Thursday September 07, 2006

Boston College Preview

Boston College
I hear folks talk about Boston College’s powerful running attack behind their big, physical offensive line. The fact is that BC is a very balanced team and I would consider more of a passing threat.

Last season, the Eagles had their biggest and best offensive line in school history. Jeremy Trueblood and Pat Ross led an offensive line that had their top 10 back from the previous season. Boston College averaged 6-6 and 314 pounds across what was considered the best offensive line in the ACC a year ago. Yet the Eagles were only fifth in the league in rushing. Actually, Clemson had a better running game than BC last season as the Tigers rushed for 153 yards per game as opposed to BC’s 145 per contest.

The Eagles threw the football at least 30 times in nine of their 12 games last season. They attempted at least 40 passes in four of their games a year ago.

In their season opener last week against Central Michigan, Boston College ran the ball 32 times and attempted 48 passes. They recorded only 85 yards rushing and compiled 323 yards through the air.

In my opinion, instead of lining up and smashing you, I see the Eagles dinking and dumping short passes to their possession receivers and backs. Their wide outs (Kevin Challenger and Tony Gonzalez) are smaller receivers that catch the ball well. Boston College will let their big, tall quarterback sit in the pocket and take exactly what the defense gives them.

Clemson will not play man coverage against BC but that is they way to go. Miami has a ton of talent of defense through the years but they play primarily man coverage. In the last four meetings against Miami, Boston College has scored 14, 6, 7 and 6 points respectively. FSU held them to 17 points last season by playing man defense. I believe Clemson has the athletes to play man coverage against them but the Tigers will not.

Another misconception is that BC does not turn the ball over. In Tom O’Brien’s nine years as the head coach of the Eagles, they have won the season turnover battle only four times. Last week the turned the ball over twice and only gained one turnover.

In summary, the Eagles program is solid but not spectacular. In his nine seasons, O’Brien has lost 42 games. In my opinion, BC is a lot like the old Virginia teams in that if you play well you should beat Boston College. They are a solid but not the most athletic team in the conference. They will allow opponents to beat themselves but if you play well then you can win anytime you play BC. Last season was a special year for them. They had the most talent they have ever had. They had their top 10 offensive linemen back, a terrific wide receiver and a first-round draft pick at defensive end. This year’s team is not special.

The Tigers on the Road
The news is not all great going into this game, as the Tigers have struggled on the road in recent years. In the last ten seasons, Clemson is 23-26 on the road. Under Tommy Bowden, the Tigers are 17-18 on the road.

In recent years, it is my opinion that the Tigers make more mistakes on the road. They seem to have more penalties and lose more turnovers on the road.

I believe the Tigers are either feast of famine on the road. Clemson has had some great road wins like Miami, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, etc. But there have been bad losses at Duke, Wake Forest, Texas A&M, Maryland, etc. Last season, the Tigers let Wake Forest and Georgia Tech hang around and win late but they went in and put NC State away early. Therefore, I believe we may know in the first quarter how this one will turn out. I think the Tigers need to start fast Saturday afternoon.

If the Tigers are to win the Atlantic Division this season they must win two of three from the road games at Boston College, Florida State and Virginia Tech. I think Boston College is the best chance of the three. Clemson can have a great season even with a loss this weekend, but I doubt they can win the conference with a loss at BC.

Keys
*Clemson needs to dominate on first down. The Tigers needs to dictate down and distance to the Eagles so third down conversions will be a positive.

*I think Clemson needs to tackle well. C.J. Gaddis’ return will be a key match up.

*Tommy Bowden has said it is time for his offensive line to take over the game. If Clemson can have success on the ground, it will take pressure off of Will Proctor. The Clemson quarterback will be more effective if the Tigers throw out of choice instead of necessity.

*The Tiger must play with discipline.

Korn
I had the pleasure of working the Greer-Byrnes game last Friday night for Charter TV and came away impressed with Willy Korn. Every time I see Korn play I get more impressed. His accuracy in the pocket and on the run is unmatched. His toughness continues to impress. However, the thing that I noticed Friday night was his poise in the pocket. Some college and even pro quarterbacks take their eyes off of the receivers downfield and become concerned with their eyes dropping to watch oncoming defenders. Korn keeps his head up and his eyes are always looking downfield. This is another great example of how advanced Korn has become.

Korn will be there in January and I truly believe he will be a starter at some time in his freshman season.

Soccer
Friday night Trevor Adair’s soccer team will face the defending national champion Maryland. The game is at 7:00 PM at Historic Riggs Field. If you are not going to Boston and are not going to a high school football game, please attend the soccer game and support Trevor’s highly ranked Tigers.

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