Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Four Downs: Louisville
October 14, 2018 | Football, #ForBoston Files
BC's win displayed dominance on both sides of the ball
Players, coaches, fans and supporters awoke on Saturday to find a raw, stinging day. The mercury barely tipped into the 50s, and a cold rain pelted Massachusetts. Breath remained visible into the afternoon, and for the first time this season, the weather failed to cooperate on a Boston College football game day.
For Louisville quarterback Jawon Pass, it wasn't the only thing stinging his body. On the third play from scrimmage, an overloaded Boston College defensive line created a hole wide enough to drive a truck through. Wyatt Ray played the role of the Peterbilt 389 and delivered a sack that sent a message to the Cardinals that Saturday was going to be a long afternoon.
Pass finished the game on the bench, and Boston College earned its fifth win of the season with a 38-20 score that felt much further apart.
"We controlled the line of scrimmage completely," head coach Steve Addazio said. "The game was an interesting game. It started out, we had great momentum. Then we turned the ball over two times in a row and gave them 14 points. We had put another seven back on, then another seven taken away on a penalty. That's 28 points in that game."
The Eagles played one of their most complete games of the season. BC committed miscues but ultimately held serve at home. The defense dominated and defied the first half's statistics, and the offense rolled through a Louisville defense that ultimately proved the statistics correct. Both units played the right amount of consistent football and, for one week, stunted the development of a plucky, young Cardinal squad.
"Both of our tailbacks had over 100 yards each," quarterback Anthony Brown said. "That's a complement to our line. They were really blocking today. Louisville's defensive line is big, physical and played fast. Today, I guess we were on. We needed to be. Our running backs ran great; they saw the holes and it turned out well."
BC now goes into a bye week with a chance to refocus and heal. The team earns more time for housekeeping tasks academically and physically. It's an opportunity, finally, to breathe after seven grueling weeks at the wheel.
"We're going to give them the biggest chunk of time I've ever given a team off in the bye week," Addazio said. "They have a heavy academic load right now. I want our bodies to get rested. I'm going to utilize this week. I'm going to give them time off. We'll come in and spend two hours watching the tape, then we'll see them here. They'll be with the strength coach on Wednesday, I'll see them Thursday and Friday for two bona fide Miami practices. We'll give them the weekend (off) again."
Here's some else of what can be learned from Saturday's victory over Louisville:
*****
First Down: Boston College's offense
There isn't a whole lot of rocket science to the Boston College offensive mindset. The running game sets up passing opportunities en route to balance, chunking small amounts of yards in order to move the chains. First downs become new first downs, after which the unit eventually reaches the goal line. It's bruising and physical, and when rolling, it forces defenses to pay an incredible price on their bodies.
The Eagles averaged four yards per carry on Saturday as David Bailey and Ben Glines both went over 100 yards. Bailey, a 240-pound load, provided thunder in the middle, pounding the Cardinal defensive line into submission for Glines, who added shifty quickness while absorbing contact with his signature toughness. The Eagles controlled 31 minutes of clock time, including 11 minutes in the fourth quarter.
"We had made a decision that we were playing David (this week)," Addazio said. "I regret not playing him a week ago. The game had a different flow to it on the road. Sometimes you take these young guys, you're trying to keep it as positive as you can keep it early. That builds confidence. We made a plan we were flat playing, we told him. He carried the ball 28 times. He had over a hundred yards."
The decision to play a freshman in a particular spot is the result of a complicated process. There's no way to know if Bailey would have seen more action if AJ Dillon didn't get hurt. Dillon's injury forced Glines into a starting role, and he stabilized the position while the coaching staff prepared Bailey. Once he proved ready, the coaches inserted him into the lineup.
"Some of the guys that come to practice heard me talk about him," Addazio said. "The problem with young guys is that they come out of high school and get fatigued easily, then get sloppy with the ball. That's been our only concern. He has great hands and can catch the ball in the backfield. The complete handling of the offense, all the shotgun plays, different things, it just takes a while. You can throw a guy in there or you can bring him in bits and pieces. You don't want to shell-shock them, a young freshman like that."
For Louisville, it's the second straight season for a freshman breakout performance against the defense. After Dillon last year and Bailey this year, the question only remains if the defensive coaching staff will start stressing a third 240-pound thunder back next season when the teams meet again.
"Every week, I am always ready," Bailey said. "It's the next man up mentality. Coach called my name today, and I went in and played ball like I always do."
*****
Second Down: Louisville's offense
Wide receiver Tutu Atwell called Boston College's defense slow last week in his media availability. He didn't necessarily mean it maliciously, but he perceived a lack of speed in the personnel that, given the success of Louisville's offense, even in defeats, drove him to confidence.
He didn't go home with that same confidence.
Jawon Pass went 17-of-31 but only threw for 170 yards and zero touchdowns. The Eagles sacked him five times, and his play submarined in the second half to a point where head coach Bobby Petrino benched him for Jordan Travis.
"We put together some different blitz packages, some four-man twist things up front," Addazio said. "I thought we got after the quarterback pretty good. Just got off the field. That was a good thing."
BC held the Cardinals to four third down conversions in 16 attempts, and the second half saw Louisville possess the ball for 10 combined minutes. It had eight drives with three or less plays, including a 42 second drive at the end of the first quarter that ended in BC's interception. The defense forced 10 punts for 334 yards - 120 more yards than what Louisville had in total offense.
"We had one drive really hurt us where we stopped them on fourth down, took the ball off the five-yard line, had a nice drive and mixed up run, play-action quick game," Petrino said. "We ended up probably having a dropped touchdown pass on second down there, then got the sack on third down. Then I feel like we didn't respond offensively the way you need to respond."
Travis didn't fare much better, missing all four of his attempted passes and absorbing two more sacks. BC finished with seven QB takedowns, second-most in program history and one short of a record set five times. Wyatt Ray finished with three individual sacks to place him first in the nation with 8.5 He passed Mike Willetts on the career list with 16, placing him inside the top ten.
"Wyatt is an elite pass rusher so whenever he makes plays, it definitely gets everyone going," defensive end Zach Allen said. "I think everyone was making plays today. In the end, we all had a great game and we're really thankful for him and really excited to see him making those plays the rest of the year."
*****
Halftime Hits
-I learned the hard way that wearing sneakers in the rain is a bad idea. My wife suggested it, and I listened accordingly. The ground soaked through two pairs of socks for me, and I heavily regretted not wearing boots. But she made up for it later when she suggested putting clothes directly into the dryer like a towel warmer for pajamas.
-There are little things marketing people do to really drive home points. BC matched the old school uniforms with an old school logo on the video board's matchup slide. I didn't see anyone who didn't smile at that sight.
-Those old school uniforms really popped, too. I didn't see them in the Fenway Park game against Notre Dame, so this really drove it home for me.
-I could probably write an entire book on logos and uniforms, but I love the special edition feel of one-time uniforms. Uniforms are getting crazier and crazier, and I always understand, from a marketing standpoint, why new, cutting-edge looks keep a team ahead of the curve. But I also feel like too many different looks saturates the vibe.
Boston College does it right with the special edition subtleties. The Eagles had Irish accents for the game in Dublin in 2016, and the Red Bandanna Game always brings out special gloves, helmet stripes and shoes. The core of the uniform, though, stays the same. So when the school announced these old school beauties, it sent shockwaves. That's the feeling you want as a fan.
-I might be the only one, but Louisville wore long raincoats on the sideline. Every time I see a player wearing the tarp coat with a helmet on, I think of the Oakland Raiders and "The Autumn Wind" from NFL Films.
-I took a 30 second break to go lift up my sneakers. Still waterlogged. Still a bad idea.
*****
Third Down: Anthony Brown
I have probably been harder on Anthony Brown than I should have been in the last couple of weeks. The quarterback lives under a microscope because only one plays, and it only takes one bad throw or missed opportunity to turn the hyper spotlight right onto the position.
Brown was electric in the second half of last week's game against NC State, but the inconsistent contrast against the first half helped doom the result on the scoreboard. This week, he gained back some of that consistency. There were some missed opportunities, but Brown made plays when he absolutely had to, which is exactly what the Eagles needed.
On the first drive of the BC offensive game, he hit tight end Hunter Long for a catch-and-run that became a touchdown. Later, he connected with Travis Levy on a fourth down conversion. It showed he was able to grab momentum early and have a fast start, but it also showed how he can rally against changing momentum to keep BC on the field.
"On the offense, we were catching a couple penalties here and there, and it was slowing us down," Brown said. "The defense was stopping them but they kept dropping. That blocked punt just shifted the whole game. It turned into a 28-point swing so that was great for the momentum."
Brown only finished with 179 yards passing but was incredibly judicious with the ball. He only threw six incompletions and took only one sack. He did not throw an interception, and it pushed his career passing yardage passed some bigger names of Boston College's past in Ed Songin and Mike Kruczek.
*****
Fourth Down: Special Teams
There's a complexity to special teams that is easily overlooked. Smooth plays go overlooked because a change of possession usually signals a media timeout, which in turn is a great opportunity to grab food and concession options. The plays that don't go well can be game-changing and flip momentum on a dime.
Michael Walker, for example, returned four punts for 42 yards and four kickoffs for 87 yards. He brought his career return numbers over 2,200 yards on 90-plus returns, and he returned a 34-yard punt return close to plus territory. But a fumbled return set up Louisville deep in BC territory and essentially gave away points.
That fumble shouldn't take away from an otherwise great day at the office for an All-ACC caliber return man. It also shouldn't overshadow a blocked punt for a touchdown or Zach Allen's blocked PAT. Grant Carlson punted four times for the Eagles, and Rodjay Burns returned two of them - for all of four yards. Colton Lichtenberg, at the end of the first half, kicked a 38 yard field goal in suboptimal conditions.
"Both sides competing on special teams," Addazio. "We had a blocked punt by Nolan (Borgersen). We had the blocked PAT by Zach Allen. Mike Walker had a couple of good returns in there, one on kickoff return and a couple of punt returns. Our coverage was outstanding on punt and on kickoff. So I think our special teams played very, very well."
*****
Point After: What a weird day in football
It was a wild day in college football in general, and a number of games went down to the wire. Sometimes the weeks where there isn't a huge number of marquee national matchups are the ones that cause the biggest headaches.
It starts with No. 16 Miami. The Hurricanes' game against Virginia was opposite game one of the American League Championship Series, so it might've flown under the sports radar. But the Cavaliers took a 13-6 halftime lead and beat Miami 16-13 in Charlottesville. Malik Rosier only completed half of his passes for 170 yards as he threw an interception. Miami comes to BC in two weeks for a Friday night tilt in the Red Bandanna Game.
I had a feeling Pittsburgh would play spoiler against No. 5 Notre Dame, and I was almost right. The Fighting Irish needed an Ian Book 35-yard touchdown pass to Miles Boykin with 5:43 left on the clock to walk away with a 19-14 win to remain undefeated.
Outside of the ACC, a whole bunch of nationally-ranked teams took losses. No. 7 Washington lost to No. 17 Oregon in overtime, and No. 8 Penn State lost to Michigan State in Happy Valley. No. 19 Colorado absorbed its first loss of the season in Los Angeles against Southern Cal, and Tennessee beat No. 21 Auburn on the road to likely knock the Tigers out of the polls two weeks after they ranked No. 8.
That's not counting the loss by No. 6 West Virginia at Iowa State (shades of Oklahoma last year) or No. 2 Georgia's loss to No. 13 LSU. There's going to be some massive shake-up this week.
Boston College did not receive votes this past week but it will be interesting to see if it breaks back into the numbers this upcoming week. It will have a golden opportunity to crash the party again on Friday, October 26 against Miami.
Â
Â
For Louisville quarterback Jawon Pass, it wasn't the only thing stinging his body. On the third play from scrimmage, an overloaded Boston College defensive line created a hole wide enough to drive a truck through. Wyatt Ray played the role of the Peterbilt 389 and delivered a sack that sent a message to the Cardinals that Saturday was going to be a long afternoon.
Pass finished the game on the bench, and Boston College earned its fifth win of the season with a 38-20 score that felt much further apart.
"We controlled the line of scrimmage completely," head coach Steve Addazio said. "The game was an interesting game. It started out, we had great momentum. Then we turned the ball over two times in a row and gave them 14 points. We had put another seven back on, then another seven taken away on a penalty. That's 28 points in that game."
The Eagles played one of their most complete games of the season. BC committed miscues but ultimately held serve at home. The defense dominated and defied the first half's statistics, and the offense rolled through a Louisville defense that ultimately proved the statistics correct. Both units played the right amount of consistent football and, for one week, stunted the development of a plucky, young Cardinal squad.
"Both of our tailbacks had over 100 yards each," quarterback Anthony Brown said. "That's a complement to our line. They were really blocking today. Louisville's defensive line is big, physical and played fast. Today, I guess we were on. We needed to be. Our running backs ran great; they saw the holes and it turned out well."
BC now goes into a bye week with a chance to refocus and heal. The team earns more time for housekeeping tasks academically and physically. It's an opportunity, finally, to breathe after seven grueling weeks at the wheel.
"We're going to give them the biggest chunk of time I've ever given a team off in the bye week," Addazio said. "They have a heavy academic load right now. I want our bodies to get rested. I'm going to utilize this week. I'm going to give them time off. We'll come in and spend two hours watching the tape, then we'll see them here. They'll be with the strength coach on Wednesday, I'll see them Thursday and Friday for two bona fide Miami practices. We'll give them the weekend (off) again."
Here's some else of what can be learned from Saturday's victory over Louisville:
*****
First Down: Boston College's offense
There isn't a whole lot of rocket science to the Boston College offensive mindset. The running game sets up passing opportunities en route to balance, chunking small amounts of yards in order to move the chains. First downs become new first downs, after which the unit eventually reaches the goal line. It's bruising and physical, and when rolling, it forces defenses to pay an incredible price on their bodies.
The Eagles averaged four yards per carry on Saturday as David Bailey and Ben Glines both went over 100 yards. Bailey, a 240-pound load, provided thunder in the middle, pounding the Cardinal defensive line into submission for Glines, who added shifty quickness while absorbing contact with his signature toughness. The Eagles controlled 31 minutes of clock time, including 11 minutes in the fourth quarter.
"We had made a decision that we were playing David (this week)," Addazio said. "I regret not playing him a week ago. The game had a different flow to it on the road. Sometimes you take these young guys, you're trying to keep it as positive as you can keep it early. That builds confidence. We made a plan we were flat playing, we told him. He carried the ball 28 times. He had over a hundred yards."
The decision to play a freshman in a particular spot is the result of a complicated process. There's no way to know if Bailey would have seen more action if AJ Dillon didn't get hurt. Dillon's injury forced Glines into a starting role, and he stabilized the position while the coaching staff prepared Bailey. Once he proved ready, the coaches inserted him into the lineup.
"Some of the guys that come to practice heard me talk about him," Addazio said. "The problem with young guys is that they come out of high school and get fatigued easily, then get sloppy with the ball. That's been our only concern. He has great hands and can catch the ball in the backfield. The complete handling of the offense, all the shotgun plays, different things, it just takes a while. You can throw a guy in there or you can bring him in bits and pieces. You don't want to shell-shock them, a young freshman like that."
For Louisville, it's the second straight season for a freshman breakout performance against the defense. After Dillon last year and Bailey this year, the question only remains if the defensive coaching staff will start stressing a third 240-pound thunder back next season when the teams meet again.
"Every week, I am always ready," Bailey said. "It's the next man up mentality. Coach called my name today, and I went in and played ball like I always do."
*****
Second Down: Louisville's offense
Wide receiver Tutu Atwell called Boston College's defense slow last week in his media availability. He didn't necessarily mean it maliciously, but he perceived a lack of speed in the personnel that, given the success of Louisville's offense, even in defeats, drove him to confidence.
He didn't go home with that same confidence.
Jawon Pass went 17-of-31 but only threw for 170 yards and zero touchdowns. The Eagles sacked him five times, and his play submarined in the second half to a point where head coach Bobby Petrino benched him for Jordan Travis.
"We put together some different blitz packages, some four-man twist things up front," Addazio said. "I thought we got after the quarterback pretty good. Just got off the field. That was a good thing."
BC held the Cardinals to four third down conversions in 16 attempts, and the second half saw Louisville possess the ball for 10 combined minutes. It had eight drives with three or less plays, including a 42 second drive at the end of the first quarter that ended in BC's interception. The defense forced 10 punts for 334 yards - 120 more yards than what Louisville had in total offense.
"We had one drive really hurt us where we stopped them on fourth down, took the ball off the five-yard line, had a nice drive and mixed up run, play-action quick game," Petrino said. "We ended up probably having a dropped touchdown pass on second down there, then got the sack on third down. Then I feel like we didn't respond offensively the way you need to respond."
Travis didn't fare much better, missing all four of his attempted passes and absorbing two more sacks. BC finished with seven QB takedowns, second-most in program history and one short of a record set five times. Wyatt Ray finished with three individual sacks to place him first in the nation with 8.5 He passed Mike Willetts on the career list with 16, placing him inside the top ten.
"Wyatt is an elite pass rusher so whenever he makes plays, it definitely gets everyone going," defensive end Zach Allen said. "I think everyone was making plays today. In the end, we all had a great game and we're really thankful for him and really excited to see him making those plays the rest of the year."
*****
Halftime Hits
-I learned the hard way that wearing sneakers in the rain is a bad idea. My wife suggested it, and I listened accordingly. The ground soaked through two pairs of socks for me, and I heavily regretted not wearing boots. But she made up for it later when she suggested putting clothes directly into the dryer like a towel warmer for pajamas.
-There are little things marketing people do to really drive home points. BC matched the old school uniforms with an old school logo on the video board's matchup slide. I didn't see anyone who didn't smile at that sight.
-Those old school uniforms really popped, too. I didn't see them in the Fenway Park game against Notre Dame, so this really drove it home for me.
-I could probably write an entire book on logos and uniforms, but I love the special edition feel of one-time uniforms. Uniforms are getting crazier and crazier, and I always understand, from a marketing standpoint, why new, cutting-edge looks keep a team ahead of the curve. But I also feel like too many different looks saturates the vibe.
Boston College does it right with the special edition subtleties. The Eagles had Irish accents for the game in Dublin in 2016, and the Red Bandanna Game always brings out special gloves, helmet stripes and shoes. The core of the uniform, though, stays the same. So when the school announced these old school beauties, it sent shockwaves. That's the feeling you want as a fan.
-I might be the only one, but Louisville wore long raincoats on the sideline. Every time I see a player wearing the tarp coat with a helmet on, I think of the Oakland Raiders and "The Autumn Wind" from NFL Films.
-I took a 30 second break to go lift up my sneakers. Still waterlogged. Still a bad idea.
*****
Third Down: Anthony Brown
I have probably been harder on Anthony Brown than I should have been in the last couple of weeks. The quarterback lives under a microscope because only one plays, and it only takes one bad throw or missed opportunity to turn the hyper spotlight right onto the position.
Brown was electric in the second half of last week's game against NC State, but the inconsistent contrast against the first half helped doom the result on the scoreboard. This week, he gained back some of that consistency. There were some missed opportunities, but Brown made plays when he absolutely had to, which is exactly what the Eagles needed.
On the first drive of the BC offensive game, he hit tight end Hunter Long for a catch-and-run that became a touchdown. Later, he connected with Travis Levy on a fourth down conversion. It showed he was able to grab momentum early and have a fast start, but it also showed how he can rally against changing momentum to keep BC on the field.
"On the offense, we were catching a couple penalties here and there, and it was slowing us down," Brown said. "The defense was stopping them but they kept dropping. That blocked punt just shifted the whole game. It turned into a 28-point swing so that was great for the momentum."
Brown only finished with 179 yards passing but was incredibly judicious with the ball. He only threw six incompletions and took only one sack. He did not throw an interception, and it pushed his career passing yardage passed some bigger names of Boston College's past in Ed Songin and Mike Kruczek.
*****
Fourth Down: Special Teams
There's a complexity to special teams that is easily overlooked. Smooth plays go overlooked because a change of possession usually signals a media timeout, which in turn is a great opportunity to grab food and concession options. The plays that don't go well can be game-changing and flip momentum on a dime.
Michael Walker, for example, returned four punts for 42 yards and four kickoffs for 87 yards. He brought his career return numbers over 2,200 yards on 90-plus returns, and he returned a 34-yard punt return close to plus territory. But a fumbled return set up Louisville deep in BC territory and essentially gave away points.
That fumble shouldn't take away from an otherwise great day at the office for an All-ACC caliber return man. It also shouldn't overshadow a blocked punt for a touchdown or Zach Allen's blocked PAT. Grant Carlson punted four times for the Eagles, and Rodjay Burns returned two of them - for all of four yards. Colton Lichtenberg, at the end of the first half, kicked a 38 yard field goal in suboptimal conditions.
"Both sides competing on special teams," Addazio. "We had a blocked punt by Nolan (Borgersen). We had the blocked PAT by Zach Allen. Mike Walker had a couple of good returns in there, one on kickoff return and a couple of punt returns. Our coverage was outstanding on punt and on kickoff. So I think our special teams played very, very well."
*****
Point After: What a weird day in football
It was a wild day in college football in general, and a number of games went down to the wire. Sometimes the weeks where there isn't a huge number of marquee national matchups are the ones that cause the biggest headaches.
It starts with No. 16 Miami. The Hurricanes' game against Virginia was opposite game one of the American League Championship Series, so it might've flown under the sports radar. But the Cavaliers took a 13-6 halftime lead and beat Miami 16-13 in Charlottesville. Malik Rosier only completed half of his passes for 170 yards as he threw an interception. Miami comes to BC in two weeks for a Friday night tilt in the Red Bandanna Game.
I had a feeling Pittsburgh would play spoiler against No. 5 Notre Dame, and I was almost right. The Fighting Irish needed an Ian Book 35-yard touchdown pass to Miles Boykin with 5:43 left on the clock to walk away with a 19-14 win to remain undefeated.
Outside of the ACC, a whole bunch of nationally-ranked teams took losses. No. 7 Washington lost to No. 17 Oregon in overtime, and No. 8 Penn State lost to Michigan State in Happy Valley. No. 19 Colorado absorbed its first loss of the season in Los Angeles against Southern Cal, and Tennessee beat No. 21 Auburn on the road to likely knock the Tigers out of the polls two weeks after they ranked No. 8.
That's not counting the loss by No. 6 West Virginia at Iowa State (shades of Oklahoma last year) or No. 2 Georgia's loss to No. 13 LSU. There's going to be some massive shake-up this week.
Boston College did not receive votes this past week but it will be interesting to see if it breaks back into the numbers this upcoming week. It will have a golden opportunity to crash the party again on Friday, October 26 against Miami.
Â
Â
Players Mentioned
DE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
P
/ Football
WR/RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
K
/ Football
TE
/ Football
WR
/ FootballWomen's Basketball: Head Coach Kate Popovec-Goss on ACCPM (April 2, 2026)
Friday, April 03
#22 Baseball Defeats #6 North Carolina (April 2, 2026)
Friday, April 03
Kate Popovec-Goss Introductory Press Conference
Thursday, April 02
Football: Bill O'Brien Media Availability (April 1, 2026)
Wednesday, April 01
