craving a little extra sugar. BC is backed by God, so you can add a little sign next to them that reads “Saints approve this snack.”
Voices of the Faithful
For this game, we’ll cheer so loud that even the players can’t hear themselves. That said, while the standard BC chants are beloved by the student population, the Holy War deserves some jabs to send Notre Dame to the heavens.
When the Notre Dame players think their section is cheering “Notre Dame! Notre Dame!”, they’re going to be met with the harsh realization that it’s actually the BC student section yelling above everyone, chanting “Notre Lame! Notre Lame!” When a player gets a penalty, instead of chanting the usual “You can’t do that!”, try some chants with a religious twist such as “Where’s your halo?” or “Not so holy!” That’ll show them why we’re truly called men and women for others. If you want to add a little buzz to your chant, crack open a beer with your friends and cheers to BC’s Holy War victory.
GRAPHICS BY CONNOR O’BRIEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR
PAUL CRIADO / HEIGHTS STAFF
Photos by Chris Ticas, Paul Criado, and Callie Oxford