Written By: Brett Korpi
Where: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 7, 2016
Two weeks ago the Eagles were reeling. They had been embarrassed by Jerrod Evans and the Virginia Tech Hokies 49 – 0, to fall to 1-2 and 0 -2 in the ACC. Confidence was low at the Heights. Head Coach Steve Addazzio and his team started a slate of four straight home games by welcoming Wagner, and Buffalo to Alumni Stadium. Lining up across from the dregs of the FCS and MAC allowed the offense to gain some confidence and defense to gain it’s swagger back, as the Eagles rolled to victories of 42 – 10 and 35 – 3 respectively.
Boston College will need every bit of that confidence and swagger they gained when the third-ranked Clemson Tigers come up north for a nationally televised ACC - Atlantic Division game on Friday night.
Now, let’s get down to business and take a look at the questions Super Fan’s will be pondering as they get ready for their annual face time on ESPN.
Clemson is coming off of a big victory over Louisville which is also in the top 10. Will that game have an effect on the Tigers?
The Tigers’ game against Louisville last week lived up to the hype. It was a very grueling game for Clemson, physically, mentally, and emotionally. They were able to overcome mistakes and keep their College Football Playoff hopes in their own hands.
Now, they are coming to Chestnut Hill on a short week. It could be easy for a national title contender to look past the Eagles, who have lost their last 10 ACC games, and take the win for granted. However, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney knows that the defense they will be facing is still statically one of the best in the nation and that the Patrick Towles lead offense is improving. I do not suspect that he will take preparing for the Eagles lightly.
The Eagles played some pretty bad teams the last few weeks can we take anything away from those games?
Confidence is very important in any sport, and the past two game were very integral in building it up for this Eagles team. Coming off the loss to Virginia Tech, in which they were only able to muster 124 yards on offense and gave up 476 yards on defense, confidence was real low. Now, after the last 2 weeks, they look like a team with a point to prove.
I also think we could point back at these past two games someday, and recall them as the emergence of Davon Jones. The redshirt-freshman running back ran for a team high 154 yards in those two contests as he split carries with Jon Hilliman. He also registered his first career touchdown against Buffalo. We saw him catch a pass for 38 yards, as well, in that game and could be a versatile weapon for the Eagles going forward.
Thinking about that Virginia Tech game makes me cringe, could anything good actually come from that game as the Eagles prepare for another dual-threat quarterback?
I am glad you asked! I actually do think some good can be taken from that game. I see that game as a big learning step for this Eagles team. They were able to experience speed and explosiveness of a top ACC team. The young Boston College team now can prepare and understand what it will take to stop that kind of game.
Alright, what is it going to take to pull off a miracle?
I’m going to break this down in all three phases:
Offense
Addazzio and offensive coordination Scot Loeffler will need to empty the playbook. Two years ago the Eagles pulled off a major upset against ninth ranked USC by throwing the kitchen sink at them. A similar approach will be needed to take down the Tigers. The offense will also need to find ways to develop long and slow drives to give the defense some time to rest. One of the keys in the Virginia Tech game was the offense could not stay on the field.
Ball security will also be important, as Towles has been stripped sacked and thrown some interceptions when under pressure. The offensive line really needs to show strength up front to keep Towles safe.
Defense
We saw what the defense looks like when everything is clicking when it allowed just 67 yards against Buffalo. Now, I know this isn’t Buffalo, but it was the first clean game it had this season. There was no blown coverage or broken plays. The Eagles had been prone to letting up early scores by making mistakes early in the year. If they can have another clean game, they will be in good shape.
We all know what linebackers Matt Milano and Connor Strachan, and end Harold Landry are capable of up front, but look for the defensive backs led by safety John Johnson and Corner Isaac Yiadom to play a major factor as they go against NFL caliber receivers. It will be a big test for that corp.
Special Teams
No flags. Returner Tyler Rouse has been excellent so far this year. However, he has had some long returns negated due to penalties. This has been due to inexperience as the flags were all thrown at freshman. The young players will need to learn from their early season mistakes to allow Rouse and Myles Willis to do what they do best and leave the Boston College offense with good field position.
You sound pretty optimistic, do you have a prediction for this game?
I am optimistic in the sense that I feel the confidence and swagger that has been rediscovered will play a key part in how Boston College preforms. I feel that the Eagles defense will have a better showing than against Virginia Tech and will keep Deshaun Watson in check. However, the offense will continue to struggle against a veteran-laden defense, and will have trouble scoring. Clemson 24 Boston College 10
Is there anything else important about this game?
Yes, something is going on that will add some extra emotion for the Eagles. Friday night will be the 3rd annual Red Bandana game. It is a game that is in memoriam of Welles Crowther, the Boston College lacrosse player who was killed during the September 11th attacks. That day Crowther showed absolute selflessness as he is credited with saving at least a dozen people in the south tower. In tribute, the Eagles will wear Red Bandana trimmed accessories
Weekly Fun Facts:
Did you know? That in the upset of the USC Trojans two years ago, two current members of the Eagles scored touchdowns, running backs Hilliman and Rouse.
For the last 9 years the winner of the Clemson - Boston College game has received the O'Rourke - McFadden Trophy. It is awarded by the Boston Grid Iron Club and recognizes the history and tradition at both schools and to honor the legacy of Charlie O’Rourke and Banks McFadden, who played during the leather helmet era. In addition to the trophy, the MVP of the game will receive a replica leather helmet.
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 7, 2016
Two weeks ago the Eagles were reeling. They had been embarrassed by Jerrod Evans and the Virginia Tech Hokies 49 – 0, to fall to 1-2 and 0 -2 in the ACC. Confidence was low at the Heights. Head Coach Steve Addazzio and his team started a slate of four straight home games by welcoming Wagner, and Buffalo to Alumni Stadium. Lining up across from the dregs of the FCS and MAC allowed the offense to gain some confidence and defense to gain it’s swagger back, as the Eagles rolled to victories of 42 – 10 and 35 – 3 respectively.
Boston College will need every bit of that confidence and swagger they gained when the third-ranked Clemson Tigers come up north for a nationally televised ACC - Atlantic Division game on Friday night.
Now, let’s get down to business and take a look at the questions Super Fan’s will be pondering as they get ready for their annual face time on ESPN.
Clemson is coming off of a big victory over Louisville which is also in the top 10. Will that game have an effect on the Tigers?
The Tigers’ game against Louisville last week lived up to the hype. It was a very grueling game for Clemson, physically, mentally, and emotionally. They were able to overcome mistakes and keep their College Football Playoff hopes in their own hands.
Now, they are coming to Chestnut Hill on a short week. It could be easy for a national title contender to look past the Eagles, who have lost their last 10 ACC games, and take the win for granted. However, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney knows that the defense they will be facing is still statically one of the best in the nation and that the Patrick Towles lead offense is improving. I do not suspect that he will take preparing for the Eagles lightly.
The Eagles played some pretty bad teams the last few weeks can we take anything away from those games?
Confidence is very important in any sport, and the past two game were very integral in building it up for this Eagles team. Coming off the loss to Virginia Tech, in which they were only able to muster 124 yards on offense and gave up 476 yards on defense, confidence was real low. Now, after the last 2 weeks, they look like a team with a point to prove.
I also think we could point back at these past two games someday, and recall them as the emergence of Davon Jones. The redshirt-freshman running back ran for a team high 154 yards in those two contests as he split carries with Jon Hilliman. He also registered his first career touchdown against Buffalo. We saw him catch a pass for 38 yards, as well, in that game and could be a versatile weapon for the Eagles going forward.
Thinking about that Virginia Tech game makes me cringe, could anything good actually come from that game as the Eagles prepare for another dual-threat quarterback?
I am glad you asked! I actually do think some good can be taken from that game. I see that game as a big learning step for this Eagles team. They were able to experience speed and explosiveness of a top ACC team. The young Boston College team now can prepare and understand what it will take to stop that kind of game.
Alright, what is it going to take to pull off a miracle?
I’m going to break this down in all three phases:
Offense
Addazzio and offensive coordination Scot Loeffler will need to empty the playbook. Two years ago the Eagles pulled off a major upset against ninth ranked USC by throwing the kitchen sink at them. A similar approach will be needed to take down the Tigers. The offense will also need to find ways to develop long and slow drives to give the defense some time to rest. One of the keys in the Virginia Tech game was the offense could not stay on the field.
Ball security will also be important, as Towles has been stripped sacked and thrown some interceptions when under pressure. The offensive line really needs to show strength up front to keep Towles safe.
Defense
We saw what the defense looks like when everything is clicking when it allowed just 67 yards against Buffalo. Now, I know this isn’t Buffalo, but it was the first clean game it had this season. There was no blown coverage or broken plays. The Eagles had been prone to letting up early scores by making mistakes early in the year. If they can have another clean game, they will be in good shape.
We all know what linebackers Matt Milano and Connor Strachan, and end Harold Landry are capable of up front, but look for the defensive backs led by safety John Johnson and Corner Isaac Yiadom to play a major factor as they go against NFL caliber receivers. It will be a big test for that corp.
Special Teams
No flags. Returner Tyler Rouse has been excellent so far this year. However, he has had some long returns negated due to penalties. This has been due to inexperience as the flags were all thrown at freshman. The young players will need to learn from their early season mistakes to allow Rouse and Myles Willis to do what they do best and leave the Boston College offense with good field position.
You sound pretty optimistic, do you have a prediction for this game?
I am optimistic in the sense that I feel the confidence and swagger that has been rediscovered will play a key part in how Boston College preforms. I feel that the Eagles defense will have a better showing than against Virginia Tech and will keep Deshaun Watson in check. However, the offense will continue to struggle against a veteran-laden defense, and will have trouble scoring. Clemson 24 Boston College 10
Is there anything else important about this game?
Yes, something is going on that will add some extra emotion for the Eagles. Friday night will be the 3rd annual Red Bandana game. It is a game that is in memoriam of Welles Crowther, the Boston College lacrosse player who was killed during the September 11th attacks. That day Crowther showed absolute selflessness as he is credited with saving at least a dozen people in the south tower. In tribute, the Eagles will wear Red Bandana trimmed accessories
Weekly Fun Facts:
Did you know? That in the upset of the USC Trojans two years ago, two current members of the Eagles scored touchdowns, running backs Hilliman and Rouse.
For the last 9 years the winner of the Clemson - Boston College game has received the O'Rourke - McFadden Trophy. It is awarded by the Boston Grid Iron Club and recognizes the history and tradition at both schools and to honor the legacy of Charlie O’Rourke and Banks McFadden, who played during the leather helmet era. In addition to the trophy, the MVP of the game will receive a replica leather helmet.