W2WF: Season Opener at Northern Illinois

For the past eight months, Boston College football focused on development. The Eagles used a bowl game victory to kick start their offseason, constructing promise and potential. After months of posturing and predicting, it's finally time to lift the curtain and see the engine built under their hood when they take their first lap against the Northern Illinois Huskies on Friday night.

There are plenty of "first game" questions, starting at quarterback. Steve Addazio remains quiet, even as he's installed a plan on what will happen on Friday.

"We have a plan in place right now," he said. "I'm going to keep that plan with us right now and act upon it according to what we've laid out for ourselves. There's no competitive advantage for me in any way, shape or form to show everything we want to do, why we want to do it."

Whomever Addazio chooses will earn playing time for the entire position. Darius Wade and Anthony Brown worked with each other through the entire camp, improving each other. When Brown or Wade made a play, they could analyze it within their room. That included everyone from the coaches to depth players like John Fadule.

So whoever plays at what point will play thanks to the entire room. That doesn't end in DeKalb. It's a continuing process, one where all the QBs improve each other from the top of the depth chart down to the rookies.

"These guys both had a really good preseason camp," Addazio said. "They had a great spring and a great off-season. They've done a fantastic job. Both these guys played at a high level, and we really have confidence in both of them. When you look at these things, you look at the entire body of work. It's great to feel like you have two quality guys in your room. That's the way it should be. There should be a really good competition in there, and I'm excited about that."

That's just one way how the Eagles are different today than they were last year or the year before. Each season ties together to form a multi-year narrative, but the years and games are all individual chapters. Yesterday needed to be a good day. Today needs to be a good day. And if there's enough good days in a row, it sets a foundation for tomorrow.

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Key Storylines

Carpe Diem. Seize the day.

Season-opening games always have an intense unknown. Though there's been plenty of practice and scrimmage time, neither team has any data against a true opponent. That creates a wildcard for whoever can prepare better for that moment.

Historically, Boston College is pretty good at handling that situation. It's 68-48-2 in season openers and 12-5 since 2000. Steve Addazio is 3-1 in season opening games at BC with last year's Georgia Tech loss in Ireland as his only blemish. It's the Eagles' first season opener against the MAC since a 21-0 victory over Kent State in 2008. It's one of three other season-opening games against the conference, including BC's last road opener (2006 at Central Michigan).

As for NIU, they're far from a token team. They won six straight MAC West Division championships from 2010-2015, winning three conference championship. In 2012, an Orange Bowl berth established the Huskies as the first MAC "buster," and they have eight wins against power conference teams in the last 14 years. The team is 60-19 at home since 2003.

"It's a good football (program)," Addazio said. "They've historically had great teams there. They've won some mighty big games. I coached in the MAC, and (NIU) was really the pinnacle. The job that's been done there has been incredible. We know the kind of team we're going to face. We understand the challenges of being on the road, playing a quality Division I opponent. We understand the fact that this will become a big, big game for everybody and specifically for them."

Last season, a 5-7 finish made the Huskies bowl ineligible for the first time since 2007. They opened the season with four straight non-league losses, illustrating the need to win those games. Starting the year with two games at home, against Boston College and Eastern Illinois, underscores the importance for an NIU team that will bring its best.

Defense, Defense, Defense

The past two seasons established BC as one of the nation's best defensive teams. But despite the hype of having Harold Landry, experienced linebackers and an incredibly deep secondary, the Eagles need to execute in 2017. Right away, they draw a top 30 offense capable of flying upfield against opponents. The Huskies averaged 466 yards per game in their last three games in 2016, finishing the entire season with an average of 456.5 yards per game.

It likely starts in the running game. Senior Jordan Huff rushed for 703 yards and five touchdowns last year as part of a multi-faceted attack. Rushing for well over 100 yards against Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan, he's likely going to become the centerpiece in his senior year

"They have a lot of different stuff on offense in terms of speed sweeps on the perimeter and a lot of different zone read options," Addazio said. "They're trying to stretch you horizontally quite a bit, and they have some gap schemes interiorly - and then some play action passes off of that."

That will put an emphasis on the flexibility of the linebacker corps. Per this week's two-deep, Connor Strachan is officially an outside linebacker, with Max Richardson taking over inside. That should allow the Eagles to showcase Strachan's ability to attack the backfield while utilizing his speed and motor in coverage situations.

"What we like about (Connor) is he's got great speed," Addazio said. "In the (outside linebacker) position, you've got to be able to be involved in man coverage and guys that can run. The fact that a guy like Max - we have tremendous confidence in him. So that all kind of goes together. We try to cross-train a lot of positions, but Connor has the best skill set to handle the job description of playing that outside linebacker position."

Be explosive.

Throughout preseason camp, Steve Addazio identified playmakers at wide receiver while stressing the depth of running backs and strength of offensive linemen. During scrimmages, everything came together at times, and the offense gashed and moved the ball with an exciting new speed and tempo.

Now they have to execute in competition against a new opponent.

"You watch practice every day," Addazio said on the weekly ACC coaches call. "Until you get to the first day, you have to figure out how we perform under the lights. I don't think you even know that after one game really. I think it takes three weeks of the season to get a good bead on where you really stack up. You have your ideas, but I'm looking forward to playing this game so I can get a better sense."

Having rebuilt the offense over his five years, the Eagles are itching to unveil their new weaponry. They have a deep offensive line built on strength and conditioning. Their running backs can capably hit holes with a second gear. The receivers are ready to make a name for themselves. Tight ends have the combination of size and athleticism to provide devastating blocks or pass-pattern catches.

At the same time, though, they have to perform with consistency. Good play executions won't establish them as the nation's best offense, and bad play executions won't set them back. It's not something proven in one play or one drive or one game. As mentioned above, it's all about building a good today on top of a good yesterday to set the foundation for a good tomorrow.

"I can't wait for Friday night," Addazio said. "I was asked how explosive (we are) on offense. I think we have a chance to be pretty explosive, but I guess we're going to find that out. I haven't changed how I feel going into game one my whole career. You feel great. If your preparation has been great, you think you have a good team, you feel good, but there's an angst. Until you really see it against other people, there's an angst. That excitement (and) that angst is kind of what drives us all. I can't wait for it."

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Meteorology 101

Late summer/early autumn is the best time of year in a northern United States city. It'll be warm during the day and cool at night. Friday calls for daytime highs in the low 70s and overnight lows in the mid-40s.

Forecasts are calling for minimal chance of rain, clear skies and breezy winds. This is literally the perfect night for football.

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Scoreboard Watching

ACC play starts next week when BC hosts Wake Forest. It'll be the first road game for the Demon Deacons, who host Presbyterian on Thursday night. Like BC, the conference game is slotted right between non-conference games in the season's first month. Further ahead, the Eagles' opponent in two weeks, Notre Dame, hosts Temple at home this week.

In a huge game needing no introduction anywhere in the football world, third-ranked Florida State gets "Bama in Atlanta" when they play top-ranked Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That's at 8 p.m., so set your DVRs.

North Carolina hosts California in a game at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. That's 9:20 a.m. back home in Berkeley, so Cal fans will experience breakfast with the Golden Bears much like BC fans did last year with the Ireland game.

It's part of a power conference slate that includes NC State's game at South Carolina at 3 p.m., Louisville's game at Purdue at 7:30 p.m., and home games for Virginia Tech (against West Virginia) and Georgia Tech (against Tennessee).

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Bottom Line/Pregame Theme Song

DeKalb might be outside Chicago, but any excuse I have to use the Blues Brothers is okay in my book.

NIU might be a Group of Five team, but they're a tough program built on historically successful seasons. They're not a token opponent, and they have something to prove against BC. I think that will make this game competitive, especially since it's the first time on the field.

The key, though, is to win this game. It's always a little bit tougher going on the road, so the Eagles have to use this opportunity to come together as a team. They've been in Chestnut Hill practicing for the past month. The challenge of going on the road will ultimately harden them later for later in the season.

This is going to be a tough, competitive football game.

But football is back. That's enough to make everyone smile.

Boston College Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Anthony Brown

John Fadule

Harold Landry

Max Richardson

Connor Strachan

Darius Wade

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