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Boston College Eagles to square off with Connecticut Huskies at Fenway Park

By Jason Haskins

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 21: A general view of the game between the Boston College Eagles and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Fenway Park on November 21, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 21: A general view of the game between the Boston College Eagles and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Fenway Park on November 21, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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One of America’s most beloved ballparks will once again play host to a football game as the Boston College Eagles take on the Connecticut Huskies.

For the second straight week, the Boston College Eagles will look to become bowl eligible in 2017.

This time around, the Eagles will do so only five miles away from their home stadium when they take on the UConn Huskies. And for this matchup, Boston College will be the away team.

The Boston College Eagles last played at Fenway Park in 2015, losing 19-16 to a ranked Notre Dame team.

Boston College (5-5) suffered a tough loss at home last week, falling to N.C. State 17-14. Not only that, the Eagles lost quarterback Anthony Brown for the season when he suffered a non-contact knee injury.

The Huskies (3-7) have never beaten the Eagles in 13 previous tries, going 0-11-2. They will enter Fenway allowing 39.5 points per game in 2017.

The teams share one common opponent this season: the Virginia Cavaliers. Boston College defeated the Cavs 41-10 while the Huskies fell to Virginia 38-18.

With Brown out, expect Saturday evening to be another edition of the AJ Dillon show.

Time, location and where to watch

  • Location: Fenway Park in Boston, MA
  • Time: 7 pm (EST)
  • TV: CBSSN

Boston College Eagles

Injuries have been a concern for the Eagles in 2017 and this game will be no different. Brown became the ninth starter to be sidelined for the season. Boston College will also be without star Harold Landry for the fourth time this season.

Luckily, they have true freshman Dillon to pick up the slack.

Dillon had another great game last week, going off for 196 yards. He continues to improve each week. Dillon not only has speed but has shown to have patience while waiting for plays to develop.

The freshman set a Boston College freshman rushing record last week. Dillon has rushed for 1039 yards and 8 touchdowns.

With Brown out, graduate Darius Wade will slide into the starting quarterback role. Wade has experience, starting two games in 2016, and has played decently in limited opportunities in 2017. The lefty is 23-40 for 225 yards and one pick on the year.

On defense, the story is Zach Allen. Allen leads all defensive lineman (nationally) with 78 tackles. He has been a force and even had more of a motor with Landry out.

The rush defense might struggle at times (207 YPG) but the pass defense has played outstanding all season. The unit is tied for 13th overall with 14 interceptions.

Connecticut Huskies

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UConn will also be without their starting quarterback. Senior Bryant Shirreffs left the USF game with a concussion and has decided his season, and career, is over.

Shirreffs threw for 2,287 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2017. His replacement will be David Pindell. Pindell started the season opener against Holy Cross but was benched after struggling. He is 43-75 for 423 yards this season.

The Huskies average 24.6 points per game, mostly due to Shirreffs. They rush for 140.5 yards per game, with their leading rusher Kevin Mensah only putting up 422 yards. Nate Hopkins has scored 7 rushing touchdowns.

They do spread the ball around, with six players totaling 20 or more receptions. The top guys to watch for are Hergy Mayala (34-519, 5 TD’s) and Quayron Skanes (34-301, 1).

On defense, the Huskies give up 551 yards per game, including 375 passing. They can get to the quarterback, totaling 21 sacks.

Next: Boston College: The top ten Eagles players in the NFL

Prediction

Boston College over UConn, 31-17

Dillon has the possibility to put up another career day and Wade will look to take advantage of UConn’s weak pass defense. No matter the score, the Eagles should have no problem in picking up their sixth win of the season.

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