Week Four Notes: The Clemson Game

Photo by: Ben Solomon

September 18, 2017 | Football

Eagles face the defending National Champions Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2

By: Athletic Communications

Week Four Notes: The Clemson Game (PDF)

• Boston College heads to defending National Champion and second-ranked Clemson Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

• ESPN2 has broadcast coverage of the game with Dave LaMont (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline)on the call. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in Death Valley.

• Coverage on the Boston College IMG Sports Network begins at 3 p.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 112 and XM channel 193.

• Boston College is 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC after last week's 49-20 loss at home to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish rushed for 515 yards, the second-best day of any opponent in BC history on the ground.

• Clemson is 3-0 after a 47-21 victory at No. 14 Louisville Saturday night. The Tigers have won eight consecutive games entering Saturday's game vs. BC.

• In a series that began in 1940, Boston College and Clemson meet for the 27th time Saturday.

• The Tigers lead the series 15-9-2 and have won six consecutive games against the Eagles.

• Boston College is 3-6-1 all-time in Death Valley with its last win coming in 2007 at Clemson (20-17). Current BC wide receivers coach Rich Gunnell caught the game-winning 43-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan in the 2007 victory in Tiger Town.

• BC's longest winning streak in the series is four games. The most points scored in the series for BC were 40 in 1949 while the largest margin of victory for the Eagles was a 15-point win in 1983 (31-16).

• The current six-game winning streak is the longest in the series for Clemson. The Tigers' highest point total was 56 last season in Chestnut Hill and it also set the largest margin of victory (46 points) in series history.

• For the 10th time, Boston College and Clemson will play for a trophy. The BC Gridiron Club established the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy in 2008.

• The trophy features a leather helmet replica of those used by Charlie O'Rourke of Boston College and Banks McFadden of Clemson, when they competed against each other in the 1940 Cotton Bowl.

• The Boston College Gridiron Club also presents a replica leather helmet to the MVP of the winning school.

• Since BC joined the ACC in 2005, six of the 12 games have been decided by seven points or less. Clemson is 8-4 in ACC play against BC.

• The series began in the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1940. The Tigers defeated the 11th-ranked Eagles 6-3 as Charlie Timmons rushed for 115 yards.

• The 1983 win by BC featured 28 unanswered points as Doug Flutie threw for 223 yards and two TDs to hand Clemson its only loss of the year (9-1-1).

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 653-4823-37 in 1,173 games.

• BC is 36th in NCAA history with 653 victories. The Eagles are one of eight ACC schools ranked in the top 40 all-time in victories.

Top Five Opponent

• Boston College is 2-28 all-time against teams ranked in the top five, including a 2-16 mark on the road against opponents ranked within the top-five.

• The Eagles are 0-3 all-time against Clemson teams ranked in the top five.

• BC is 30-102-1 all-time against ranked competition.

BC vs. Top Five Ranked Opponents

Nov. 5, 2016 No. 5 Louisville (L, 7-52)

Oct. 7, 2016 No. 3 Clemson (L, 10-56)

Nov. 21, 2015 vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (L, 16-19)

Oct. 17, 2015 at No.5 Clemson (L, 17-34)

Nov. 22, 2014 at No. 1 Florida State (L, 17-20)

Oct. 12, 2013 at No. 3 Clemson (L, 14-24)

Oct. 10, 2009 at No. 5 Virginia Tech (L, 14-48)

Oct. 27, 2005 at No. 3 Virginia Tech (L, 10-30)

Sept. 20, 2003 No. 2 Miami (L, 14-33)

Nov. 4, 2002 at No. 4 Notre Dame (W, 14-7)

Oct. 10, 2002 No. 4 Virginia Tech (L, 23-28)

Sept. 21, 2002 at No. 1 Miami (L, 6-38)

Nov. 10, 2001 No. 1 Miami (L, 7-18)

Nov. 25, 2000 at No. 2 Miami (L, 6-52)

Sept. 30, 2000 No. 4 Virginia Tech (L, 34-48)

Nov. 26, 1999 at No. 2 Virginia Tech (L, 14-48)

Nov. 26, 1994 at No. 5 Miami (L, 7-23)

Sept. 3, 1994 at No. 5 Michigan (L, 26-34)

Nov. 26, 1993 No. 5 West Virginia (L, 14-17)

Nov. 20, 1993 at No. 1 Notre Dame (W, 41-39)

Sept. 4, 1993 No. 5 Miami (L, 7-52)

Nov. 23, 1991 No. 1 Miami (L, 14-19)

Sept. 7, 1991 No. 2 Michigan (L, 13-35)

Nov. 2, 1985 at No. 3 Penn State (L, 12-16)

Oct. 31, 1981 No. 2 Pitt (L, 24-29)

Oct. 10, 1981 at No. 2 Penn State (L, 7-38)

Sept. 13, 1980 at No.3 Pitt (L, 6-14)

Nov. 1, 1969 at No. 5 Penn State (L, 16-38)

Oct. 26, 1968 No. 4 Penn State (L, 0-29)

Oct. 3, 1953 at No. 3 LSU (L, 6-42)

Facing the Defending National Champions

• Boston College has a 2-7-1 record when playing the defending national champions. The last time BC faced a team defending its national title, the Eagles lost 20-17 at No. 3 Florida State in 2014.

• The last time BC beat a defending national champion was one of the most memorable victories in school history - Doug Flutie's Hail Mary at Miami in 1984. The Eagles won 47-45 on Flutie's 64-yard touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan in the Orange Bowl to top the 12th-ranked Hurricanes.

• Saturday's game marks the second time BC has faced Clemson following the Tigers' national championship season.

• Clemson led 14-0 at halftime in the 1982 game, but Flutie led Boston College back with 17 straight points to take a 17-14 lead. Clemson added a field goal to tie it at 17 in the fourth quarter and the Tigers had a chance to win it with eight seconds remaining, but the 43-yard field goal was no good as the game ended in a 17-17 tie.

BC vs. The Defending National Champions

National Title Team Result (Date)

2013 Florida State L, 20-17 (11/22/14)

2001 Miami L, 38-6 (9/21/02)

1990 Georgia Tech L, 30-14 (9/14/91)

1989 Miami L, 42-12 (11/17/90)

1986 Penn State L, 27-17 (9/26/87)

1984 BYU L, 28-14 (8/29/85)

1983 Miami W, 47-45 (11/23/84)

1982 Penn State W, 27-17 (10/29/83)

1981 Clemson T, 17-17 (9/18/82)

1976 Pitt L, 45-7 (10/1/77)

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 last week 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 tied for the national lead by going 6-for-6 on field goals this season and ranks seventh nationally with 2.0 field goals per game.

• Senior place-kicker Max Schulze-Geisthovel has 10 touchbacks on 14 kickoffs this season. The 71.4% rate for touchbacks ranks tied for 15th nationally. BC ranks 16th nationally allowing just 16.0 yards per kick return.

• Senior punter Mike Knoll has averaged 39.9 yards per punt, but 13 of the punts have pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line.

Brown Among Freshmen National Leaders

• Boston College redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Brown ranks among the national leaders among freshman QBs in passing yards and touchdowns.

• The New Jersey native is third nationally among freshmen with 525 passing yards and is tied for second among freshman quarterbacks with five touchdown passes.

• Brown's 61 completions are the most of any freshman quarterback in the nation.

Freshman Passing Yards

1. Josh Jackson, Va. Tech 55-85, 64.7%, 829 yards

2. Chazz Surratt, UNC 46-66, 69.7%, 586 yards

3. Anthony Brown, BC 61-111, 55%, 525 yards

Freshman Passing Touchdowns

1. Josh Jackson, Va. Tech 8

2. Anthony Brown, BC 5

2. Jake Fromm, Georgia 5

Freshman 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 last week vs. Wake Forest after senior captain Jon Baker was lost for the year with a knee injury.

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

Watching Walker

• Junior wide receiver Michael Walker has been all over the field for the Eagles through three games this season. The Naples, Fla., native is second on the team with 12 receptions and is among the national leaders in kickoff returns and punt returns.

• Walker is 25th nationally and second in the ACC in punt returns (10.3 yards per return) and 22nd nationally and third in the conference in kickoff returns (27.3 yards per return).

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.

Protecting the QBs

• Boston College's offensive line has allowed just four sacks through three games. The Eagles have attempted 124 passes so far in 2017 and rank 37th nationally and fourth in the ACC with just the four sacks allowed.

Strong Play at Safety

• Two of the top players on the BC defense have been at the safety positions as junior strong safety Will Harris and junior free safety Lukas Denis are off to good starts in 2017.

• Harris has made 19 consecutive starts and leads the Eagles with 27 tackles and three TFLs in three games this season.

• Denis is in his first year as a starter making the transition from cornerback to free safety in 2017. Denis has 17 tackles and is third in the nation and is tied for the lead in the ACC with two interceptions.

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.

Scouting This Week's Opponent: Clemson

• The defending National Champion Clemson Tigers are ranked second in the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls after starting the season 3-0.

• Dabo Swinney led Clemson to its second National Championship in school history last season. The Tigers also won the 1982 National Title. Swinney's team defeated the top two teams according to the national polls in consecutive games. Clemson shut out Ohio State 31-0 in the Fiesta Bowl, the first shutout suffered by head coach Urban Meyer in his career, and the first for Ohio State since 1993. Then, the Tigers earned a rematch with No. 1 Alabama, and for the first time in school history, took down the top-ranked team in a second epic battle with the Crimson Tide. Deshaun Watson's touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with one second left gave Clemson a 35-31 victory in Tampa, Fla. Swinney won the Bear Bryant Award as the national coach of the year for the second consecutive season.

• Clemson is 290-102-7 all-time at Memorial Stadium (.734 winning percentage). Over the last seven seasons, Clemson is 41-3 at home and 54-7 in Death Valley under Swinney.

• Junior quarterback Kelly Bryant is in his first year as the starter under center. The dual-threat quarterback has completed 68.7 percent of his passes and thrown for 733 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 162 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

• Clemson is 15th nationally in total offense (519.7 yards per game), 32nd in scoring offense (39.0 points per game), 18th in rushing offense (248.7 yards per game) and 42nd in passing offense (271.0 yards per game).

• Clemson is eighth nationally in total defense (223.3 yards per game), eighth in scoring defense (10.0 points per game), 16th in rushing defense (91.0 yards per game) and 14th in passing yards allowed (132.3 yards per game). Clemson is second nationally with 5.0 sacks 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 165 yards receiving and 14 receptions. White also leads BC with seven receptions of 15-plus yards and nine receptions for first downs.

Colton Coming Up Clutch

• Junior PK Colton Lichtenberg recorded a career-high 11 points on a career-high three field goals in his best career performance Sept. 1 at NIU. The Georgia native was a perfect 3-for-3 in the 23-20 win at Northern Illinois, including the game-winning field goal from 37 yards out with 2:13 to play.

• He hit a 42-yarder to tie the game at three in the first quarter. It was the second-longest field goal of his career. Lichtenberg struck again from 35 yards out in the second quarter. He hit the game winner with 2:13 to play, a 37-yard field goal, to break a 20-20 tie and give BC the win.

• Lichtenberg was named the ACC Specialist of the Week on Sept. 5 for his efforts in the NIU victory and was one of three Lou Groza Award Stars of the Week nationally.

• Lichtenberg kept his perfect season going with another field goal in the Wake Forest game.

• Against Notre Dame, Lichtenberg was good from 38 and 41 yards out and was 2-for-2 on PATs.

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 Single-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

Red Zone Success

• Boston College was a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone in the Sept. 1 victory at NIU. The Eagles scored two touchdowns and two field goals on their four trips into the red zone against the Huskies.

• In 2016, BC finished the year with an 82 % success rate in the red zone (22 touchdowns in the 32 red zone scores).

• In 2017, BC is 9-for-9 in the red zone with four touchdowns and five field goals. BC is one of 20 teams nationally to score on every trip into the red zone in 2017.

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

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.

• For his career, Landry has 22 sacks, third in BC history.

• 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. Mike Mamula (1992-94) 24

3. Harold Landry (2014-present) 22

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. Luke Kuechly (2009-11) 44

3. Chris Hovan (1996-99) 43

4. Harold Landry (2014-present) 41

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

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 missing the Notre Dame game due to injury.

• 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. The New Jersey native leads all BC players with 40 consecutive games played.