Steve Addazio’s goal for his Boston College Eagles is to let it all hang out on Saturday night against No. 5 Clemson in Death Valley.
“Without a doubt I would say they’re the most talented team we’ve played this year,” the Boston College head coach said.
That might be the case, but if you ask Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, he will tell you neither one of his units are currently known as the best in college football. He will point out, however, that Boston College has one.
The Eagles (3-3, 0-3 ACC) lead the nation in just about every major defensive category, including total defense (140.3 ypg), rushing defense (41.7 ypg), passing yards (98.7 ypg), pass efficiency defense (75.52), yards per play (2.6) and first downs allowed (56).
They also rank second in scoring defense (7.2 ppg) and third down conversions (.190).
“They are the standard in college football,” Swinney said.
“This is definitely the best defense we’ve seen and they know what they’re doing,” he continued. “Schematically, they present some real challenges with some unique blitz looks. It will be a big challenge for our offense. This is one of those games where you need to make a bunch of competitive plays. Either you win your matchup or you don’t. It’s really that simple.”
No one has really matched up against Boston College this season. The most total yards the Eagles have allowed in a game are 228 yards to No. 25 Duke. They held 11th-ranked Florida State to 217 total yards, while Wake Forest and Northern Illinois had 142 and 153.
The Seminoles, who are averaging 203.4 yards per game on the ground, were held to just 98 rushing yards on 33 carries. Star tailback Dalvin Cook, who leads the ACC with 792 yards and is averaging 9.0 yards per carry, was limited to 54 yards and just 3.8 yards per carry.
“You have to respect what they have done,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said.
Boston College’s defense reminds Elliott a lot of Notre Dame, especially with all the confusing and different kinds of looks defensive coordinator Don Brown likes to throw at opposing quarterbacks.
“When you put them on film, they play hard. They play through the whistle. They are blue collar guys. They are tough,” he said. “It is going to be a good challenge for us on offense, at every position.”
Clemson running back Wayne Gallman says this is an opportunity for the offense to show what it can do against the nation’s best – a measuring stick if you will. While showing respect for what BC has accomplished, Gallman said, “They have not seen a team like us yet.”
He is right. The Tigers (5-0, 2-0 ACC) are by far the most balanced offense Boston College has faced. Clemson is averaging is 194.4 yards a game on the ground and 236.4 through the air. It also has quarterback Deshaun Watson, who seems to just be getting into the flow of things offensively.
“He’s got a great arm. He is really talented. He is athletic and he can extend plays and he has a really good supporting cast around him. So I think he is a real good player,” Addazio said.
The story of this game probably lays in the battle between Clemson’s defense against BC’s offense. The Tigers led the nation in total defense and just about everything else last season, and despite losing nine starters from that squad, they are still a top 15 defense and possibly better than that.
Clemson held Notre Dame’s explosive offense to three points through three quarters, and then held Georgia Tech to its lowest rushing total in the Paul Johnson era.
Boston College’s offense isn’t that good. In fact, injuries have decimated the unit, losing its starting quarterback, running back and tight end for the season. As a result, the Eagles rank 111 in scoring offense (20.7 ppg), 118 in total offense (323 ypg) and 123 (109 ypg) in passing offense. They have been shut out twice this season already, including a 3-0 loss at home to Wake Forest last week. In three ACC games, they have one touchdown and have been outscored 26-7.
It should not help this week they have to go against a Clemson defense, where all it has heard is how great BC’s defense is, and how they set the standard in college football.
“It is good for us, and it is good for us going up against Boston College, being they have the No. 1 defense in the nation. They are No. 1 in a lot of categories,” Tigers’ safety Jayron Kearse said. “It is definitely a task for us and a task for our offense.
“We definitely want to go out there and show we are the better defense on the field. Our offense wants to go out there and show they are a good offense and they can do it against anybody.”
And all Boston College wants to do is let it all hang out.
“They’re big, strong guys that know how to play the game,” Swinney said. “They make you earn everything that you get. And again, this is one of those games where there are not a lot of easy yards.
“You’ve got to win your matchups whether it’s the point of attack up front or it’s the receiver-DB battle or the quarterback making tight throws. Every play, you don’t have a lot of room for error.”