Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Ben Solomon
Offensive Breakout Buoyed By Vintage Success
October 17, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Eagles pound the rock in 45-42 win over the Cards
In Saturday's 45-42 win over Louisville, Boston College running back AJ Dillon enjoyed one of his team's greatest days. He rushed for 272 yards and four touchdowns, the third-best rushing total in school history and most by a true freshman. With the fifth-highest rushing output by a single player in the NCAA this season, Dillon stands second to only Amos Lawrence's 286 yards in 1978 among ACC freshmen.
Dillon's 75-yard run for daylight stands as a national highlight. His stiff-arm and breakaway speed dotted national highlight reels and helped him earn Walter Camp Football Foundation National Player of the Week honors. Most importantly, it helped the Eagles win their first ACC game of the season on the road in a hostile environment.
But the most amazing part of the performance is that it almost didn't happen. The freshman only had nine carries in the first half for 33 yards. Though Dillon had a touchdown, Anthony Brown was the team's leader into the locker room. Thanks to a 30-yard carry, Brown had 65 yards on six carries while passing for 89 yards and a touchdown. He went 3-of-5 in the first quarter, and though he struggled in the second, he installed the right amount of confidence in the coaches to keep calling his number.
"I think because we were throwing the ball well on first and second down in our naked play action game, I think we were able to move the chains," head coach Steve Addazio said. "As you start to move those chains, you start to wear down a defense."
But during the first drive of the second half, Brown suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder. Having injured it during the Clemson game, he played through pain against both Central Michigan and Virginia Tech. This time, however, the injury forced him to the bench in favor of redshirt junior Darius Wade. As Wade strode into the huddle, Addazio made the call to change the offensive mindset.
"In this game when (Anthony) got dinged up, we had to shift it back towards a little bit more of a power run attack," Addazio said. "Although in that game early we ran some QB read zones in there. As the game moved on, we started imposing our will, and Jon (Hilliman) and AJ were running at a very, very high level."
The mojo harkened back to Boston College's original recipe for success. With an offensive line built on pure horsepower, a powerful, big running back with breakaway speed tore through defenders. Dillon finished the quarter with 16 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Hilliman added another score. Wade was a perfect 6-of-6 passing for 70 yards.
"(The linemen) were coming off the field, and they're confident now," Addazio said. "They were like, 'Coach we're knocking these guys off the ball right here right now. So let's roll. Let's roll this thing right here right now.' Plus there's another piece to keep that quarterback of theirs off the field."
Everything clicked from there. Though BC couldn't stop Lamar Jackson, it limited his output by keeping him off the field. In the first half, the Cardinals had 17 minutes of possession and 21 points, but in the third quarter, BC allowed them only three minutes of offense. Jackson failed to complete a pass, and Louisville only had 23 yards rushing. Had it held the ball longer, the score unquestionably could've been much worse.
"You're trying to control the ball and maybe at the end, we kind of scored a couple of times maybe too fast," Addazio said. "So there's a mindset there that you're shifting into, and you're trying to have some ability to shift and figure out on the move. When guys like A.J. Dillon played (the way he did), it makes you a smarter coach."
As the running game achieved success, the coaching staff enabled deeper, more complex packages. In order to disguise blocking packages, the Eagles lined offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom up in a tight end or H-back role. It allowed for pull blocks in different directions, and it helped seal off would-be tacklers for Dillon.
"It gives you a little more schematic flexibility based on the kind of front you're playing," Addazio said. "Sometimes you don't want to open a gap up front. So you can close those gaps off and yet still get an extra puller to where you want to go, especially if you have an athletic guy that can run and is powerful like Chris Lindstrom is."
It's a watershed moment for BC after changing personnel throughout the first part of the season. Now past the halfway point of the season, the Eagles have the continuity within personnel to continue building the offense, even as they look forward to Brown's recovery and return to the lineup.
"We've been able to practice the last couple of weeks with continuity at that (offensive line) position," Addazio said. "It's growing. I thought they did a great job. They played really, really physically and against a really talented defensive front. The key for us is to stay healthy as we possibly can with that unit because we're a little thin. But they're performing at a really good level right now and gaining confidence."
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Dillon's 75-yard run for daylight stands as a national highlight. His stiff-arm and breakaway speed dotted national highlight reels and helped him earn Walter Camp Football Foundation National Player of the Week honors. Most importantly, it helped the Eagles win their first ACC game of the season on the road in a hostile environment.
But the most amazing part of the performance is that it almost didn't happen. The freshman only had nine carries in the first half for 33 yards. Though Dillon had a touchdown, Anthony Brown was the team's leader into the locker room. Thanks to a 30-yard carry, Brown had 65 yards on six carries while passing for 89 yards and a touchdown. He went 3-of-5 in the first quarter, and though he struggled in the second, he installed the right amount of confidence in the coaches to keep calling his number.
"I think because we were throwing the ball well on first and second down in our naked play action game, I think we were able to move the chains," head coach Steve Addazio said. "As you start to move those chains, you start to wear down a defense."
But during the first drive of the second half, Brown suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder. Having injured it during the Clemson game, he played through pain against both Central Michigan and Virginia Tech. This time, however, the injury forced him to the bench in favor of redshirt junior Darius Wade. As Wade strode into the huddle, Addazio made the call to change the offensive mindset.
"In this game when (Anthony) got dinged up, we had to shift it back towards a little bit more of a power run attack," Addazio said. "Although in that game early we ran some QB read zones in there. As the game moved on, we started imposing our will, and Jon (Hilliman) and AJ were running at a very, very high level."
The mojo harkened back to Boston College's original recipe for success. With an offensive line built on pure horsepower, a powerful, big running back with breakaway speed tore through defenders. Dillon finished the quarter with 16 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Hilliman added another score. Wade was a perfect 6-of-6 passing for 70 yards.
"(The linemen) were coming off the field, and they're confident now," Addazio said. "They were like, 'Coach we're knocking these guys off the ball right here right now. So let's roll. Let's roll this thing right here right now.' Plus there's another piece to keep that quarterback of theirs off the field."
Everything clicked from there. Though BC couldn't stop Lamar Jackson, it limited his output by keeping him off the field. In the first half, the Cardinals had 17 minutes of possession and 21 points, but in the third quarter, BC allowed them only three minutes of offense. Jackson failed to complete a pass, and Louisville only had 23 yards rushing. Had it held the ball longer, the score unquestionably could've been much worse.
"You're trying to control the ball and maybe at the end, we kind of scored a couple of times maybe too fast," Addazio said. "So there's a mindset there that you're shifting into, and you're trying to have some ability to shift and figure out on the move. When guys like A.J. Dillon played (the way he did), it makes you a smarter coach."
As the running game achieved success, the coaching staff enabled deeper, more complex packages. In order to disguise blocking packages, the Eagles lined offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom up in a tight end or H-back role. It allowed for pull blocks in different directions, and it helped seal off would-be tacklers for Dillon.
"It gives you a little more schematic flexibility based on the kind of front you're playing," Addazio said. "Sometimes you don't want to open a gap up front. So you can close those gaps off and yet still get an extra puller to where you want to go, especially if you have an athletic guy that can run and is powerful like Chris Lindstrom is."
It's a watershed moment for BC after changing personnel throughout the first part of the season. Now past the halfway point of the season, the Eagles have the continuity within personnel to continue building the offense, even as they look forward to Brown's recovery and return to the lineup.
"We've been able to practice the last couple of weeks with continuity at that (offensive line) position," Addazio said. "It's growing. I thought they did a great job. They played really, really physically and against a really talented defensive front. The key for us is to stay healthy as we possibly can with that unit because we're a little thin. But they're performing at a really good level right now and gaining confidence."
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