A road game is on the agenda this week for the Boston College Eagles when the take on the ranked NC State Wolfpack.
The winner of Saturday’s game between the Boston College Eagles and 23rd-ranked NC State Wolfpack may go a long way in how the Atlantic Division of the ACC plays out.
With Clemson looking a little less invincible, the winner between the Eagles (4-1, 1-0) and Wolfpack (4-0, 1-0) might have the best chance at knocking the Tigers from their throne.
And Boston College might be without their best player this weekend.
AJ Dillon injured his left ankle his last week’s 45-35 victory over the Temple Owls. Dillon rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game.
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Dillon has been the focal point of the Eagle offense for well over a year now and rushed for 199 yards in last season’s 17-14 loss to the Wolfpack.
Boston College enters the game averaging 43.2 points and 243 rushing yards per game. Living up to these numbers will be something to aspire to, even if Dillon is on the field.
The Wolfpack allows only 104.2 rushing yards and 15.2 points per game. The most points an opponent has scored against NC State in 2018 is 21 by Virginia, which happened last week.
On defense, Boston College will have to find a way to get off the field on third down much better this week. They are holding opponents to 33.3 percent conversion rate on the season, but allowed Temple to convert 8-16 last week.
Time, location and where to watch
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC
Time: 12:30 pm (EST)
TV: Fubotv
Boston College Eagles: Who to watch
If Dillon is unable to play, or even play on a limited basis, it will be up to his back-ups to carry the load.
Ben Glines should be up to the task.
Multiple players have received carries behind Dillon in 2018, but Glines has had the finest performance of them all. The redshirt junior ran for 120 yards and a touchdown last week against Temple. Even if Dillon suits up, Glines should see plenty of action.
Travis Levy will also be expected to step up. Levy had the early, inside track as the secondary running back but has only 13 carries for 34 yards in the past four games.
Quarterback Anthony Brown is another player to keep an eye on. Brown suffered his season-ending knee injury in 2017 against this very team.
After a spectacular start to 2018, Brown has fallen from the stratosphere the past two weeks. He’s still making nice plays but his accuracy has taken a dive. Brown is 28-61 for 235 yards in his past two games with 3 touchdowns and four interceptions.
For the Eagles to win this game, Brown will have to complete close to 60 percent of his passes and keep the turnover column empty.
A key matchup will be the Boston College defensive line going up against the North Carolina State offensive line. The defensive has 18 sacks, with star ends Wyatt Ray and Zach Allen combining for nine. NC State has allowed only two sacks and Ray, Allen and company will need to find consistent pressure against Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley and hopefully force him into a few mistakes.
NC State Wolfpack: Who to watch
Finley is well on his way to becoming one of the all-time great quarterbacks to play at NC State.
Since transferring from Boise State, Finley has thrown for nearly 8,000 yards. He’s also passed for 43 touchdowns.
And, despite losing a few of his top weapons from 2017, Finley is still slinging the ball around the field. He’s completing passes at a clip of 68.6 percent for 1,313 yards. Finley has thrown eight touchdowns and one interception.
The Wolfpack is a team that likes long drives, though it’s done more through short passes than running, at least in 2018. They have less rushing yards as a team than Dillon does by himself.
There are three receivers Boston College will need to key in on, all who have 20 or more receptions. Kelvin Harmon stretches the field a bit more than the other two, hauling in 16 catches for 406 yards. Emeka Emezie has 20 for 244 and Jakobi Meyers has 20 for 220.
The defensive line of NC State, much like it did in 2017, could give Boston College some trouble. James Smith-Williams and Larrell Murchison each have 5.5 tackles-for-loss, part of the 25 the Wolfpack has as a team.
Linebacker Germaine Pratt leads the team with 36 tackles.
Prediction
Tough one to call this week for the Boston College Eagles. If Dillon were 100 percent, I’d lean towards the Eagles gritting out a victory and perhaps earning their way back into the Top-35.
This will likely be a grind-it-out affair. Finley’s experience will be the deciding factor. Hope I’m wrong about this one: NC State 27 Boston College 21