Boston College Athletics
Football Prepares for No. 24/22 Clemson
October 15, 2014 | Football
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - The Boston College football continues to prepare for its bout with No. 24/22 Clemson, slated for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Alumni Stadium. The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
The Eagles (4-2, 1-1 ACC) look for their second conference win after defeating NC State on the road in Raleigh. The Tigers (4-2, 3-1) are coming off a five-point victory over Louisville at home.
Selected student-athletes spoke to the media after practice on Wednesday about what the team has to do to beat Clemson.
Senior DL Brian Mihalik
On his growth...
"One of my first games as a freshman was against Clemson. Watching film of myself from then and now is interesting. Throughout my time here, I've become a lot more comfortable in the position.
"Mainly I think [the improvement has] been time. Not only do you get used to your assignment, but you get used to what everyone around you is doing and you have a better feeling for the position.
On the NC State game without Mehdi Abdesdmad...
"Coach has always taught us that if somebody goes down, everyone else has to step up and that's what we knew we had to do. Mehdi has been a good player for us, so him going down really hurt us. But I think everyone has been able to step up."
On the game plan against the Clemson quarterbacks...
"It doesn't change that much. Obviously [QB Deshaun] Watson is a little bit more of an athletic guy but [Cole] Stout seems like he moves around pretty well. We don't change our game plan for anyone in particular. We play the same way."
Graduate QB Tyler Murphy
On Clemson's defense...
"They're a real good defense; the front seven is really good. They have some monsters as the front four. We need to do a good job of making sure we're handling our business and stepping the right way, making the right blocks and reads and just being fundamentally sound. The only way you can beat teams like this is technique and fundamentals.
On playing complementary football...
"We have to play great in all three phases. They're a little beat up on offense right now but we're going to work to make some plays on special teams, as well as try and get some turnovers to put points up on defense. We have to hold up our end of the bargain on offense and take care of the ball and make sure we don't put our defense in a bad situation. The defense has to do a good job of getting three-and-outs and getting them off the field to set us up as an offense to be successful. If we want to win on Saturday it has to be a team effort and we have to work off of one another."
On being on the attack from the beginning...
"It's very important. We have to come out and let them know that we're ready to play and we're here. This is a BC team that's trying to be different this year and be at the top of the ACC. If we want to do that, we're going to have to beat teams like Clemson. They're a very good team and this will be the best defense we have faced all year. We have a big challenge ahead of us and we're excited about it. Like I said, we have to make sure we are on top of our assignments."
