Boston College Eagles: 3 standouts in season-opening thumping of Colgate

A rising star for Boston College Eagles on defense

The defensive line had a nice mix of veterans and youth and was expected to have a little depth heading into 2021.

That took a hit in recent weeks, with defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka out for the season after an injury in camp. And today, Marcus Valdez missed the game with a hand injury.

Shitta Sillah more than made up for their absences against Colgate.

Sillah was all over the field today, especially in the first-half. The defensive end did his part to help slow the running game and also wreaked havoc in the passing game. Sillah had one sack and helped create another, finishing the game as Boston College’s leading tackler with seven.

He’s going to be a huge part of this team’s success on defense and today he proved his worth.

Brandon Barlow and Cam Horsley also performed well up front. The two combined for six tackles, including a sack by Horsley. They also helped the Eagles hold Colgate to an 0-10 performance on third down.

The performances and stats are exactly what one might expect in this matchup, except for maybe that running game. But as long as the passing game is clicking and the defense can shore things up, especially against quarterbacks who can run, results will continue to be positive. And that’s what’s important as Boston College strives for greatness in 2021.