Boston College Eagles: 3 standouts in loss to Purdue
A national ranking will likely be short-lived for the Boston College Eagles after a blowout loss at the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon.
The hype train rolling out of Amherst was likely humbled for the Boston College Eagles on Saturday.
Let’s hope it’s a one-game hiccup and not a season-long derailment.
Boston College’s offense struggled all afternoon, Anthony Brown threw four interceptions, and Purdue’s offense controlled the clock in a 30-13 Boilermaker victory.
A missed extra point on a meaningless late-game touchdown for the Eagles encapsulated the entire game. Everything that went right in the season’s first three game dissipated for Boston College. As well as Purdue played, the Eagles hurt themselves with dropped passes, turnovers, and a simple lack of execution.
Brown was inaccurate and off target most of the day. A week after having a career game, Brown struggled all day, finishing 13-27 for 96 yards and one touchdown to go along with four picks. He also had passes tipped by defensive linemen four times in the game.
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AJ Dillon wasn’t much better as he struggled to find running lanes. Dillon ripped off a couple of good runs in the third and early fourth quarters and finished with 19 carries for 59 yards.
Part of these struggles were due to an offensive line that couldn’t find much push and allowed four sacks.
The Boston College defense played valiantly, with five sacks and two turnovers but couldn’t get off of the field on third-down when needed. The Eagles defense allowed Purdue to go 8-17 on third-down conversions.
Despite the loss, here are three standouts from the game.
Michael Walker
Michael Walker, the senior kick returner and wide receiver, did all he could on special teams to keep the Boston College Eagles in the game.
Walker’s impact, however, was limited by repeated three-and-outs by the Boston College offense.
He proved his abilities from his first touch, returning the opening kickoff 32 yards. Walker consistently gave the Eagles great field position, usually starting at close to their own 40.
On the day, Walker finished with 213 kick return yards, averaging 35.5 yards per return. He added one punt return for 23 yards.
The defensive line
Up front, the Boston College defensive line was impressive most of the day.
Zach Allen and Wyatt Ray from the end positions both were in the backfield on multiple occasion, while Tanner Karafa and Ray Smith both held their own inside.
Allen, Ray, and Karafa all contributed to the sack total on the day and on multiple other occasions delivered hits on Purdue quarterback David Blough.
Allen even had a diving fumble recovery in the second-half.
The unit helped hold the Boilermakers to 76 rushing yards and 1.9 yards per carry, even with Purdue having a time of possession of 37:02.
Still, the defense had their missed opportunities as well. Allen was called offside on a play, negating a Will Harris interception. And they had their part in allowed Purdue’s conversions on third down.
Taj-Amir Torres
The secondary put forth a mediocre effort but Taj-Amir Torres had an outstanding effort. Torres, the senior defensive back, had a key pass break up and kept things tight on his side of the field.
He was also the one who applied pressure on Allen’s fumble recovery, coming off a corner blitz and hitting Blough, popping the ball loose.
Torres finished with three tackles on the day.
Next. Boston College Eagles: Experienced core to anchor defense in 2018. dark
After two weeks on the road, the Boston College Eagles will no doubt be glad to back to the friendly confines of Amherst. And a strong showing against Temple will go a long way in getting the hype train back on track.