Boston College Athletics
BC-Clemson Built On Respect
October 04, 2016 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Both sides had signature moments through the years.
When Boston College joined the ACC in 2005, it knew there would be new rivalries forged. Leaving behind the Big East and traditional schools such as Syracuse, the Eagles joined a newly-formed Atlantic Division with teams they rarely, if ever, played.Â
But if they were to form a rivalry with someone, it happened almost immediately with Clemson. In their inaugural conference game with the Tigers, BC won on the road in overtime. The next year, the Tigers came to Chestnut Hill and again BC won, this time in double overtime. After another BC win in '07, there was no questioning the Tigers' notice of the Eagles.
By jumping into the league and earning immediate success against an ACC establishment program, BC earned respect. In the years since, the Tigers beat the Eagles more than they lost, but there's still something to the matchup that makes fan bases on both sides take note.
This year, that rivalry gets a new chapter with a Friday night, nationally-televised football game. The Tigers, winners of 19 straight regular season games, come to BC on a night where the Eagles will don their special edition red bandanna accessories in order to honor the memory of 9/11 hero Welles Remy Crowther '99.
"Clemson's a phenomenal football team," said BC head coach Steve Addazio. "I'm making an understatement here. (They are the) number three team in the country and deservedly so. It's hard to find any weakness when you look at them on either side of the ball. They have tremendous athletes at every position. And to watch them elevatet their level of play on Saturday night in a marquee matchup at home (against Louisville) was really impressive."
Clemson's respect is well earned. The Tigers enter this week with an offense ranked in the top 50 nationally and a defense ranked 12th. They've scored 40-plus points in two of their last three games, and they're coming off a two-game stretch where they handled both Georgia Tech and Louisville in nationally-televised games. They're no strangers to the spotlight, coming off of a 14-1 season when they went undefeated in the regular season, won the ACC crown and advanced to the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Even though Clemson is ranked third, there are still 13 teams with better-rated defenses entering this week. Boston College isn't just on the list; it's at top of it. So the respect goes both ways.
"Boston College always has great linebackers and as long as I've been at Clemson and been playing these guys, you just turn on the film every year and they have outstanding play at linebacker," said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. "They have four veterans back in the secondary. They do have a new defensive coordinator in Jim Reid, but this is a confident bunch on the defensive side. They don't give up big plays."
This is a rivalry filled with moments - both good and bad - for both sides. There's the three BC wins mentioned above, including the two overtime thrillers. For Clemson, Dabo Swinney earned his first career victory in 2008 at the Eagles' expense, a 27-21 victory that saw BC come from down 17-0 to take a four-point lead before Clemson engineered a fourth-quarter comeback of its own.
In 2013, Clemson, ranked No. 3 at the time, beat BC, 24-14, but not before Andre Williams hit the truck stick on the defense. The next year, the Tigers came north, and Tyler Murphy threw for two touchdowns as BC took a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter, only to fall by a 17-13 count.
This year, the teams will look to add another chapter. Despite the short week, the teams will decide the winner of the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy on a night when they'll honor Crowther's memory and spirit.
"They're going to come into our backyard and for everybody in the Northeast to have a chance to come watch that game on a Friday night, it will be a great atmosphere," said Addazio. "It's the Red Bandanna game, celebrating the life of Welles Crowther and his selflessness. I think it will be a great atmosphere and obviously a tremendous challenge for us."
"We look forward to being a part of that moment as well with the Boston College folks," said Swinney. "We have a lot of respect for Boston College. I think Steve Addazio is one of the great men of college football. I don't think there is a more passionate coach, a guy that loves the game more, a guy that loves his players more, a guy that is about the right things.
"I think there is a great respect from the Clemson side to the BC side," Swinney continued. "It's a game that we look forward to every year, and this year is even more special to be a part of honoring this young man that is a true American hero."
But if they were to form a rivalry with someone, it happened almost immediately with Clemson. In their inaugural conference game with the Tigers, BC won on the road in overtime. The next year, the Tigers came to Chestnut Hill and again BC won, this time in double overtime. After another BC win in '07, there was no questioning the Tigers' notice of the Eagles.
By jumping into the league and earning immediate success against an ACC establishment program, BC earned respect. In the years since, the Tigers beat the Eagles more than they lost, but there's still something to the matchup that makes fan bases on both sides take note.
This year, that rivalry gets a new chapter with a Friday night, nationally-televised football game. The Tigers, winners of 19 straight regular season games, come to BC on a night where the Eagles will don their special edition red bandanna accessories in order to honor the memory of 9/11 hero Welles Remy Crowther '99.
"Clemson's a phenomenal football team," said BC head coach Steve Addazio. "I'm making an understatement here. (They are the) number three team in the country and deservedly so. It's hard to find any weakness when you look at them on either side of the ball. They have tremendous athletes at every position. And to watch them elevatet their level of play on Saturday night in a marquee matchup at home (against Louisville) was really impressive."
Clemson's respect is well earned. The Tigers enter this week with an offense ranked in the top 50 nationally and a defense ranked 12th. They've scored 40-plus points in two of their last three games, and they're coming off a two-game stretch where they handled both Georgia Tech and Louisville in nationally-televised games. They're no strangers to the spotlight, coming off of a 14-1 season when they went undefeated in the regular season, won the ACC crown and advanced to the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Even though Clemson is ranked third, there are still 13 teams with better-rated defenses entering this week. Boston College isn't just on the list; it's at top of it. So the respect goes both ways.
"Boston College always has great linebackers and as long as I've been at Clemson and been playing these guys, you just turn on the film every year and they have outstanding play at linebacker," said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. "They have four veterans back in the secondary. They do have a new defensive coordinator in Jim Reid, but this is a confident bunch on the defensive side. They don't give up big plays."
This is a rivalry filled with moments - both good and bad - for both sides. There's the three BC wins mentioned above, including the two overtime thrillers. For Clemson, Dabo Swinney earned his first career victory in 2008 at the Eagles' expense, a 27-21 victory that saw BC come from down 17-0 to take a four-point lead before Clemson engineered a fourth-quarter comeback of its own.
In 2013, Clemson, ranked No. 3 at the time, beat BC, 24-14, but not before Andre Williams hit the truck stick on the defense. The next year, the Tigers came north, and Tyler Murphy threw for two touchdowns as BC took a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter, only to fall by a 17-13 count.
This year, the teams will look to add another chapter. Despite the short week, the teams will decide the winner of the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy on a night when they'll honor Crowther's memory and spirit.
"They're going to come into our backyard and for everybody in the Northeast to have a chance to come watch that game on a Friday night, it will be a great atmosphere," said Addazio. "It's the Red Bandanna game, celebrating the life of Welles Crowther and his selflessness. I think it will be a great atmosphere and obviously a tremendous challenge for us."
"We look forward to being a part of that moment as well with the Boston College folks," said Swinney. "We have a lot of respect for Boston College. I think Steve Addazio is one of the great men of college football. I don't think there is a more passionate coach, a guy that loves the game more, a guy that loves his players more, a guy that is about the right things.
"I think there is a great respect from the Clemson side to the BC side," Swinney continued. "It's a game that we look forward to every year, and this year is even more special to be a part of honoring this young man that is a true American hero."
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