Four Downs: Louisville

The concept of "next level execution" requires a game-breaking player. It needs someone to control a situation and transcend the play around them. He makes everyone around him better by becoming the focus.

On Saturday, Boston College saw a glimpse into the next transcendent player. As AJ Dillon outdueled the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, the Eagles found their next level of execution in an emotional, 45-42 victory over Louisville on the road.

It was the largest offensive output in years. BC's 555 yards of offense was the most since playing NC State in 2008. The 45 points were the most in an ACC game since a 28-7 win over Syracuse in 2014, and it was the most points in a road game since a 33-31 win at Virginia Tech during that same season. It was also BC's first win over Louisville since 1994, though the two teams only played once between then and 2014.

"We beat a really good football team," head coach Steve Addazio said. "I thought we did it as a team. We did it in all three phases. (I'm) proud of the way our guys had great resolve down 21-7 at the half. (We) ripped off three scores in a row. We rushed the ball for over 360 and something yards. AJ Dillon himself had over 270 yards."

Dillon is an incredibly unique football player. Though he weighs 240 pounds, he has a second gear and breakaway speed. He can keep moving at the point of attack by churning his legs through would-be tacklers.

His performance on Saturday is among the all-time program greatest. He became the first 200-yard rusher since Andre Williams gashed New Mexico State for 295 yards in 2013, and his four touchdowns tied for third-best in program history. With 39 carries, Dillon tied Rolandan Finch and Jim Bell for fifth all-time.

"Our coaches keep inspiring us every day to just keep standing," Dillon said. "I feel like that is something that we do really well. We have been focusing on really having each other's backs and having the ability, when we face something that doesn't go right, to just keep standing. I feel like we exemplified that today."

It was the right situation for the right player. Dillon gashed the Cardinals behind holes opened by the offensive line. He hit tacklers with ferocity to gain two or three extra yards, and he broke off a 75-yard, highlight reel-caliber run after a touchback placed BC on its own 25.

Running left, Dillon stuffed by fifth-year senior Chucky Williams. Williams wrapped him up, but Dillon stiff-armed the 216-pound safety into the middle of next week. Turning on a second gear, he outran the secondary for a 75-yard touchdown.

"I have been really working on just being a physical runner," Dillon said. "Coach White has really been telling me each week to try to focus on something more. I have been trying to work on my pad level. Coach has been telling me that is something a lot of guys from high school have a lot of trouble with. I just have been working on that, along with the other running backs. I feel like I got the ball and headed to the left side, and I got a good block."

On Saturday, Dillon outdueled the reigning Heisman Trophy winner to deliver the first ACC win of the season. In a year built around finding "next level execution," BC found it thanks in large part to the New London, Conn. native.

Here's what else came out of Saturday's game:

*****
First Down: The Quarterbacks

When Darius Wade relieved an injured Anthony Brown on Saturday, he proved his entire scouting report. With the most experience at the position in Steve Addazio's system, he brings something different from Brown. Against Louisville, he justified his role within the quarterback room, completing his first seven passes and finishing with 91 yards.

"I thought he came in and he did a great job," Steve Addazio said. "He was cool and had a great look about him and I'm proud of what he did here today. The lesson doesn't always go the way everybody plans it to go, but you (have to) be unselfish, be there to help your team any way you can. When your number is called hopefully you can do something to help your team. That's the mindset Darius has and what this team has."

Brown won the preseason quarterback competition by grading out better in tangible areas, but he didn't diminish Wade's role in the team. The quarterback room is full of different types of playmakers with complementary skillsets. Brown entered the year as the more raw, athletic option, while Wade's intelligence and ability to understand the offense made him an asset.

The room studies within itself, creating a cooperative environment improving all players. As a result, changing from Brown to Wade doesn't have massive implications. With different skillsets and complementary attributes, BC could switch offensive styles and highlight a player like Dillon without falling off the proverbial bunk bed.

"(Wade) came off the bench and we went to a power attack," Addazio said. "At halftime, we made that decision (and) we said we're going to turn this into a power game. We were going to pick our play actions, our nakeds and we did that, I thought, really effectively. Early on we took some shots and emptied some specials. We went on some critical fourth down calls. We did everything we felt we had to do to find a way to win that game on the road."

*****
Second Down: Lamar Jackson

In this week's W2WF column, I recognized Lamar Jackson was essentially unstoppable. His talent and composure make him unflappable, making the game plan more about containment. Teams can't actually beat Jackson in order to beat Jackson. Instead, beating him becomes more about stopping his other weapons.

Jackson had a predictably monster game, piling up 513 of Louisville's 625 offensive yards. He threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 180 yards and three touchdowns. He did it with a flair for drama, hitting plays in the clutch to keep the Cardinals in a breakneck pace for yards and points.

"How do you contain Lamar Jackson?" Steve Addazio said. "That honestly absolutely was the plan, but the guy is incredible. I feel like I've been around some real freaky quarterback athletes, (but) this guy right here is special. That was our focus, but yet he still made a bunch of plays."

Late in the game, Jackson made a play emblematic of his entire arsenal. On a read option, he faked the handoff to Reggie Bonnafon, who went right. Most of the front seven bought it, leaving Jackson in open field against the Eagles secondary. He slipped past safety Lukas Denis, making him miss on a tackle before breaking into the open field for a touchdown.

"We were trying to contain, squeeze, rush him, and he's still every once and a while popping out," Addazio said. "You can't tackle the guy, and he's got a rocket arm. I think he's sensational."

But BC came up with the explosive stop when it absolutely needed it. Defensive lineman Wyatt Ray was first, picking off Jackson to rebound the Eagles after a missed opportunity on offense.

"That was a heck of play," Addazio said. "We needed it. We needed to make a play. You saw the last drive when we had Kobay (White) open in the second-to-last drive, he was wide open for a walk-in touchdown. We just misfired on it, and everybody just kept going. It wasn't like everybody crying in their milk. That's the mindset, just a resilient mindset."

Kam Moore was second. Though Jaylen Smith had six catches for 118 yards, Moore recovered his fumble late in the fourth on the Louisville 39-yard line. With under two minutes left, it directly led to the Eagle victory.

"It's been a roller coaster all year long, and something you have to keep faith about you, your core and your faith," Addazio said. "I mean that wholeheartedly. Our team knows that; you have to believe you have to have faith. You have to keep grinding. Control the controllables and don't worry about the stuff you can't control. Just keep swinging."

*****
Third Down: Colton Lichtenberg

After a hot start to the season, kicker Colton Lichtenberg cooled off against Clemson. He missed a longer-range kick in that game, then missed a short shot against Central Michigan in wet conditions. After missing a kick against Virginia Tech and an earlier attempt against Louisville, kicking the game winning field goal is both a turnaround and a confidence boost for the junior.

"You really don't think about anything," Lichtenberg said of the game-winning moment. "I wasn't looking at anything or anywhere. You really don't talk to a lot of people. You're just looking up at those uprights and you visualize the ball going through. That's all you're thinking about - putting it up and that's it."

Special teams play is a solid part of the BC repertoire. Max Schulze-Geisthovel had four touchbacks and averaged over 63 yards per kick against the Cardinals, and the coverage team didn't allow a runback past 18 yards. But kicking remains under the microscope because of its struggles over the past couple of seasons.

None of that mattered when Lichtenberg kicked the short field goal to win the game. All that mattered was that single kick.

"I didn't really do anything to adjust mentally or physically," Lichtenberg said. "Every kick is the same. I wanted to go one-for-one on the last shot. That's my shot."

"(We) just said we're going to kick it," Steve Addazio said. "We're going to drain the clock, and we're going to kick it. That's the way it is. The only thing I wanted to remind those guys of was that they couldn't ice us. They didn't have a timeout and I had one left in case I needed it for some operational issue or something. I just reminded him that he could not be iced and to get his mind right."

*****
Fourth Down: The Road

Road games are crystallized into an "us-versus-them" mentality. Heading to Louisville placed BC in a hostile environment before about 45,000 fans in a different climate, but it provided the Eagles with a chance to get away and stay within themselves for their preparation.

"We watched a motivational video and it was unbelievable," Addazio said. "It talked about in the face of tremendous adversity, just stand. That's what we did, we stood, and I'm very proud of the (the team). Even overcoming the odds of all the guys we've lost, we've lost three out of four captains, we're molding."

There's a natural risk involved because an excited crowd can reach a fever pitch if the game goes sour. Stopping that home field momentum, though, is a huge boost and can springboard a team.

"I'm going to enjoy the great victory with my team right now," Addazio said. "Players got the coaches back, coaches got the players' back. We love each other, there's a genuine love for each other in there and we got each other's back."

BC flew home with considerable momentum after the Louisville win. Winning tends to make everything better, and instead of searching for positives in a loss, the Eagles can break down how to get better after a win. Though desire isn't an issue in the locker room, there's an undeniable excitement permeating with another road game looming at Virginia on Saturday.

*****
Point After: Virginia

After a 20-14 win at North Carolina yesterday, Virginia is for real. Winners of four straight games, the Cavaliers now are now 5-1, 2-0 in ACC play.

The Tar Heels fell to 1-6 on the season, but popular preseason prognostications placed the 'Hoos as a last place team in the Coastal Division. They opened the season 2-1, but they didn't start making believers until they beat Duke, 28-21. Coming out of yesterday's win, UVA now has a conference win on the road.

The Eagles and Cavaliers will play on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on regional sports networks, televised locally on NESN.

Boston College Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Anthony Brown

Lukas Denis

AJ Dillon

Colton Lichtenberg

Wyatt Ray

Darius Wade

Related Videos