Week Seven Notes: The Louisville Game

Photo by: John Quackenbos

October 09, 2017 | Football

Eagles travel to Louisville Saturday for 12:20 p.m. kickoff on ACC Network

By: Athletic Communications

Boston College Notes: The Louisville Game

• Boston College looks for its first ACC win of the year at Louisville Saturday afternoon at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

• ACC Network (myTV38 in Boston) has broadcast coverage of the game with Tom Werme (play-by-play), Dave Archer (color analyst) and D.J. Shockley (field analyst) on the call. Kickoff is set for 12:20 p.m.

• Coverage on the Boston College IMG Sports Network begins at 11:50 a.m. with Jon Meterparel, Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 850 AM, nationally on TuneIn and on Sirius channel 119 and XM channel 203.

• Boston College looks to rebound after losing 23-10 to No. 16 Virginia Tech last Saturday night at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles finished with a season-high five sacks against Virginia Tech, including three from Harold Landry, in the loss to the Hokies.

• Louisville returns to action after losing to No. 24 NC State 39-25 in Raleigh on Oct. 5.

• Boston College and Louisville meet for the 10th time in series history Saturday. The series began on Oct. 18, 1986 with a 41-7 BC victory at Alumni Stadium.

• The Cardinals lead the all-time series 6-3 and have won the last four meetings, the longest win streak for either school in the series.

• The last victory for the Eagles against Louisville was a 35-14 victory on Thursday, Nov. 3, 1994 at Louisville. BC rushed for a season-high 309 yards in the win as both Justice Smith (145 yards) and David Green (114 yards) went over the century mark on the ground. BC finished the night with 549 yards of total offense in front of a national television audience on ESPN.

• In ACC play, BC is 0-3 against the Cardinals. Louisville won 38-19 in 2014, 17-14 in 2015 and captured a 52-7 victory last year at Alumni Stadium against the Eagles. The 52 points scored by Louisville last year matched a series high for the Cardinals, as they also scored 52 in the 1998 victory at Louisville (52-28).

• The longest winning streak for BC in the series is two games as BC won 33-3 in 1991 at BC and the 35-14 victory at Louisville in 1994.

• The most points scored by BC in series play occurred in the first meeting between the two schools (41) in 1986.

• BC will look to contain a potent Louisville offense that is averaging 37.5 points per game and 557.8 yards of total offense per game. In ACC play against BC, the Cards have averaged 35.6 points per game in the three wins vs. the Eagles.

• All-time in series history, Louisville is averaging 35.3 points per game in six wins while scoring just 8.0 points per game in the three losses.

Facing the Reigning Heisman Trophy Winner

• For just the second time in Boston College history, the Eagles will face the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Saturday against Louisville's Lamar Jackson.

• The only other time BC squared off against the reigning Heisman winner was against Jameis Winston of Florida State in 2014.

• In the 2014 game, Winston threw for 281 yards and a touchdown to lead the third-ranked and undefeated Seminoles to a 20-17 win in Tallahassee.

BC vs. Heisman Trophy Winner

No. 18 Florida State 48, Boston College 34 9/28/13

Jameis Winston (Florida State)

17-of-27, 335 yards, 4 TD, INT, 77 yards rushing

No. 5 Louisville 52, Boston College 7 11/5/16

Lamar Jackson (Louisville)

12-of-17, 231 yards, 4 TD, INT, 185 rushing yards, 3 TD

119th Season of Boston College Football

• The 119th season of Boston College football began with a 23-20 victory at Northern Illinois on Sept. 1. All-time, BC is 654-485-37 in 1,176 games.

• BC is 36th in NCAA history with 654 victories. The Eagles are one of eight ACC schools ranked in the top 40 all-time in victories.

Defending the Pass

• Boston College is allowing just 182.0 passing yards per game, its fewest yards allowed through the air per game since 2015 (171.5 yards per game).

• BC is 21st nationally in passing yards allowed and third in the ACC.

• Boston College's starting secondary of free safety Lukas Denis, strong safety Will Harris and cornerbacks Kamrin Moore and Isaac Yiadom is off to a tremendous start in 2017. The unit has combined for seven of the team's eight interceptions.

Ball Hawks in the Back End

• Boston College has eight interceptions in six games, which is tied for 13th in the country. The Eagles have at least one interception in every game this season except against Wake Forest.

• BC is second in the ACC in interceptions behind only Duke (10).

Stingy Pass Defense

• Opponents have had a tough time completing passes against the BC pass defense in 2017. The Eagles rank 11th nationally in passing efficiency defense as opponents have only a 101.57 pass efficiency rate.

Look Out for Lukas

• Junior Lukas Denis has made a flawless transition from cornerback to free safety in 2017. The Everett native is tied for the national lead with five interceptions this season.

• Denis finished with a game-high and new career-high with 13 tackles in the Clemson game. He also forced a fumble against the second-ranked Tigers and had one interception.

• In the Sept. 30 victory over Central Michigan, Denis recorded the first two-interception game of his career.

• Denis is 18th nationally with 1.5 passes defended per game.

NCAA Interception Leaders

Player, Team Interceptions

1. Lukas Denis, Boston College 5

Jalen Davis, Utah State 5

Deshon Elliott, Texas 5

Justin Reid, Stanford 5

On This Date

• Boston College is 3-6-1 all-time on October 14. The last time BC played on this date, the Eagles defeated Syracuse 20-13 at Alumni Stadium in 2000.

• Saturday's game at Louisville is the first time BC has played on the road on Oct. 14 since 1978 at Tulane (9-3 loss).

Results on Oct. 14

Year Opponent Result

2000 Syracuse W, 20-13

1995 West Virginia L, 31-19

1989 Temple W, 35-14

1978 at Tulane L, 9-3

1972 No. 16 Air Force L, 13-9

1967 Penn State L, 50-28

1949 Ole Miss T, 25-25

1911 at Colby L, 18-0

1899 Newton AC W, 6-0

1896 at Tufts L, 22-8

The Trifecta

• Senior Harold Landry recorded three sacks in a game for the third time in his career Oct. 7 against No. 16 Virginia Tech.

• Since 2014, only three players in college football have recorded three, three-sack games: Myles Garrett (Texas A&M), Derek Barnett (Tennessee) and Landry.

• Garrett was the first pick of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns while Barnett was taken 14th overall in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

• Landry is tied for 11th nationally in 2017 with five sacks.

Boston College Single-Game Sacks Leaders

Sacks, Player Year Opponent

3.5, Mathias Kiwanuka 2005 NC State

3.5, Mike Mamula 1994 Temple

3, Harold Landry 2017 No. 16 Virginia Tech

3, Harold Landry 2016 Wake Forest

3, Harold Landry 2016 Wagner

3, B.J. Raji 2008 NC State

3, Mathias Kiwanuka 2005 Ball State

3, Mathias Kiwanuka 2003 Notre Dame

3, Mike Mamula 1994 Syracuse

3, Joe Glandorf 1974 Syracuse

The Nation's Leader Returns

• Boston College defensive end Harold Landry decided to return to Boston College for his senior season in January. The All-American led the nation in sacks in 2016 with 16.5.

• Landry led the country with seven forced fumbles en route to Walter Camp and Associated Press All-America honors.

• Landry finished with one of the best seasons of any defensive player in the country in 2016. An AP All-ACC first-team selection, Landry was also selected as the Division I Gold Helmet of the Year Award recipient, given annually to the top player in New England by the New England Football Writers' Association and the recipient of the 78th annual George "Bulger" Lowe Award, "New England's Heisman Trophy" and one of America's oldest college football accolades.

• Landry, who collected All-ACC second-team honors by the media and coaches, was one of six finalists for the Ted Hendricks Award, given annually to the nation's top defensive end.

• The North Carolina native led the nation with 16.5 sacks and seven fumbles forced. Landry rewrote the Boston College single-season record for sacks in 2016, breaking the old mark of 13 held by Eric Storz (1997) and Mike Mamula (1994). Landry was fifth in the country with 22.0 tackles-for-loss, the second-best total in Boston College single-season history behind only Mathias Kiwanuka's 25.5 TFLs in 2004.

• Since 2005, only two players have led the nation in sacks and decided to return to school instead of opting for the NFL Draft: Harold Landry and Von Miller (Texas A&M).

• Landry recorded at least one sack in 10 of BC's 13 games in 2016. He set the BC single-season sack record, breaking the mark of 13 held by Erik Storz in 1997 and Mike Mamula in 1994.

• Landry finished 2016 with 22 tackles-for-loss, the second-best single-season total in BC history.

BC Career Sacks Leaders

1. Mathias Kiwanuka (2002-05) 37.5

2. Harold Landry (2014-present) 26

3. Mike Mamula (1992-94) 24

4. Chris Hovan (1996-99) 20.5

5. Erik Storz (1994-97) 19

BC Career TFL Leaders

1. Mathias Kiwanuka (2002-05) 65.5

2. Harold Landry (2014-present) 47

3. Luke Kuechly (2009-11) 44

4. Chris Hovan (1996-99) 43

5. Tim Bulman (2001-04) 38

In the ACC …

• Landry's 16.5 sacks in 2016 ranked third in ACC single-season history. Only Peter Boulware (FSU) and Charles Bowser (Duke) recorded more sacks in one season.

All-Time ACC Single-Season Sacks Leaders

1. Peter Boulware, Florida State (1996) 19.0

2. Charles Bowser, Duke (1981) 17.5

3. Harold Landry, Boston College (2016) 16.5

4. Lawrence Taylor, North Carolina (1980) 16.0

Keith Adams, Clemson (1999) 16.0

Andre Wadsworth, Florida State (1997) 16.0

Zach Attack

• Boston College junior defensive end Zach Allen has quietly become one of the top defensive ends in the ACC. The Connecticut native leads BC with 55 tackles on the season and is tied for the team lead with 8.0 tackles for loss.

• Allen recorded a career-high 14 tackles, leading all players, in the Oct. 7 game against No. 16 Virginia Tech. He notched a career-high three tackles for loss and one sack on the night. He was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts in the Virginia Tech game.

• Allen recorded two TFLs, one sack and his first career interception in the 28-8 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 30.

• Nationally, Allen is 32nd nationally in tackles, 40th in tackles for loss and 49th in sacks. He is in the top 10 in the ACC in all three categories as well.

Watch Out for Walker

• Junior wide receiver Michael Walker has been all over the field for the Eagles through six games this season. The Naples, Fla., native leads BC with 117.2 all-purpose yards per game and is third on the team with 15 receptions. Walker is also among the national leaders in kickoff returns and punt returns.

• In punt returns, Walker is fifth nationally and first in the ACC with an average of 17.1 yards per return.

• Walker leads the nation in combined kick returns with 626 yards in 2017.

• Against Central Michigan, Walker registered 128 punt return yards - including 124 in the first half - the fourth-best single-game total in BC history. It was the most punt return yards in a game since Ed Rideout finished with 131 punt return yards against Holy Cross in 1970. He finished the game with 135 all-purpose yards.

Yards Name (Year) Opponent

166 Kelvin Martin (1985) Holy Cross

136 Kelvin Martin (1986) SMU

131 Ed Rideout (1970) Holy Cross

128 Michael Walker (2017) Central Michigan

109 Spiffy Evans (2012) Maryland

• Walker setup BC's first touchdown of the game with a career-long 61-yard punt return. Last week at No. 2 Clemson, Walker's previous career-long of 27 yards also set up a BC touchdown.

• Walker had the second-longest punt return of his career on his second return of the day with a 33-yard return. BC scored on the drive as true freshman running back AJ Dillon scored his second career touchdown (first at Alumni Stadium) to give BC a 14-2 lead.

• Walker's 29-yard punt return put BC in position for BC's third touchdown as BC started the drive on the CMU 17-yard line. Hilliman scored his second touchdown of the game to extend the BC lead to 21-8.

• Over two games at No. 2 Clemson and against Central Michigan, BC had four scoring drives ending in touchdowns came after Walker got things started with a punt return of 27 yards or longer.

Strong at Safety

• Boston College junior strong safety Will Harris is second on the team in tackles with 50 through six games.

• Harris is eighth in the ACC with 8.3 tackles per game, which ranks 67th nationally.

Keeping the Flags off The Field

• Boston College ranks among the national leaders in fewest penalties, fewest penalties per game and fewest penalty yards per game.

• BC ranks sixth in the nation and second in the ACC with just 34.0 penalty yards per game this season.

• The Eagles are committing just 4.50 penalties per game, the 17th-best mark in the nation and third in the ACC.

• BC's 204 penalty yards this season rank 13th nationally and second in the conference while the 27 penalties committed in 2017 rank 25th in the nation and third-fewest in the ACC.

Schwab Stepping Up

• Boston College senior linebacker Ty Schwab is third on the team with 48 tackles through six games. Even more impressive, the Florida native has been the one steady force at the position with injuries to Connor Strachan and Max Richardson.

• Against defending National Champion Clemson, Schwab set career-highs in tackles (11) and sacks (1.5).

• Schwab has played in 23 consecutive games, including 19 starts, at weakside linebacker.

20 Completions, 100-Yard Rusher

• For only the second time in the Steve Addazio era, Boston College had a quarterback with 20-plus completions along with a 100-yard rusher in the same game Sept. 16 against Notre Dame.

• Redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Brown finished 24-of-40 passing for 215 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Fighting Irish while junior running back Jon Hilliman rushed for 122 yards on 22 carries.

• In Addazio's first game at BC, Chase Rettig was 23-of-30 passing for 285 yards and two touchdowns while Andre Williams rushed for 114 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown in a 24-14 win against Villanova (8/31/13).

Three-Headed Monster

• Boston College has been one of the best teams in the nation in all three phases of the kicking game so far in 2017.

• Junior place-kicker Colton Lichtenberg is 7-for-11 on field goals this season and ranks 52nd nationally with 1.2 field goals per game.

• Senior place-kicker Max Schulze-Geisthovel has 17 touchbacks on 25 kickoffs this season. The 68% rate for touchbacks is 19th nationally. BC ranks fourth in the ACC allowing just 18.7 yards per kick return.

• Senior punter Mike Knoll has averaged 40.8 yards per punt, but 21 of the punts have pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line. Against Clemson, Knoll had six punts inside the 10-yard line, including three pinned inside the Tigers' six.

Freshmen Combo at QB and Center

• Boston College is the only school in the country with freshmen starting at center and quarterback. True freshman Ben Petrula made his first career start at center vs. Wake Forest after senior captain Jon Baker was lost for the year with a knee injury.

• Anthony Brown has just five career starts at quarterback as the redshirt freshman made his first career start in the season opener at Northern Illinois.

Career Day for the Captain

• Boston College wide receiver and tri-captain Charlie Callinan had the best game of his career Sept. 16 vs. Notre Dame. Playing in his 41st career game including his 31st start, Callinan set career-highs in receptions (7), receiving yards (82) and receiving touchdowns (2) against the Fighting Irish.

• Callinan will be out for an extended period of time after suffering an injury to his foot at practice on Sept. 21.

Protecting the QBs

• Boston College's offensive line has allowed just five sacks through six games. The Eagles have attempted 210 passes so far in 2017 and rank 13th nationally and first in the ACC with just the five sacks allowed.

Freshman at Quarterback

• Redshirt freshman Anthony Brown was the second freshman in BC history to start a season opener under center in the Sept. 1 win at Northern Illinois. He is the only freshman quarterback in school history who started to win a season opener on the road.

• Brown was 26-for-42 with 191 passing yards and two touchdowns in the NIU win. He threw one interception. Both his attempts and completion totals are the most a BC quarterback has logged under head coach Steve Addazio.

• Redshirt freshman Justin Tuggle started the first game of 2009 against Northeastern and finished 3-of-5 passing for 56 yards with a touchdown in BC's 54-0 victory.

• Glenn Foley entered in the second quarter of his first game his redshirt freshman season and started the rest of the way. He owns BC's freshman record for most passing attempts (349) and completions (182) in 1990.

• Dave Shinskie played in all 13 games in 2009 and started the final 10 contests to set BC freshman records for passing yards (2,049) and passing touchdowns (15).

• Doug Flutie started the final seven games of his true freshman season in 1981 and ended the year with 1,652 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, eight interceptions and he completed 54.7 percent of his passes.

Comparing First Starts

• Anthony Brown did something in his first start that the top four career passing leaders in Boston College history could not do - win the game. Below is a comparison of the first career starts from Doug Flutie, Glenn Foley, Matt Ryan, Chase Rettig and Brown.

Doug Flutie (10/17/81 vs. Navy)

14-of-25, 118 yards, INT, 56.0 comp. % L, 25-10

Glenn Foley (9/15/90 vs. No. 17 Ohio State)

20-of-41, 179 yards, 48.7 comp. %) L, 31-10

Matt Ryan (11/27/04 vs. No. 17 Syracuse)

24-of-51, 200 yards, TD, 3 INT, 47.1 comp. % L, 43-17

Chase Rettig (10/16/10 at No. 16 Florida State)

9-of-24, 95 yards, 37.5 comp. % L, 24-19

Anthony Brown (9/1/17 at Northern Illinois)

26-of-42, 191 yards, 2 TD, INT, 61.9 comp. % W, 23-20

Spreading the Wealth

• Redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Brown completed passes to eight different players in the season opening win at Northern Illinois.

• Six players finished with multiple receptions, led by junior wide receiver Michael Walker's eight receptions.

• Walker led all BC players with 12 targets, followed by Kobay White and Jeff Smith (eight targets).

• Brown was at his best throwing on first down, completing 64 percent of his attempts (9-of-14). The New Jersey native was pretty consistent no matter the down, completing 61 percent on second down (8-of-13), 57 percent on third down (8-of-14) and was a perfect 1-for-1 on fourth down.

Noting the Win Over Northern Illinois

• Boston College opened its 119th season of college football with a 23-20 win at Northern Illinois Sept. 1 at Huskie Stadium. BC is 4-1 in season openers under Steve Addazio.

• All-time, BC is 69-48-2 in season openers and 13-5 since 2000.

• BC held NIU to 2-of-15 on third down conversions.

• Brown threw the first touchdown of his career on a five-yard pass to Michael Walker to give BC its first lead of the game at 13-10 with 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter. It was Walker's fifth career touchdown reception.

• Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kobay White caught his first career reception on a 20-yard catch to move the sticks on third down. White finished the game with six receptions for 76 yards. He finished the game with 104 all-purpose yards, which also included 28 yards on kickoff returns.

• The Eagles ran 92 plays in the game, more than any game in 2016. Last season's game high was 84 against Buffalo (Oct. 1, 2016).

• Sophomore tight end Ray Marten's first career reception was a touchdown as he hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass from Brown to give BC a 20-10 lead.

• Junior defensive back Will Harris collected a career-high 10 tackles, besting his previous high of eight, which he recorded at Virginia Tech on Sept. 17, 2016. His total tonight included seven solo stops and one tackle for a loss.

• Junior defensive end Zach Allen recorded a career-high nine tackles, which included four solo tackles.

• Sophomore middle linebacker Max Richardson earned his first career start.

• Junior free safety Lukas Denis made his first career start for the Eagles. He recorded his second career interception, along with two pass breakups and assisted on a tackle for a loss.

• Senior PK Max Schulze-Geisthovel appeared in his first game as an Eagle after playing on the men's soccer team last season at BC. Schulze-Geisthovel finished with three touchbacks.

Noting the Win Over Central Michigan

• BC is 4-0 all-time versus Central Michigan, including a 3-0 mark at Alumni Stadium, following the 28-8 victory over the Chippewas.

• BC is 21-3 all-time against current schools from the Mid-American Conference. BC has not lost to a MAC team since 1969 to Buffalo.

• Central Michigan scored first with a safety in the first quarter as Jon Hilliman was tackled on a first-down running play as the BC drive started on the one-yard line. The safety was the first against Boston College since Georgia Tech recorded a safety on Sept. 6, 2008.

• Boston College scored 14 points in the first quarter, the most points scored against a FBS team since also scoring 14 against NC State on Oct. 11, 2014.

• Central Michigan entered the game 22nd nationally with 306.3 passing yards per game. The BC defense held the Chippewas to 56 yards in the first half and 180 total for the game. The Eagles entered the day 14th nationally and second in the ACC allowing just 147.5 passing yards per game.

• Boston College finished with season-highs in points (28) and rushing yards (224).

• Redshirt junior running back Jon Hilliman scored two rushing touchdowns to move into a tie for 10th place in Boston College history with 23 career rushing touchdowns. Mike Holovak (1940-42) also scored 23 career rushing touchdowns.

• Hilliman's two rushing touchdowns tied a career high as he scored two touchdowns for the seventh time in his career.

• Hilliman finished with three touchdowns total (two rushing, one receiving) for the first time in his 34-game career.

• True freshman running back AJ Dillon finished with a career-high 120 rushing yards on a career-best 25 attempts. Dillon's previous single-game best was 58 yards on the ground against Notre Dame (Sept. 16, 2017).

• The 100-yard game by Dillon was the first 100-yard game by a true freshman running back for the Eagles since Hilliman rushed for 148 yards against Penn State in the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27, 2014).

• Redshirt freshman linebacker John Lamot made his first career start at middle linebacker. Lamot finished with 10 tackles, tied for the team lead. He also added a quarterback hurry in the game. Lamot's 10 tackles were a career-best for the North Carolina native.

• Senior defensive end Harold Landry finished with two tackles for loss and one sack. Landry is now tied for second in Boston College history in career TFLs with Luke Kuechly (44).

• Landry totaled his 23rd career sack in the fourth quarter. He is now just one sack behind Mike Mamula for second place in school history in career sacks.

• Junior free safety Lukas Denis recorded two more interceptions, a new career-high for the Everett native. Denis entered the game tied for second in the nation in interceptions. He now has five interceptions on the year.

• Junior defensive end Zach Allen recorded his first career interception in the third quarter. The Connecticut native finished with seven tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in addition to the interception.

• Junior defensive back Will Harris recorded 10 tackles on the day, matching his career best which he set in the season opener at Northern Illinois (Sept. 1, 2017).

Scouting This Week's Opponent: Louisville

• Louisville enters Saturday's game 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. The Cards own victories over Purdue (35-28), North Carolina (47-35), Kent State (42-3) and Murray State (55-10) while losing to No. 3 Clemson (47-21) and No. 24 NC State (39-25).

• Louisville features the most dynamic quarterback in the country in reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. The junior is second nationally in total offense averaging 416.7 yards per game. He is also among the top 20 nationally in passing yards (fourth, 1,990), passing touchdowns (11th, 14), passing yards per game (eighth, 331.7), passing yards per completion (18th, 14.4), points responsible for (first, 126) and rushing touchdowns (19th, 7).

• The Cardinals are fifth nationally in total offense (557.8 yards per game), 42nd in rushing offense (194.5 yards per game), seventh in passing offense (363.3 yards per game) and 25th in scoring offense (37.5 yards per game).

• Louisville is 41st nationally in total defense (351.3 yards per game), 74th in scoring defense (27.0 points per game), 23rd in rushing defense (112.7 yards per game) and 87th in passing yards allowed (238.7 yards per game).

Counting on Kobay

• Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kobay White had quite the debut as an Eagle at Northern Illinois. The Harrisburg, Pa., native led BC with 76 yards receiving on six receptions, including a critical 12-yard reception on 4th down to keep BC's game-winning drive alive.

• White led all BC players with 104 all-purpose yards in the NIU victory.

• White led all BC players with four 15-yard plus plays in the NIU victory, including three receptions covering 15-plus yards. Four of White's six receptions against NIU resulted in first downs.

• On the season, White leads BC with 228 yards receiving and 21 receptions. White also leads BC with eight receptions of 15-plus yards and 11 receptions for first downs.

Setting the Tempo

• Boston College ran 92 plays out of a no-huddle, up-tempo offense in the win at Northern Illinois. It was the most plays run under head coach Steve Addazio, beating the previous game-high of 86 vs. UMass in 2014.

• The 92 plays were the most by a BC team since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2005. Only three other times since 2005 has BC ran 90 plays in a game - 2007 vs. Army (90), 2005 vs. Florida State (90) and 2005 vs. Clemson (90).

• Heading into the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl, BC shifted its focus to an up-tempo, no-huddle offense. The results were immediate as the Eagles scored 29 points in the first half and 36 for the game in a 36-30 victory over Maryland.

Total Plays in a Game (since 2005)

1. Northern Illinois (9/1/17) 92

2. Army (9/22/07) 90

Florida State (9/17/05) 90

Clemson (9/24/05) 90

5. UMass (8/30/14) 86

6. Notre Dame (9/16/17) 85

Maine (9/20/14) 85

Miami (9/1/12) 85

9. Buffalo (10/1/16) 84

10. Maryland (11/10/07) 83

11. Wake Forest (9/9/17 82

Wake Forest (10/1/11) 82

Wake Forest (11/4/06) 82

Duke (11/11/06) 82

Preseason Award Watch List

• The following list of Eagles were named to various preseason award watch lists and All-America teams:

Harold Landry, Senior Defensive End

AP Preseason All-America First Team

ESPN.com Preseason All-America First Team

USA Today Preseason All-America First Team

Sports Illustrated Preseason All-America First Team

Phil Steele Preseason All-America First Team

Athlon Preseason All-America First Team

Lindy's Preseason All-America First Team

Street & Smith's Preseason All-America First Team

Preseason All-ACC First Team

Walter Camp Football Player of the Year Watch List

Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List

Maxwell Award Watch List

Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List

Jon Baker, Senior Center

Rimington Trophy Watch List

Tommy Sweeney, Junior Tight End

John Mackey Award Watch List

Jeff Smith, Junior Wide Receiver

Paul Hornung Award Watch List

Darius Wade, Junior Quarterback

Golden Arm Award Watch List

Jon Hilliman, Junior Running Back

Doak Walker Award Watch List

All-ACC Linebacker Out

• Senior linebacker Connor Strachan collected All-ACC honorable mention honors in 2016 and returned as one of the top defensive players in the nation in 2017. The Wellesley native injured his knee prior to the NIU game and played in the team's first two games before the injury forced him to be out for the season.

• Strachan earned All-ACC honors for the first time after the junior led the Eagles with 80 tackles in 2016. Appearing in 12 games including 12 starts, Strachan is third on the team with 11.0 tackles-for-loss and led the Eagles with four fumble recoveries. The four fumbles recovered ranked second nationally.

• Strachan played every snap in the win at NIU and finished with a key stop on fourth down to stall a NIU drive. The senior also made his first start at strongside linebacker after playing middle linebacker during his first three years at The Heights.

Sack, Sack, Sack the Quarterback

• Under the direction of defensive coordinator Jim Reid, Boston College tied a school record and finished second in the nation with 47 sacks in 2016.

• Reid, who was also the defensive coordinator at BC in 1994, equaled the school record for single-season sacks as his 1994 BC defense also totaled 47 sacks.

• BC returned 69 percent of their sack production in 2017 led by Harold Landry (16.5 sacks in 2016). In all, the Eagles have 32.5 combined sacks returning to the field this season.

• BC snapped a streak of 14 consecutive games with at least one sack after not getting a sack in the win at NIU on Sept. 1. The last time previous to NIU when BC went without a sack was Nov. 21, 2014 vs. Notre Dame.

NCAA Team Sacks Leaders (2016)

1. Florida State (ACC) 51 (3.92 per game)

2. Boston College (ACC) 47 (3.62 per game)

3. Alabama (SEC) 54 (3.60 per game)

4. Michigan (Big Ten) 46 (3.54 per game)

5. Texas (Big 12) 41 (3.42 per game)

It All Starts on Defense

• One of head coach Steve Addazio's staples to building the Boston College football program has been to have a top-notch defense. BC finished ninth nationally in total defense in 2016, allowing just 314.2 yards per game.

• The 2016 BC defense ranked on eight top-10 lists nationally, including ninth in total defense (314.2 yards/game), second in sacks (3.62 sacks/game) and 10th in turnovers gained (27).

• In 2015, the Eagles ended the year first in total defense (254.3 yards per game).

• Addazio's 2014 squad finished the season ranked 11th nationally in total defense as the Eagles yielded just 324.2 yards per contest.

First Bowl Win Since 2007

• Boston College earned its first bowl victory since 2007 with a 36-30 victory over Maryland in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 26.

• Boston College is 14-11 all-time in 25 bowl appearances. The last bowl victory prior to the win over Maryland was a 24-21 win over Michigan State on Dec. 28, 2007 in the Champs Sports Bowl.

• Boston College's 29 first-half points marked the third-best first half scoring in BC's bowl history.

• The defensive line was named Most Outstanding Player in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl. Boston College finished with eight sacks and 14 tackles-for-loss.

Baker, Moore, Callinan Named 2017 Captains

• Senior center Jon Baker, senior defensive back Kamrin Moore and senior wide receiver Charlie Callinan were voted team captains by their teammates, Boston College head coach Steve Addazio announced. Baker and Moore were named captains in August while Callinan was named a captain prior to the Wake Forest game for the rest of the season.

• Baker entered 2017 with 26 consecutive starts at center, the longest current streak on the team. The Millis, Mass., native was named to the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, an award given annually to the nation's top center. A two-time ACC All-Academic team selection and three-time Athletic Director's award winner for academic achievement, Baker entered the season as one of the top centers in the ACC. Baker played in 36 consecutive games prior to having his season cut short with a knee injury in the season opener.

• Moore entered 2017 after starting all 13 games last season for the Eagles. The District Heights, Md., product recorded 43 tackles a year ago and totaled two interceptions, including the game-winning INT in the road victory at NC State. For his career, Moore has played in 36 games and has made 23 starts over the last 23 games he has played in.

• Joining Baker and Kamrin Moore as a team captain in 2017 will also be senior wide receiver Charlie Callinan. The team voted prior to the season on captains and Callinan recorded the third-highest total of votes and will represent the Eagles as a captain for the rest of the year.

Three Bowls in Four Years

• Head coach Steve Addazio joined Jack Bicknell as the only coaches in Boston College history to lead the Eagles to three bowl games in their first four seasons at The Heights. Under Addazio's leadership, BC has won seven games in three of his four seasons in Chestnut Hill and led the Eagles to their first bowl win since 2007 with the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl victory over Maryland.

• During Addazio's tenure, 11 players have been selected in the NFL Draft, including two members of last season's team (John Johnson, Third round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in the 2017 NFL Draft and Matt Milano, Fifth round pick of the Buffalo Bills).

Up/Down

• The following coaches are in the press box during the game for Boston College:

Offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler

Defensive coordinator Jim Reid

• The following coaches are on the sideline during the game:

Special teams coordinator/SLB coach Ricky Brown

Offensive line coach Justin Frye

Defensive backs coach Anthony Campanile

Tight ends coach Frank Leonard

Wide receivers coach Rich Gunnell

Defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni

Running backs coach Brian White

Welcome to The Heights

• Martin Jarmond was named the William V. Campbell Director of Athletics on April 24, 2017, becoming the eighth athletic director in Boston College history. At 37, Jarmond became the youngest athletic director of a Power Five conference institution in Division 1 athletics.

• Jarmond, who has more than 15 years of experience in the Big Ten, came from The Ohio State University where he served as the Deputy Director of Athletics and Chief of Staff to Buckeyes' athletic director Gene Smith. Jarmond spent eight years in Columbus after spending seven at Michigan State.

• A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Jarmond graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in communication studies. He was a two-time captain of the basketball team, earned All-CAA Academic honors and helped the Seahawks gain their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2000. He earned both an MBA (2002) and a master's in sports administration (2003) from Ohio University.

• Jarmond and Harold Landry are both graduates of Pine Forest High School in North Carolina.