Game Notes: Week 4 at Purdue

September 17, 2018 | Football

No. 23 Eagles look to start 4-0 for just the fourth time since 1955

By: Athletic Communications

No. 23 Boston College Game Notes (PDF)

The Game
• Back in the national rankings for the first time since Nov. 30, 2008, No. 23/25 Boston College visits Purdue Saturday at noon.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 at noon. Anish Shroff provides play-by-play commentary while Ahmad Brooks has the color commentary.
• Coverage on the Boston College IMG Sports Network begins at 11:30 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 976, XM channel 382 and Sirius/XM internet channel 958.
• The Eagles (3-0) defeated Wake Forest 41-34 to open ACC play last Thursday in Winston-Salem. BC has scored 40+ points in the first three games of the season for the first time in school history.
• Purdue (0-3) is in search of its first win of the season after a 40-37 loss to Missouri Saturday night. The Boilermakers' three losses are by a combined eight points against Northwestern, Eastern Michigan and Missouri.

The Series
• Boston College and Purdue meet for the first time Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium.
• It is the first game against a Big Ten opponent since last December's New Era Pinstripe Bowl versus Iowa (L, 27-20).
• BC is 38-42-2 all-time against current Big Ten institutions.
• The game marks the first time since 2012 – when BC traveled to Northwestern – that the Eagles have played a Big Ten team on the road.
• Under head coach Steve Addazio, BC is 1-2 against Big Ten schools. BC won its first bowl since 2007 with its 36-30 win over Maryland in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl.
• BC has two Indiana natives on the 2018 roster. Redshirt freshman defensive back Ben Stewart and true freshman linebacker Hugh Davis are both from Indianapolis.

1st and 10
• Boston College looks to start the season 4-0 for the first time since 2007 and just the fifth time overall since 1955.
• Head coach Steve Addazio is in his sixth season at the Heights (34-33) and has guided the Eagles to four bowl appearances in five seasons.
• Under Addazio, BC is 13-10 in the month of September.
• For the first time in 120 seasons of Boston College football, the Eagles have scored 40+ points in each of the first three games to start a year. BC has outscored the opposition 158-69 in 2018.
• Boston College scored 50 or more points in a season-opener for the first time since 2009 in the 55-21 win over UMass. Prior to this season, the last time BC scored 50+ in an opener was the 54-0 win vs. Northeastern (9/5/09). The 55 points against UMass were the most points scored in a season-opener since a 78-0 win over St. Anselm (9/20/41).

Return to the National Rankings
• For the first time since 2008, Boston College has returned to the Associated Press Top 25 and Amway Coaches Top 25 poll released on Sunday. The Eagles (3-0) defeated Wake Forest 41-34 to open ACC play last Thursday to enter the national rankings at No. 23 in the AP poll and No. 25 in the coaches poll.
• The last time Boston College was ranked in the AP Top 25 was Nov. 30, 2008 when the Eagles were ranked 18th nationally in the coaches poll and No. 20 in the AP rankings.
• Winners of eight of their last 10 games, the Eagles rank in the top 20 of 18 different statistical categories released by the NCAA. Boston College ranks in the top 10 nationally in completion percentage (7th), defensive touchdowns (6th), passes had intercepted (1st), passes intercepted (7th), red zone offense (1st), rushing offense (8th), scoring offense (6th), team passing efficiency (1st), team sacks (8th), turnover margin (9th) and turnovers lost (7th).

Closer Look at AJ Dillon in the Starting Lineup
• In 10 games since AJ Dillon has been the starter at running back on Oct. 14, 2017 at Louisville, Boston College is 8-2 overall and has averaged:

39.4 points per game
277.3 rushing yards per game
205.1 passing yards per game
482.4 total offense yards per game
1,688 rushing yards by Dillon
168.8 rushing yards per game by Dillon
16 rushing touchdowns by Dillon
Nine 100-yard rushing games by Dillon

• BC is 12th nationally with 482.4 yards of total offense per game since Dillon became the starter.
• BC is 10th nationally with 39.4 points per game during the time span with Dillon as the starter.
• Since Oct. 14, 2017, Dillon leads all players nationally with 168.8 rushing yards per game. His 1,688 rushing yards over the 10 games rank second overall, behind only Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin. Taylor has rushed for 1,725 yards over the same time period, but played in two additional games compared to Dillon.

Rushing Leaders (Oct. 14, 2017 – Sept. 15, 2018)

Player, School Yards Avg. TD YPG
1. AJ Dillon, BC 1,688 6.3 16 168.8
2. Jonathan Taylor, Wisc. 1,725 6.2 9 143.8
3. Malcolm Perry, Navy 1,333 7.3 14 133.3
4. Devin Singletary, FAU 1,444 5.8 28 131.3

Select Company
• Anthony Brown threw for a career-high 304 yards and five touchdowns on 16-for-25 passing in the 41-34 win at Wake Forest on Sept. 13. The New Jersey native is one of two Boston College quarterbacks in school history to have thrown five or more touchdowns in a game without an interception. Doug Flutie threw for 354 yards and 6 TDs without a pick in 1984 at home vs. North Carolina.
• Brown became the first BC quarterback to throw for over 300 yards and five TDs in a game since Matt Ryan vs. Wake Forest (9/1/07). It was the first 300-yard passing performance by an Eagle since Chase Rettig vs. Wake Forest (11/3/12).

Unforgettable, That's What You Are
• The Walter Camp Football Foundation has 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 is 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 leads the country with 1.67 sacks per game.
• Ray comes from a family full of recording artists. His grandfather was Nat King Cole and his aunt is Natalie Cole.

Noting the Win at Wake
• Boston College moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2007 with the victory. It marked the fourth time since 2000 the Eagles have opened the year 3-0.
• BC eclipsed the 500-yard mark of total offense for the third consecutive game. Over the last 10 games, the Eagles have totaled over 500 yards in a game six times. Boston College
finished the game with 524 yards of total offense.
• BC scored all six of its touchdowns without possessing the ball in the red zone.
• The Eagles surpassed 500 yards in total offense for the fourth time in their last six ACC games.
• Boston College has won eight of its last 10 games and the Eagles have averaged 39.4 points per game.
• For the third straight game, BC took the opening possession of the game and scored a touchdown. AJ Dillon rumbled in from 45 yards out for the game's opening score.
• Boston College has outscored its three opponents 42-14 in the first quarter in 2018.
• Senior strong safety Will Harris recorded his fifth career interception in the first quarter to end Wake Forest's first drive of the game.
• Junior cornerback Hamp Cheevers grabbed his second interception of the season to end another Wake Forest drive inside BC territory.
• BC has picked off two passes in all three games this season.
• Dillon recorded his ninth career 100-yard game in the first half. He finished the game with 33 carries for 185 yards and a touchdown.
• Dillon has 2,021 yards for his career. He became the 19th player in school history to rush for 2,000 career yards and ranks 17th all-time at BC.
• Sophomore quarterback Anthony Brown threw for a career-high 304 yards and five touchdowns on 16-for-25 passing.
• Brown became the first BC quarterback to throw for over 300 yards and five TDs in a game since Matt Ryan vs. Wake Forest (9/1/07). It was the first 300-yard passing performance by an Eagle since Chase Rettig vs. Wake Forest (11/3/12).
• Wyatt Ray posted a school-record, career-high four sacks to push his career total to 12.5 and become the first Eagle with three or more in a game since Harold Landry against Virginia Tech (10/7/17). He broke the single-game record of 3.5 held by Mathias Kiwanuka in 2005 vs. NC State and Mike Mamula in 1994 vs. Temple.
• Senior tight end Tommy Sweeney tied with Jim Whalen (1962-64) for 10th all-time in receptions by a BC tight end with his 29-yard touchdown reception.
• Senior wide receiver Jeff Smith recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game with six receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He scored on a career-long 71-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 10, 34-24.
• Smith became the 12th player at BC to record 100 or more receiving yards and two touchdowns in a game since 1996 and the first to do so since Kobay White vs. UMass (9/1/18).
• Connor Strachan registered a career-high 15 tackles, including 13 solo and 0.5 TFL, surpassing his previous high of 12 vs. Clemson (10/17/15).

Offensive Explosion
• Boston College has scored at least 40 points in an ACC game five times. Four of those five are in BC's past six conference games.
• The Eagles joined the ACC in 2005, and the other game of 40+ points was 2009 against NC State.
• Over the 10 games, BC has eclipsed the 500-yard mark in total offense six times.
• Boston College rolled up 598 yards of total offense in the 55-21 victory against UMass on Sept. 1. The Eagles topped that mark with 610 yards of total offense in the 62-14 victory over Holy Cross on Sept. 8.
• BC went over 500 yards of total offense for the 10th time under head coach Steve Addazio in the victory at Wake Forest. The Eagles finished the 41-34 win over the Deacs with 524 yards of total offense.

500+ Yards of Total Offense During Addazio Era
1. 610 Holy Cross (9/8/18)
2. 598 UMass (9/1/18)
3. 581 at Syracuse (11/25/17)
4. 555 at Louisville (10/14/17)
5. 550 at New Mexico State (11/9/13)
6. 524 at Wake Forest (9/13/18)
7. 523 Army (10/5/13)
8. 512 at Virginia (10/21/17)
9. 511 UMass (8/30/14)
10. 506 No. 9 Southern California (9/13/14)

No. 1 Nationally in Passing Efficiency
• Boston College leads all teams nationally in passing efficiency through three games in 2018. Starting quarterback Anthony Brown along with backups EJ Perry and Matt McDonald have been sensational so far this season.
• BC is second nationally with 13 touchdown passes in 2018. Only Hawaii (15) has more TD passes, but the Rainbow Warriors have attempted 72 more passes than BC.
• Brown is 33-of-48 passing for 626 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018. He has completed 68.8% of his passes.
• Perry is 13-of-16 passing for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Andover, Mass., native is completed 81.2 percent of his passes.
• McDonald is 7-of-8 through the air for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

National Team Passing Efficiency Leaders

School C-A-I Yards TD Efficiency
1. Boston College 53-72-0 875 13 235.3
2. West Virginia 47-63-1 765 9 220.6
3. Alabama 56-83-1 924 12 206.3
4. Georgia 54-67-1 649 8 198.4
5. Oklahoma 59-87-1 988 9 195.1

What Can Brown Do for You?
• Anthony Brown finished with the best single-game passer rating (245.9) by a BC QB dating back to the 1996 season with his performance against UMass in the season-opener. He finished 15-of-21 passing for 279 yards and four touchdowns. The yards and TD passes were then career-highs for the New Jersey native.
• Brown finished with the second-best single-game passer rating in the 41-34 win at Wake Forest. Brown became the first BC quarterback to throw for over 300 yards and five TDs in a game at Wake Forest (9/13/18) since Matt Ryan vs. Wake Forest (9/1/07). It was the first 300-yard passing performance by an Eagle since Chase Rettig vs. Wake Forest (11/3/12).
• In 2017, Brown was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the first time in his career following the UVA victory and also was one of eight quarterbacks nationally recognized by The Manning Award as its "Stars of the Week."
• He was the first Boston College player with three passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in a conference game since Quinton Porter in 2003 in the 41-10 victory at UVA.
• It marked the third-best single-game passer rating by a BC quarterback since 1996 at the time. The performance now ranks fourth since 1996.
• Brown was the second freshman in BC history to start a season opener under center in the Sept. 1, 2017 win at Northern Illinois. He is the only freshman quarterback in school history who started to win a season opener on the road.

Single-Game Passer Rating Leaders (since 1996)
Player Passer Rating
1. Anthony Brown (9/1/18) vs. UMass 245.9
15-of-21, 279 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
2. Anthony Brown (9/13/18) at Wake Forest 232.1
16-of-25, 304 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
3. Quinton Porter (10/11/03) vs. Temple 224.1
18-of-24, 308 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
4. Anthony Brown (10/21/17) vs. Virginia 216.7
19-of-24, 275 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
5. Tim Hasselbeck (9/9/00) vs. Army 216.2
14-of-21, 256 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

100-yard Games Piling Up
• AJ Dillon has just 10 career starts, but he has 10 career 100-yard games already at Boston College in 16 games played.
• As the starter, he has rushed for at least 89 yards in every game. The low of 89 yards came in the 41-10 win at Virginia in 2017.
• He is already tied for ninth in BC history with 10 career 100-yard games.

Dillon Named ACC Preseason Player of the Year
• AJ Dillon returns as the ACC Preseason Player of the Year after a record-setting freshman campaign in 2017.
• Dillon's 1,589 yards rushing last season were the second-most by any freshman in ACC history. The New London, Connecticut, native ranked second nationally among all freshmen in rushing in 2017 and seventh among all players. Dillon set the Boston College freshman rushing record while posting the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.
• Dillon received 45 votes in this year's ACC Preseason Player of the Year balloting to edge Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins by three votes. NC State quarterback Ryan Finley placed third with 37 votes, and Florida State running back Cam Akers followed with 13.

Second in ACC History
• AJ Dillon became the 12th freshman in ACC history to run for 1,000 yards in a season after his 196-yard performance against No. 23 NC State on Nov. 11, 2017. He finished 2017 second in ACC history with 1,589 rushing yards by a freshman.

ACC Freshman Rushing Yards Leaders
1. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech (2009) 1,655
2. AJ Dillon, Boston College (2017) 1,589
3. Darren Evans, Virginia Tech (2008) 1,265
4. Giovani Bernard, North Carolina (2011) 1,253
5. Amos Lawrence, North Carolina (1977) 1,211

• Dillon was the first BC player to rush for over 1,000 yards since graduate quarterback Tyler Murphy accumulated 1,184 in 2014.

Cap and Gown
• Five members of the 2018 Boston College Football team have already earned their undergraduate degree from BC: Center Jon Baker (marketing), linebacker Kevin Bletzer (communication), offensive lineman Sam Schmal (marketing), linebacker Connor Strachan (finance) and tight end Tommy Sweeney (marketing).

Look Out for Lukas
• Lukas Denis made a flawless transition from cornerback to free safety in 2017. The Everett native tied for second nationally with seven interceptions last year.
• He is the only player in the country over the last decade to total at least 80 tackles, seven interceptions, 10 pass breakups and two forced fumbles in a single-season.
• Denis ended the season earning Walter Camp Football Foundation Second-Team All-America honors and was an All-ACC selection for the first time in his career.
• Denis also tied for 12th nationally with 17 passes defended in 2017.
• Denis started the 2018 season with his ninth career interception - and first pick-six - with a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown against UMass.

The Nation's Most Complete Defensive Lineman
• Boston College defensive end Zach Allen has quietly become the most complete defensive lineman in the nation.
• Allen, a Preseason All-America selection, was one of two defensive linemen nationally in 2017 that recorded 100 or more tackles.
• An All-ACC honorable mention pick last year, Allen finished the season with 100 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 sacks. The 15.5 TFLs ranked Allen in the top-10 in BC single
season history.
• Allen recorded a career-high 14 tackles, leading all players, in the Oct. 7, 2017 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.

The Nation's Best Safety Tandem
• Will Harris and Lukas Denis have put up strong numbers to form the best safety tandem in the nation. Denis was named an All-American in 2017 after finishing tied for second nationally with seven interceptions.
• Harris collected Phil Steele Preseason All-America first-team honors as the standout senior safety has started all 28 games he has played in over the previous three seasons.
• Harris led the nation with four fumble recoveries in 2017 to go along with 83 tackles (third on the team). For the year, Harris totaled 5.5 TFLs, one interception, one sack and two pass breakups as a key part of one of the nation's top pass defenses.

Pound the Rock
• For the 13th time under Steve Addazio, Boston College rushed for 300 yards or more in the Sept. 8 win against Holy Cross. BC finished with a season-best 365 yards rushing vs. the Crusaders.
• Under Addazio, BC is 13-0 when rushing for 300+ yards in a game.
• The Eagles rank eighth nationally with 285.7 rushing yards per game in 2018.

300+ Rushing Yards During Addazio Era
1. 452 No. 9 Southern California (9/13/14)
2. 420 NC State (11/1613)
3. 413 Maine (9/20/14)
4. 365 Holy Cross (9/8/18)
5. 364 at Louisville (10/14/17)
6. 347 Howard (9/12/15)
7. 338 UMass (8/30/14)
8. 333 at Syracuse (11/25/17)
9. 330 at UConn (11/18/17)
10. 320 at New Mexico State (11/9/13)
11. 320 Army (10/5/13)
12. 310 at NC State (10/11/14)
13. 300 Wagner (9/24/16)

Famous Bloodlines
• Boston College has several players with famous bloodlines on the 2018 roster:
Javian Dayne Son of Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne
AJ Dillon Grandson of CFB Hall of Fame WR Thom Gatewood
Tate Haynes Son of NFL Hall of Fame DB Mike Haynes
Tito Pasqualoni Son of Lions DC Paul Pasqualoni
Wyatt Ray Grandson of Nat King Cole
John Tessitore Son of ESPN announcer Joe Tessitore
Tyler Vrabel Son of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel

Lindstrom Leads Stout BC O-Line
• Boston College returns all five starters on the offensive line along with the return of center Jon Baker from injury in 2018.
• Phil Steele's Magazine ranked the BC offensive line as the sixth-best unit.
• BC is second nationally with 139 career combined starts returning on the offensive line entering the 2018 season.
• Chris Lindstrom headlines the returners up front for the Eagles. A preseason All-American by Athlon Magazine, Lindstrom returns as one of the ACC's top offensive linemen in 2018.
• Lindstrom graded out as BC's best offensive lineman a year ago en route to All-ACC second-team honors. The Dudley, Mass., product has 37 career starts under his belt and was named the ACC's Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 3.

Career Offensive Line Returning Starts (Entering 2018)
Team Career OL Starts
1. Wisconsin 150
2. Boston College 139
3. Wake Forest 131
4. FIU 129
5. Indiana 126

Scouting the Boilermakers
• Purdue is in search of its first win of the season Saturday against BC. The Boilermakers have lost all three games by just eight total points: 31-27 vs. Northwestern, 20-19 vs. Eastern Michigan and 40-37
• Purdue features one of the nation's most potent aerial attacks. The Boilermakers are 18th nationally averaging 325.7 passing yards per game. Purdue is 19th in the nation with 520.7 yards of total offense per game.
• Jeff Brohm, who played quarterback collegiately at Louisville and for seven seasons in the National Football League, was hired Dec. 5, 2016, as the 36th full-time head football coach in Purdue history. He is widely regarded as one of the most innovative offensive masterminds in college football.
• On the strength of three fundamental concepts - playing harder, tougher and smarter than the opposition - the 2017 Boilermakers achieved a 7-6 record, finished tied for third place in the Big Ten Conference West Division and defeated Arizona 38-35 in the Foster Farms Bowl. Purdue won three games in November (29-10 over Illinois for the Cannon trophy, 24-15 at Iowa and 31-24 over Indiana for the Old Oaken Bucket) to become bowl eligible.
• Senior quarterback David Blough was 39-of-55 passing and had a career-high and program record 572 yards passing for the Boilermakers in the 40-37 loss against Missouri. He threw three touchdown passes and an interception, and ran for 18 yards on six carries with a touchdown.