Merely looking at the statistics, Jaylon Smith is unquestionably the defensive star of Saturday’s game against Boston College. The junior linebacker recorded 11 tackles (9 solo, 2 assists), including a tackle for loss.
Yet it was senior Matthias Farley who likely made the biggest impact on the game. Farley sniffed out the Eagles’ fake punt try late in the first quarter with the Irish up just 3. That gave the ball to the offense at their opponent’s 40 yard line – and the resulting drive ended in a touchdown. In the second quarter, Farley hustled down the field to stop Tyler Newsome’s 55 yard punt at the BC 6-yard-line.