PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE PRESENTS ANOTHER TOUGH CHALLENGE
BOSTON COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Donovan Ezeiruaku rushes the quarterback against North Carolina.
Led by head coach Bill O'Brien, Boston College has earned a record of 6-5 and has gone 3-4 in conference play. The Eagles are coming off a 41-21 victory over North Carolina but have won just two of their last six games, which includes a four-point loss to Louisville, a six-point win over Syracuse and a 10-point loss to SMU.
Offensively, Grayson James recently took over at quarterback after Thomas Castellanos left the program. In eight games, Castellanos threw for 1,366 yards and 18 touchdowns while also rushing for 194 yards on 93 carries. In just four games this season, James has thrown for 648 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 62% of his passes. In terms of how much the offense has changed since the Eagles made the switch, Pat Narduzzi said they still operate the same.
"He can run. He can scramble. I think they want to keep him healthy, too, so I don't think they're going to do a ton of it," Narduzzi said. "But last game of the season we could see more of it. He's big, 230 pounds, 6'3". He's capable. And he throws a good ball. He, obviously, is putting their football team in the position to win. He's done a nice job since he's gotten in there and he's been impressive."
The Eagles will still lean on the running game, as they have three running backs with over 300 yards. Kye Robichaux is the lead runner with 654 yards and nine touchdowns on 144 carries while Treshaun Ward has tallied 77 carries for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan McDonald has also worked into the mix and has carried the ball 41 times for 302 yards while averaging 7.4 yards per carry. As a team the Eagles are rushing for 180.7 yards per game, which is the sixth-best mark in the ACC.
"Our front-seven, front-nine, whatever you want to call them, has got to play good against this football team," Narduzzi said. "They want to run the ball, sort of like we saw in the fourth quarter Saturday down at Louisville, lining up in 12, 13. So we're working a lot of that this week, because they're really good at it. They're physical. They know what they're doing."
Defensively, the Eagles are giving up 24.2 points, the ninth-worst total in the ACC, and 364 yards per game. Most of that is coming through the air as they have allowed opponents to pass for 242.2 yards per game this season. However, they have one of the best edge rushers in college football as Donovan Ezeiruaku has 13 total sacks which is the second-most in the NCAA. They've also allowed 121.8 rushing yards per game.
THE ASYLUM
PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE PRESENTS ANOTHER TOUGH CHALLENGE
BOSTON COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Donovan Ezeiruaku rushes the quarterback against North Carolina.
Led by head coach Bill O'Brien, Boston College has earned a record of 6-5 and has gone 3-4 in conference play. The Eagles are coming off a 41-21 victory over North Carolina but have won just two of their last six games, which includes a four-point loss to Louisville, a six-point win over Syracuse and a 10-point loss to SMU.
Offensively, Grayson James recently took over at quarterback after Thomas Castellanos left the program. In eight games, Castellanos threw for 1,366 yards and 18 touchdowns while also rushing for 194 yards on 93 carries. In just four games this season, James has thrown for 648 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 62% of his passes. In terms of how much the offense has changed since the Eagles made the switch, Pat Narduzzi said they still operate the same.
"He can run. He can scramble. I think they want to keep him healthy, too, so I don't think they're going to do a ton of it," Narduzzi said. "But last game of the season we could see more of it. He's big, 230 pounds, 6'3". He's capable. And he throws a good ball. He, obviously, is putting their football team in the position to win. He's done a nice job since he's gotten in there and he's been impressive."
The Eagles will still lean on the running game, as they have three running backs with over 300 yards. Kye Robichaux is the lead runner with 654 yards and nine touchdowns on 144 carries while Treshaun Ward has tallied 77 carries for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan McDonald has also worked into the mix and has carried the ball 41 times for 302 yards while averaging 7.4 yards per carry. As a team the Eagles are rushing for 180.7 yards per game, which is the sixth-best mark in the ACC.
"Our front-seven, front-nine, whatever you want to call them, has got to play good against this football team," Narduzzi said. "They want to run the ball, sort of like we saw in the fourth quarter Saturday down at Louisville, lining up in 12, 13. So we're working a lot of that this week, because they're really good at it. They're physical. They know what they're doing."
Defensively, the Eagles are giving up 24.2 points, the ninth-worst total in the ACC, and 364 yards per game. Most of that is coming through the air as they have allowed opponents to pass for 242.2 yards per game this season. However, they have one of the best edge rushers in college football as Donovan Ezeiruaku has 13 total sacks which is the second-most in the NCAA. They've also allowed 121.8 rushing yards per game.
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