Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
W2WF: Back To The Road For Raleigh-Bound Birds
October 28, 2016 | Football, #ForBoston Files
After four straight at home, a little road cooking could do BC good.
I recently had the chance to sit and talk with a non-Boston College, non-football coach about the difference between playing at home and on the road. He talked about how getting on the road can be good for a team because it forces players to learn about each other, isolated from the rest of their world. Regardless of the sport, there are positives to getting away from it all with a chance to come together as a single unit.
There are obviously drawbacks to that theory. Playing in front of hostile crowds can be tough and there's always the threat of fatigue from traveling to a location. If things go sour, they can snowball in a hurry and a game can get away quickly.
But being on the road can be great. It's the men in uniform, playing as a collective unit, against only a common foe. It's the "us against the world" theory in a simple form.
After playing its last four games at home, Boston College has a chance to get away for a one-week break. They'll head to traditional ACC country, taking on NC State in Raleigh. At 3-4, it's a good chance for the team to reboot before the final stretch, well away from the spotlight of what can happen in front of a home crowd, where positives and negatives tend to play out to their extremes.
"We've played a tough schedule, the way our schedule is configured this year," head coach Steve Addazio said on this week's ACC media call. "It's been hard, herky-jerky in terms of establishing some momentum, but that's not going to change, and they know that. So we've just got to dig in each week and try to get better and try to develop and find a win, and I think you're going to see a very physical, hard-fighting football team, which is what you have seen."
With that in mind, the Eagles don their road white uniforms and get ready for another week in the ultra-competitive ACC. Here's what to watch for as they gear up for NC State.
***
Weekly Storylines (Paul McCartney Edition)
Maybe I'm Amazed. For years, I've always felt NC State is "the ACC bar." The Wolfpack would always beat the teams it was "supposed to beat" and it would lose the games it was "supposed to lose." State is consistently good, finishing with the same 7-5, regular-season record each of the past two years, but it's always a mid-tier ACC program, finishing 3-5 in conference over that same stretch.
This year, things are looking to be different because NC State a little more inconsistent. The Pack has beaten a surprisingly good, 5-2 Wake Forest team, but it has lost to a 2-5 East Carolina team. It probably should've beaten Clemson but ultimately lost in overtime, proving it can hang with the best of the best. But it also sustained a 54-13 blowout loss to Louisville.
That means that NC State is both beatable and incredible talented. It means the Pack is much better than a 4-3 record would indicate, but is is also capable of being defeated. It means that State can lose to teams it is supposed to beat and beat teams it is supposed to lose by. It means NC State is no longer the bar. It means it is the wild card.
A BC win would elevate the Eagles into that wild card status as well. It would go a long way to cooling the fears of a season without a bowl game, and it would go a long way to getting the team back in the fight. For a team that hasn't quit in any of their games, that keeps competing regardless of the score, there has to be a breakthrough at some point, especially for a team that is, according to their coach, "closer than people think."
Jet. NC State presents a team that has playmakers capable of exploding off the ball. Entering this week with the 26th-ranked defense in the nation, 12th against the run, it's a team capable of stopping its opponent with extreme prejudice.
"NC State is a talented football team," Addazio said in his weekly press conference. "They've played some good football teams, and they're thick and big and powerful. These guys are all back from last year, most of them, and they were that way last year."
It's something Addazio reiterated later in the week.
"They've got a great defense," he said on the ACC media call on Wednesday. "They're 26th in total defense, 12th against the run. They've got some outstanding players up front, well-coached, tough, fundamental players. On offense, they're a real balanced team. Their quarterback (Ryan Finley) has done a great job with a 62.8 percent completion ratio. I think their running back (Matt) Dayes is fantastic. They've got good skill players. THey're well-coached. They're fundamental. They play hard, and it'll be a tough task for us."
That presents an interesting matchup on Saturday with BC. Both teams have statistically dominant defenses but have been blown out. Both offenses are ranked in the lower half of the nation, but both have games where they've put up points. It creates that wild card atmosphere where both teams can enter the game with reasonable optimism but reinforces the theory that one play here or there could be the difference between a win and a loss. In a season where two games have been a heartbeat away from victory, minimizing mistakes has to be key in that scenario.
Band on the Run. The defense will have its hands full with the NC State offense, which has great balance between its run and throw games. The Wolfpack have 1,700 yards passing this year with 12 touchdowns compared to 1,131 yards rushing - 682 of which have come from Dayes.
The Pack has a possession receiver in Jaylen Samuels, and it has a deep threat in Stephen Louis. It has a third receiver, Kelvin Harmon, who has three touchdowns on just 12 receptions. This is a team that can be disrupted in one element of their game, then beat you using another.
All of this is coming without Jacoby Brissett, who was drafted by the New England Patriots in this past year's draft. You may remember him as the starting quarterback who went 1-for-1 while Tom Brady was out and Jimmy Garoppolo was injured.
This is going to be a game where the team that executes its game better will win. Sometimes a team can be brought out of its game and still be able to pick up a win. But this game will be much more cookie cutter; the team that executes its game plan will win, simple as that.
***
Meteorology 101
It's going to be substantially better in Raleigh than it is this weekend in Boston. Temperatures on Saturday are due to touch just under the 80-degree mark with limited humidity. Clear sunny skies are in store for North Carolina's capital city.
Back home, Saturday should be a gorgeous day with temperatures pushing 60 and breaks of sunshine coming through at some point. Either way, it was in the 20s and 30s overnight this week in New England, so we've reached that part of the year where I'm allowed to complain depending on the day.
***
Scoreboard Watching
Louisville is on deck for the Eagles. Louisville is very good.
The 6-1 Cardinals have a very real outside shot at a College Football Playoff spot. Having only lost to Clemson and with just three conference games remaining, performances are at a premium.
The Cardinals will finish up their Coastal Division slate with a game at Virginia before coming to BC for their final road conference game next week.
***
Bottom Line
I'm not sure what to make about this game. BC has been very herky-jerky to start the year, moving ahead several steps before taking a step back. That's the mark of a developing team, one that's working hard to create something. I have no doubt that the Eagles will be able to put it all together at some point. But they have to be careful not to lose too much ground before they do; otherwise a bowl game will wind up out of reach.
I can't get caught up in bowl projections or win-loss records for the rest of the season. I've been asked several times where I think BC will wind up in a month when the season ends. I mean it with 100 percent sincerity when I say that I don't know. So much can happen between now and then.
Right now, I'm only focused on what happens against NC State. It's a chance for BC to get back on the road, a chance for the team to bond more as a team. It's a great opportunity to push the program forward against a very good team and it's why we all tune in on Saturdays.
Â
There are obviously drawbacks to that theory. Playing in front of hostile crowds can be tough and there's always the threat of fatigue from traveling to a location. If things go sour, they can snowball in a hurry and a game can get away quickly.
But being on the road can be great. It's the men in uniform, playing as a collective unit, against only a common foe. It's the "us against the world" theory in a simple form.
After playing its last four games at home, Boston College has a chance to get away for a one-week break. They'll head to traditional ACC country, taking on NC State in Raleigh. At 3-4, it's a good chance for the team to reboot before the final stretch, well away from the spotlight of what can happen in front of a home crowd, where positives and negatives tend to play out to their extremes.
"We've played a tough schedule, the way our schedule is configured this year," head coach Steve Addazio said on this week's ACC media call. "It's been hard, herky-jerky in terms of establishing some momentum, but that's not going to change, and they know that. So we've just got to dig in each week and try to get better and try to develop and find a win, and I think you're going to see a very physical, hard-fighting football team, which is what you have seen."
With that in mind, the Eagles don their road white uniforms and get ready for another week in the ultra-competitive ACC. Here's what to watch for as they gear up for NC State.
***
Weekly Storylines (Paul McCartney Edition)
Maybe I'm Amazed. For years, I've always felt NC State is "the ACC bar." The Wolfpack would always beat the teams it was "supposed to beat" and it would lose the games it was "supposed to lose." State is consistently good, finishing with the same 7-5, regular-season record each of the past two years, but it's always a mid-tier ACC program, finishing 3-5 in conference over that same stretch.
This year, things are looking to be different because NC State a little more inconsistent. The Pack has beaten a surprisingly good, 5-2 Wake Forest team, but it has lost to a 2-5 East Carolina team. It probably should've beaten Clemson but ultimately lost in overtime, proving it can hang with the best of the best. But it also sustained a 54-13 blowout loss to Louisville.
That means that NC State is both beatable and incredible talented. It means the Pack is much better than a 4-3 record would indicate, but is is also capable of being defeated. It means that State can lose to teams it is supposed to beat and beat teams it is supposed to lose by. It means NC State is no longer the bar. It means it is the wild card.
A BC win would elevate the Eagles into that wild card status as well. It would go a long way to cooling the fears of a season without a bowl game, and it would go a long way to getting the team back in the fight. For a team that hasn't quit in any of their games, that keeps competing regardless of the score, there has to be a breakthrough at some point, especially for a team that is, according to their coach, "closer than people think."
Jet. NC State presents a team that has playmakers capable of exploding off the ball. Entering this week with the 26th-ranked defense in the nation, 12th against the run, it's a team capable of stopping its opponent with extreme prejudice.
"NC State is a talented football team," Addazio said in his weekly press conference. "They've played some good football teams, and they're thick and big and powerful. These guys are all back from last year, most of them, and they were that way last year."
It's something Addazio reiterated later in the week.
"They've got a great defense," he said on the ACC media call on Wednesday. "They're 26th in total defense, 12th against the run. They've got some outstanding players up front, well-coached, tough, fundamental players. On offense, they're a real balanced team. Their quarterback (Ryan Finley) has done a great job with a 62.8 percent completion ratio. I think their running back (Matt) Dayes is fantastic. They've got good skill players. THey're well-coached. They're fundamental. They play hard, and it'll be a tough task for us."
That presents an interesting matchup on Saturday with BC. Both teams have statistically dominant defenses but have been blown out. Both offenses are ranked in the lower half of the nation, but both have games where they've put up points. It creates that wild card atmosphere where both teams can enter the game with reasonable optimism but reinforces the theory that one play here or there could be the difference between a win and a loss. In a season where two games have been a heartbeat away from victory, minimizing mistakes has to be key in that scenario.
Band on the Run. The defense will have its hands full with the NC State offense, which has great balance between its run and throw games. The Wolfpack have 1,700 yards passing this year with 12 touchdowns compared to 1,131 yards rushing - 682 of which have come from Dayes.
The Pack has a possession receiver in Jaylen Samuels, and it has a deep threat in Stephen Louis. It has a third receiver, Kelvin Harmon, who has three touchdowns on just 12 receptions. This is a team that can be disrupted in one element of their game, then beat you using another.
All of this is coming without Jacoby Brissett, who was drafted by the New England Patriots in this past year's draft. You may remember him as the starting quarterback who went 1-for-1 while Tom Brady was out and Jimmy Garoppolo was injured.
This is going to be a game where the team that executes its game better will win. Sometimes a team can be brought out of its game and still be able to pick up a win. But this game will be much more cookie cutter; the team that executes its game plan will win, simple as that.
***
Meteorology 101
It's going to be substantially better in Raleigh than it is this weekend in Boston. Temperatures on Saturday are due to touch just under the 80-degree mark with limited humidity. Clear sunny skies are in store for North Carolina's capital city.
Back home, Saturday should be a gorgeous day with temperatures pushing 60 and breaks of sunshine coming through at some point. Either way, it was in the 20s and 30s overnight this week in New England, so we've reached that part of the year where I'm allowed to complain depending on the day.
***
Scoreboard Watching
Louisville is on deck for the Eagles. Louisville is very good.
The 6-1 Cardinals have a very real outside shot at a College Football Playoff spot. Having only lost to Clemson and with just three conference games remaining, performances are at a premium.
The Cardinals will finish up their Coastal Division slate with a game at Virginia before coming to BC for their final road conference game next week.
***
Bottom Line
I'm not sure what to make about this game. BC has been very herky-jerky to start the year, moving ahead several steps before taking a step back. That's the mark of a developing team, one that's working hard to create something. I have no doubt that the Eagles will be able to put it all together at some point. But they have to be careful not to lose too much ground before they do; otherwise a bowl game will wind up out of reach.
I can't get caught up in bowl projections or win-loss records for the rest of the season. I've been asked several times where I think BC will wind up in a month when the season ends. I mean it with 100 percent sincerity when I say that I don't know. So much can happen between now and then.
Right now, I'm only focused on what happens against NC State. It's a chance for BC to get back on the road, a chance for the team to bond more as a team. It's a great opportunity to push the program forward against a very good team and it's why we all tune in on Saturdays.
Â
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