Boston College Clemson Preview

Boston College takes on the #3 ranked Clemson Tigers on Friday Night at Alumni Stadium.  Clemson is clearly the most talented team on BC’s schedule and has lost just 1 game (last year’s national championship) since November 2014.  In that time, BC has won just 1 ACC game.  The Tigers are coming off of a 42-36 win over #5 Louisville, and will be favored to win every game the rest of the year.

What to Watch When BC has the Ball:  Boston College has struggled to get its signature smash mouth running game up to speed so far this year.  This is unlikely to change against a stellar Clemson defensive line.  Clemson is lead by Carlos Watkins, and Christian Wilkins, both big bodies who like to line up in the different spots around the line.  However, the Eagles can have success on the ground.  Louisville running backs had 21 carries for 120 yards last weekend.  Look for Jon Hilliman and Davon Jones split carries this week for the Eagles.  Hilliman has struggled all year outside of two long touchdown runs.  However, if he breaks one, it could be a game changer.  Through the air, BC may have success if they can give Towles time.  The offensive line has passed blocked much better than run blocked this season.  With time, Towles needs to be able to find recivers deep, specifically Jeff Smith.  BC will struggle to produce long drives, so they need to take advantage of big play opportunities.  Last week, the BC receivers drop multiple passes, and can’t afford to do that against a team like Clemson.  BC needs to be able to gain years on drives that don’t end in points in order to keep the defense off the field, and to flip field position.

What to Watch When Clemson has the Ball:  Deshaun Watson is one of the best players in the country.  He was clearly the best player on the field in the National Championship game last season.  BC will need to slow him down for a chance to win.  The front seven will also need to stop the Clemson running game.  Wayne Gallman does not get as many as carries as he probably deserves, but he is a very efficient back with good speed.   If BC focuses on Watson too much, Gallman will make them pay.  Gallman scored the game winning touchdown against BC two years ago.  The front seven will also need to stop Watson from escaping the pocket.  Watson has great elusiveness.  However, Watson does not want to run much.  Clemson tries to only use his legs sparingly.  In the secondary, BC needs to take advantage of Watson’s mistakes.   Watson has already thrown 7 interceptions this season.  If BC loads the box to stop the run, the Eagles corners will stuck in 1 on 1 coverage.  If this happens, Clemson will try to throw it deep to Mike Williams.  Last year, the BC defense did a good job against these deep throws in the first half, but struggled in the second half as the game began to get away from them.  BC can afford to give up a few of these throws, as long as they do not end up as touchdowns. 

Overall: Clemson is the better team in this matchup.  There is a reason why they are ranked in the top 5 and are undefeated.  However, BC can win this game.  They will need to open up the playbook on offense and hit the big play.  BC’s defense should be fine against Clemson.  They will not shut them out, but they should hold them to 20 or 30 points with any help from the offense.  If the offense cannot get anything going, and can’t at least get any yards for field position, this one will get ugly.  This game will be close for the first half, before Clemson’s defense takes over, as the Tigers are able to break through in the second.  Clemson 31, Boston College 13