Boston College at #4 Clemson
Memorial Stadium, Clemson SC
7:30 pm ACCN
Boston College will make the trip south this weekend down to the upstate of South Carolina, for a game with the defending national champions under the lights in Death Valley. The Tigers are coming off of a 45-10 thumping of Louisville on the road, and despite the 35 point win, dropped another spot in the AP Poll to #4, while holding firm at #2 in the Coaches Poll. Clemson will be looking for their 23rd consecutive win and 9th staright over BC, as they continue their march towards a fifth consecutive CFP appearance.
Boston College comes in fresh off of a dominating 45-24 win over NC State at home, snapping a two game losing streak in the process. The Eagles ran all over the Pack to the tune of 429 yards, against what was the best rush defense in the ACC. They ran 75 plays, with 60 of those being running plays, yet still averaged 7.2 YPC. AJ Dillon was a workhorse, carrying the ball 34 times for 223 yards. Not letting Dillon run wild will be the biggest key for the Tigers in this one.
Clemson is currently a 33.5 point favorite at home, which is down a point from the 34.5 it opened at, and the FPI says they have a 98% chance of winning this game. Here we will take a look at how each team has performed from a numbers standpoint, and see how they stack up against one another.
Boston College (4-3, 2-2)
- Road Record- 0-2
- PPG- 34.6
- PPG Allowed- 28.1
- Off YPG- 494.4
- Off Yds Per Play- 6.4
- YPG Allowed- 460.4
- Yds Per Play Allowed- 6.1
- Rush Off YPG- 278.3
- Rush YPC- 5.5
- Rush YPG Allowed- 172.4
- Rush YPC Allowed- 4.3
- Pass YPG- 216.1
- Pass YPG Allowed- 288.0
- Yds Per Attempt- 8.0
- Yds Per Att Allowed- 8.2
- Penalties Per Game- 6.0
- 3rd Down Conv- 44.6%
- 3rd Down Conv Allowed- 44.9%
- Sacks- 7
- Sacks Allowed- 3
Key Player- AJ Dillon
Dillon has been a workhorse so far this season for BC. They are feeding him the ball more than 25 times per game, and now that starting QB Anthony Brown is lost for the season, those numbers could increase slightly. At 6’0 and 250 lbs, Dillon is a big bruising back that can run over defenders, around defenders, or through defenders. Tackling and gap integrity by the LB’s will be a big factor, as the Tigers will need to wrap up, and not get caught out of position. Another key will be the DE’s setting the edge. Dillon might be a big, power runner, but he also has plenty of success running it around the outside. He has 5 consecutive 100 yard games, and has hit the 150 yard mark in four of those five. Last week he had a season high 223 yards, on 34 carries, and punched it into the end zone 3 times.
#4 Clemson (7-0, 5-0)
- Home Record- 4-0
- PPG- 40.0
- PPG Allowed- 12.0
- Off YPG- 504.7
- Off Yds Per Play- 7.0
- YPG Allowed- 256.0
- Yds Per Play Allowed- 4.0
- Rush Off YPG- 247.3
- Rush Off YPC- 6.4
- Rush YPG Allowed- 111.9
- Rush YPC Allowed- 3.1
- Pass YPG- 257.4
- Pass YPG Allowed- 144.1
- Yds Per Attempt- 7.7
- Yds Per Att Allowed- 5.3
- Penalties Per Game- 5.7
- 3rd Down Conv- 43%
- 3rd Down Conv Allowed- 30%
- Sacks- 28
- Sacks Allowed- 5
Key Player- Travis Etienne
An argument could be made for QB Trevor Lawrence, but this offense starts with the running game. When the Tigers can establish the ground game early, it sets up so much more they can do in the passing game. ETN is averaging 111.6 yards per game and 8.0 yards per carry. After being held to under 80 yards in 4 straight, he has come back to go over the century mark in two consecutive games, with 127 yds against FSU and 192 last weekend vs Louisville. RPO’s are a big part of this offense, and are very effective, but it would be nice to see a few more straight running plays, particularly those inside zone runs, called early in an effort to get that rushing attack rolling.
