Game Week: BC at Virginia Tech

The Game
• Back in the national rankings for the second time in 2018, No. 24/25 Boston College visits Virginia Tech Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium.
• The game will be broadcast by Raycom Sports with local coverage on My-38 in Boston. Tom Werme, Dave Archer and Lericia Harris have the call.
• Coverage on the Boston College IMG Sports Network begins at 3:15 p.m. with Jon Meterparel, Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 93.7 FM, nationally on TuneIn and on Sirius channel 136, XM channel 385 and Sirius/XM internet channel 989.
• The Eagles remained undefeated at Alumni Stadium last Friday as BC defeated then No. 25 Miami 27-14 on ESPN.
• Virginia Tech looks to bounce back from a rare home loss against Georgia Tech (49-28) last Thursday in an ESPN primetime game.

The Series
• Boston College and Virginia Tech meet for the 27th time in series history Saturday.
• BC is 8-18 all-time against the Hokies.
• The Eagles are 4-7 all-time at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg against the Hokies. The last time BC won in Blacksburg was a 33-31 victory in 2014.
• The old BIG EAST rivals first met as conference foes in 1993 as BC captured a 48-34 victory over the No. 25 Hokies.
• In the BIG EAST, BC was 3-8 against Virginia Tech. The two schools first met as ACC rivals in 2005 as the third-ranked Hokies captured a 30-10 victory in Blacksburg.
• In ACC play, Virginia Tech is 10-5 against BC.
• The longest winning streak for BC in the series is two games (two times) while Virginia Tech won seven consecutive meetings from 1996-2002.
• The most points scored by BC in series play occurred in the first meeting between the two schools (48) in 1993. Virginia Tech scored 49 in the last game at Tech against BC, the most of any Hokie team in the series.
• The two teams met twice in the ACC Championship Game in 2007 and 2008. The Hokies won both title game matchups, including a 30-16 win in Jacksonville in 2007 followed by a 30-12 victory in Tampa in the 2008 ACC Championship.
• One of the most memorable wins in BC history came on Oct. 25, 2007 as Matt Ryan led a fourth quarter comeback with 14 unanswered points as the third-ranked Eagles defeated the 11th-ranked Hokies 14-10 in Blacksburg.
• Saturday's game is the first for BC being ranked against Virginia Tech since Dec. 6, 2008 in the ACC Championship Game. It is the fourth time overall BC has been ranked when playing the Hokies, going 1-3 in those contests. The only win in series history when BC was ranked was in 2007.

Strong Start
• Boston College is 6-2 to start the season, the best start by a BC team since the 2007 squad opened the year a perfect 8-0.
• This year's 6-2 record marks just the sixth time since 2000 BC has started 6-2 or better.
• In 120 seasons of football at Boston College, the Eagles have started a season 6-2 or better just 34 times.

Among the Nation's Best
• Boston College is ranked 24th in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and 25th in the Amway Coaches poll.
• It is just the 18th time in AP Poll history BC has been ranked in multiple weeks during the same season.
• In 83 years of the AP Poll, BC has been ranked in just 23 of those seasons (28%).
• Over BC's last 10 games as a ranked team, the Eagles are 4-6 overall. The last win as a ranked opponent was a 28-21 win over Maryland when the Eagles were ranked 20th on Nov. 29, 2008.

Beating a Ranked Opponent
• Boston College's 27-14 win over then No. 25 Miami was the first victory over a ranked team since 2014. Prior to the Miami win, the last win over a ranked opponent was a 37-31 victory over Southern California in 2014.

Closer Look at AJ Dillon in the Starting Lineup
• In 15 games since AJ Dillon was named the starter at running back on Oct. 14, 2017 at Louisville, Boston College is 11-4 overall and has averaged:
36.0 points per game
248.5 rushing yards per game
195.3 passing yards per game
443.8 total offense yards per game
2,057 rushing yards by Dillon
158.2 rushing yards per game by Dillon
19 rushing touchdowns by Dillon
10 100-yard rushing games by Dillon
• Dillon missed the games at No. 23 NC State and vs. Louisville with an ankle injury.
• BC is 29th nationally with 443.8 yards of total offense per game since Dillon became the starter.
• BC is 21st nationally with 36.0 points per game during the time span with Dillon as the starter.
• Since Oct. 14, 2017, Dillon leads all players nationally with 158.2 rushing yards per game.

Rushing Leaders (Oct. 14, 2017 – Oct. 20, 2018)
Player, School -- Yards-Avg.-TD-YPG
1. AJ Dillon, BC -- 2,057-5.9-19-158.2
2. Jonathan Taylor, Wisc. -- 2,365-6.2-12-139.1
3. Devin Singletary, FAU -- 2,071-5.7-36-129.4

Big Play Defense
• Boston College is one of two teams nationally (North Texas) and the only Power Five team to rank in the top four nationally in interceptions and sacks in 2018.
• BC is tied for third nationally with 28 sacks this season.
• The Eagles are tied for fourth nationally in interceptions with 13 in 2018.
• Over the last two seasons, Boston College has 31 interceptions, tied for the national lead with Alabama and Iowa.

Lockdown Corner
• Junior Hamp Cheevers has been nothing short of sensational in his first year as a starter. After losing two cornerbacks in the NFL Draft (Isaac Yiadom and Kamrin Moore), Cheevers has stepped right in and continued BC's elite play at the position.
• The Trenton, Fla., native is tied for second nationally and leads the ACC with five interceptions in 2018.
• Cheevers is 11th nationally and second in the ACC with 12 passes defended in 2018.

NCAA Interceptions Leaders
Player, School -- Interceptions
1. Jowan Foggie, Charlotte -- 6
2. Hamp Cheevers, Boston College -- 5
2. Grant Delpit, LSU -- 5

Unforgettable, That's What You Are
• The Walter Camp Football Foundation announced the Football Bowl Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN, for games ending September 15.
• Senior defensive end Wyatt Ray was the sixth Boston College player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors since 2004, joining current teammate AJ Dillon, who was recognized on Oct. 15, 2017.
• Ray set a school single-game record with four quarterback sacks as BC earned a 41-34 victory over ACC-rival Wake Forest. Ray also recorded a career-best eight tackles and had one quarterback hurry as the Eagles' improved to 3-0, their best start to a season since 2007.
• Ray tallied 3.0 sacks (tied for fourth in BC single-game history) in the 38-20 win over Louisville on Oct. 13.
• Ray is tied for third nationally with 9.0 sacks on the season.
• He is tied for 10th in BC single-season history with Stalin Colinet (1996) with nine sacks.
• Ray comes from a family full of recording artists. His grandfather was Nat King Cole and his aunt is Natalie Cole.

NCAA Sacks Leaders
Player, School -- Sacks
1. Jaylon Ferguson, La. Tech -- 10.5
2. Josh Allen, Kentucky -- 10.0
3. Wyatt Ray, Boston College -- 9.0
3. Brian Burns, Florida State -- 9.0
3. Jordan Brailford, Oklahoma State -- 9.0
3. Carter Coughlin, Minnesota -- 9.0

Dillon Near the Top
• AJ Dillon is fourth nationally averaging 133.5 rushing yards per game in 2018. Dillon has played in six of BC's eight games, missing two due to an ankle injury.
• Dillon is tied for third nationally with 10 runs of 20+ yards in 2018.

NCAA Rushing Yards Per Game Leaders
Player, School -- Rushing Yards Per Game
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin -- 144.4
2. Darrell Henderson, Memphis -- 143.5
3. Nico Evans, Wyoming -- 139.9
4. AJ Dillon, Boston College -- 133.5

NCAA 20+ Yard Rushing Plays Leaders
Player, School -- 20+ Rushing Plays
1. Darrell Henderson, Memphis -- 18
2. Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State -- 14
3. AJ Dillon, Boston College -- 10
3. Darius Bradwell, Tulane -- 10
3. Reggie Corbin, Illinois -- 10
3. Travis Etienne, Clemson -- 10
3. Devin Singletary, FAU -- 10

100-yard Games Piling Up
• AJ Dillon has just 13 career starts, but he has 11 career 100-yard games already at Boston College in 19 games played.
• He is tied for eighth in BC history with 11 career 100-yard games.
• BC is 9-2 when Dillon rushes for 100+ yards in a game.

No. 16 Nationally in Passing Efficiency
• Boston College leads the ACC and ranks 16th nationally in passing efficiency in 2018. Starting quarterback Anthony Brown along with backups EJ Perry and Matt McDonald have been sensational so far this season.
• BC is tied for 14th nationally with 20 touchdown passes in 2018.
• Brown is 106-of-183 passing for 1,390 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2018. He has completed 57.9% of his passes.
• Perry is 15-of-18 passing for 179 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Andover, Mass., native is completed 83.3 percent of his passes.
• McDonald is 7-of-8 through the air for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

Chunk Plays
• Boston College is tied for 16th nationally and is tied with Clemson for the ACC lead with 50 plays of 20+ yards in 2018.
• Last season, BC was 70th nationally with 57 plays of 20+ yards in 13 games. In 2016, the Eagles were 121st nationally with 42 plays of 20+ yards over the 13-game season.

Scouting the Hokies
• Virginia Tech is 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the ACC to start the 2018 season. The Hokies own wins over No. 19 Florida State (24-3), William & Mary (62-17), No. 22 Duke (31-14) and North Carolina (22-19) while losing to Old Dominion (49-35), No. 6 Notre Dame (45-23) and Georgia Tech (49-28).
• Virginia Tech ranks 42nd nationally in total offense (436.7 yards per game), 65th in rushing offense (174.9 yards per game) and 38th in passing offense (261.9 yards per game. The Hokies rank 42nd in the country in scoring with 32.1 points per game on offense.
• On defense, Virginia Tech is 93rd nationally in total defense (425.3 yards per game). The Hokies are allowing 28.0 points per contest, 69th nationally. Against the run, Virginia Tech is allowing 171.9 yards per game (78th nationally). Through the air, Virginia Tech's opponents are averaging 253.4 yards per game, 95th nationally.

Players Mentioned

Anthony Brown

Hamp Cheevers

AJ Dillon

Matt McDonald

Kamrin Moore

EJ Perry

Wyatt Ray

Isaac Yiadom

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