Week 7 Notes: The NC State Game

After the week off, Boston College returns to Alumni Stadium as the Eagles welcome NC State for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for noon with live coverage on ACC RSNs, including NESN locally in Boston. Evan Lepler (play-by-play), Dave Archer (color) and Kelsey Wingert (sideline reporter) have the call. Coverage on the Boston College Learfield 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 93.7 FM, nationally on TuneIn and on Sirius channel 133, XM channel 194 and online via SiriusXM channel 956.

Boston College has lost two straight ACC games by a combined five points to No. 24 Wake Forest (27-24) and last time out at Louisville (41-39). NC State moved to 4-2 overall following its 16-10 victory over Syracuse last Thursday in Raleigh. The Wolfpack held the Orange to just 341 yards of total offense in the win.

The Series
• Boston College and NC State meet for the 17th time in series history Saturday at Alumni Stadium.
• BC is 9-7 all-time against the Wolfpack, including a 6-3 mark in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles are 3-3 under head coach Steve Addazio against NC State.
• The two teams began series play in 1936 at Fenway Park (7-3 BC win).
• Since BC joined the ACC, the Eagles are 8-6 against NC State.
• Only five of the ACC meetings between the two schools have been decided by 10 points or less.
• BC has two natives from North Carolina on its 2019 roster. Junior linebacker John Lamot (Graham) and redshirt sophomore linebacker Ryan Whittelsey (Cary) are from the Tar Heel State. William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond is also a North Carolina native, hailing from Fayetteville.

1st and 10
• Boston College ranks among the ACC leaders in several offensive categories heading into Saturday's game vs. NC State.
• The Eagles are fourth in the conference and 17th nationally with 488.2 yards of total offense per game.
• BC is second only to Louisville in the ACC with explosive plays of 30+ yards in 2019. The Cardinals are sixth nationally with 22 plays of 30+ yards while BC is tied for 13th nationally with 19 plays of 30+ yards.
• The Eagles are averaging 32.8 points per game, fifth in the ACC.
• BC's rushing attack leads the ACC and ranks ninth nationally with 253.2 yards per game.
• The Eagles are averaging 14.8 yards per completion, second in the ACC and 12th nationally.
• Saturday's game features a matchup of the top rushing offense (Boston College) against the top rushing defense (NC State) in the ACC. The Eagles are averaging 253.2 rushing yards per game while NC State has allowed just 66.7 rushing yards per contest.

Touchdown Dillon
• Junior running back AJ Dillon totaled his 18th career game with at least one rushing touchdown Sept. 21 at Rutgers. BC is 13-5 when Dillon rushes for at least one TD.
• Dillon moved into sole possession of third place in Boston College history with 30 career rushing touchdowns following the two-touchdown performance against the Scarlet Knights.

Boston College Career Rushing TD Leaders
Player (Years) - Rushing TDs
1. Keith Barnette (1973-75) - 34
2. William Green (1999-01) - 33
3. AJ Dillon (2017-present) - 30
4. Andre Williams (2010-13) - 28

Boston College Career Rushing Leaders
Player (Years) - Yards
1. Andre Williams (2010-13) - 3,739
2. Montel Harris (2008-11) - 3,735
3. Derrick Knight (2000-03) - 3,725
4. Mike Cloud (1995-98) - 3,597
5. Troy Stradford (1982-86) - 3,504
6. AJ Dillon (2017-present) - 3,442
7. William Green (1999-01) - 2,974
8. Andre Callender (2004-07) - 2,971

Closer Look at AJ Dillon in the Starting Lineup
• In 25 games since AJ Dillon was named the starter at running back on Oct. 14, 2017 at Louisville, Boston College has averaged:

32.7 points per game
228.2 rushing yards per game
206.8 passing yards per game
434.9 total offense yards per game
3,109 rushing yards by Dillon
135.2 rushing yards per game by Dillon
28 rushing touchdowns by Dillon
15 100-yard rushing games by Dillon

• Dillon missed the games at No. 23 NC State and vs. Louisville with an ankle injury in 2018.
• Since Oct. 14, 2017, Dillon is second nationally with 135.2 rushing yards per game. Only Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor has averaged more rushing yards per game during that time span (151.0 rushing yards per game).
• Dillon became the first player in 120 seasons of Boston College football to begin his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Dillon went over the 1,000-yard mark on his four-yard touchdown run at Florida State in 2018.
• Dillon is just the fourth player in BC history with two seasons of 1,000+ yards rushing. He joined Derrick Knight, Montel Harris and William Green with two years of 1,000 or more rushing yards.

Among the Nation's Best
• AJ Dillon is fourth nationally and leads the ACC with 3,442 career rushing yards. Among the top 10 active career rushing leaders, Dillon has played in the fewest amount of games.

NCAA Active Career Rushing Leaders
Player, School - Yards (Games Played)
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - 4,996 (33)
2. Walter Fletcher, Ball State - 4,076 (38)
3. Rodney Smith, Minnesota - 3,634 (45)
4. AJ Dillon, Boston College - 3,442 (29)

NCAA Active Career Rushing Yards Per Game Leaders
Player, School - Yards Per Game
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - 151.4
2. AJ Dillon, Boston College - 118.7
3. Walter Fletcher, Ball State - 107.3

100-yard Games Piling Up
• In 23 career starts, AJ Dillon has 16 career 100-yard games at Boston College in 29 games played.
• He is fifth in BC history with 16 career 100-yard games.
• BC is 10-6 when Dillon rushes for 100+ yards in a game.
• Dillon posted his fourth straight 100-yard game at Louisville on Oct. 5. Dillon and Montel Harris are the only two players in Boston College history with two streaks of four or more consecutive games of 100+ yards.
• Dillon posted his third straight 150-yard rushing performance against Wake. The last BC player to have three straight games with 150+ yards on the ground was Dillon in 2017 as a freshman - 196 yards vs. NC State on Nov. 11, 2017 yards vs. UConn on Nov. 18, and 193 yards vs. Syracuse on Nov. 25.
• It was the 10th career game with 150+ rushing yards for the junior running back, which currently ranks second among active NCAA players.

Most 100-Yard Rushing Games Since 2017 (Active Players)
Player, School - 100-yard games
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - 26
2. AJ Dillon, Boston College - 15

The Sauce...
• AJ Dillon is fourth nationally with 124.2 rushing yards per game in 2019.
• Dillon is also fourth nationally with 147.2 yards per game from scrimmage in 2019.
• Dillon needs just 298 yards to become the all-time leading rusher in Boston College history.
• With five more rushing touchdowns, Dillon will become the all-time leader in BC history.
• Dillon is currently 23rd in ACC history with 3,442 rushing yards. Looking ahead, Dillon needs 517 rushing yards this season to move into the top 10 in ACC history in rushing yards.
• With three more 100-yard rushing games, Dillon would move into the top 10 in ACC history in career 100-yard rushing games.

Opportunistic Defense
• For just the fourth time since 2010, Boston College forced five turnovers in a game in the season opening win against Virginia Tech on August 31. BC forced five Virginia Tech turnovers, including three in the first half. That included the first career interceptions for Joe Sparacio and Tanner Karafa.
• It marked the first time since Nov. 21, 2015 that BC forced five turnovers in a game.
• BC leads the ACC and is 11th nationally with a +1.00 turnover margin per game.

Five Turnovers Forced in a Game (Since 2010)
8/31/19 - 5 vs. Virginia Tech (2 FR, 3 INT)
11/21/15 - 5 vs. Notre Dame (2 FR, 3 INT)
11/6/10 - 5 vs. Wake Forest (1 FR, 4 INT)
9/11/10 - 5 vs. Kent State (2 FR, 3 INT)

O-Line U
• Most college football pundits predicted it would be a rebuilding year on the Boston College offensive line after losing a first-round pick in Chris Lindstrom along with multi-year starters in left tackle Aaron Monteiro and center Jon Baker.
• Despite the graduation of that trio of full-time starters along with co-starter Sam Schmal, the Eagles have been strong up front in 2019 with new starters at left tackle (Tyler Vrabel), left guard (Anthony Palazzolo) and center (Alec Lindstrom).
• BC leads the nation with 0.50 sacks allowed per game in 2019. The Eagles are ninth nationally in rushing with 253.2 rushing yards per game.

Protecting the Blind Side
• Redshirt freshman left tackle Tyler Vrabel currently owns the top overall grade (74.2) among OTs in the ACC according to Pro Football Focus.
• Vrabel has yet to allow a sack or QB hit on 100 pass blocks this season. Including his 28 offensive snaps last year, Vrabel has yet to allow a sack or QB hit in his career.
• In 2019, Vrabel has allowed zero sacks, zero QB hits and just three hurries. His pass block efficiency figure of 98.9 ranks third among OTs in the ACC.
• Vrabel has an all-around game as his run block grade of 75.8 ranks second in the conference among OTs. On runs aimed off the left tackle this season, BC has gained 156 yards on just 17 attempts (9.2 ypc). BC's 9.2 ypc on left tackle runs this year is the sixth-best average in the FBS (min 10 attempts) and leads the ACC.

Starting the Season with an ACC Victory
• Boston College has started the season against an ACC opponent four times in school history. The 35-28 victory over Virginia Tech in the 2019 opener marked just the second time in school history BC defeated an ACC foe in the first game of the year.
• The only other ACC win to start a new season was the 38-28 victory over Wake Forest in 2007.

First Half Fireworks
• Boston College has been explosive in the first half in 2019 on offense. BC has totaled 143 points in the first half over the first six games of the year, an average of 23.8 per game in the first 30 minutes of play.
• BC has totaled 1,884 yards of total offense in the first half in 2019. The Eagles are averaging 314 yards per game in 2019.
• The Eagles have scored touchdowns on their first possession in three games this season (Richmond, Kansas, Rutgers).

Ready to Roll
• Sophomore running back David Bailey has given BC one of the best 1-2 running back tandems in the country in 2019. The Maryland native is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns in 2019. He has also one touchdown reception and he threw a 16-yard touchdown pass against No. 24 Wake Forest.
• Bailey scampered a career-long 42 yards for the game's first touchdown at Rutgers. On the season, he has rushed for 329 yards.

Max Effort
• Max Richardson leads the ACC and ranks 11th nationally with 10.5 tackles per game in 2019. He leads BC with 63 total tackles, 41 solo stops and 8.0 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
• Richardson's overall grade of 79.1 ranks second among ACC linebackers according to Pro Football Focus. His run defense grade of 82.5 ranks first in the conference.
• Richardson is fifth nationally with 41 solo tackles this season. The 41 solo stops are third nationally among Power 5 players.

NCAA Solo Tackles Leaders
1. Nate Landman, Colorado - 50
2. Evan Weaver, California - 48
3. David Woodward, Utah State - 43
4. Troy Brown, Central Michigan - 42
5. Max Richardson, Boston College - 41

Big Game Hunter
• Redshirt sophomore tight end Hunter Long is quietly developing into one of the best tight ends in the ACC. Long leads the Eagles in receptions (15), receiving yards (277) and is third on the team averaging 18.5 yards per reception.
• He is part of a talented tight end room for Boston College that features three of the team's leading five receivers.

NCAA Tight End Receiving Yards Leaders (Power 5 schools)
1. Brevin Jordan, Miami - 417
2. Jacob Breeland, Oregon - 405
3. Hunter Bryant, Washington - 387
4. Kyle Pitts, Florida - 362
5. Brycen Hopkins, Purdue - 345
6. Charlie Kolar, Iowa State - 319
7. Cheyenne O'Grady, Arkansas - 287
8. Hunter Long, Boston College - 277

Flowers in Full Bloom
• Zay Flowers wowed coaches and teammates from the first practice of preseason camp in August. It took the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native just three minutes into his first collegiate game to show the college football world his potential as well.
• Flowers ignited a BC offense that scored 28 first-half points in a 35-28 win over Virginia Tech.
• On BC's first scoring drive, Flowers started the drive with a 16-yard rush and ended the drive with a 33-yard touchdown reception. The 33-yard touchdown was Flowers' first career reception for the Eagles.
• He also added a 58-yard reception against the Hokies to finish with two receptions for 91 yards. He led BC with 116 all-purpose yards.
• The Eagles scored the second-most points in series history (28 games) against the Hokies. Only the 1993 BC team scored more against a Virginia Tech defense in a 48-34 victory.
• Flowers is averaging 10.1 yards per carry in 2019 (162 yards on 16 rushing attempts) and 19.4 yards per reception (12 receptions for 223 yards and two touchdowns).

Big-Play Passing Offense
• Boston College is tied for eighth nationally with five pass plays of 50+ yards in 2019.
• Brown is tied for fifth nationally with five passes covering 50+ yards in 2019.
• In 2018, BC had just three pass plays of 50 yards or more the entire season.
• Going back to 2014, the Eagles have just five total passing plays covering more than 50 yards.
• Steve Addazio's first season marked the largest total of 50-yard pass plays as BC connected on eight passes of 50 yards or more.

Chunk Plays
• Boston College is second in the ACC with 19 plays of 30+ yards in 2019. Louisville leads the conference with 22 plays of 30+ yards.
• The Eagles are tied for 13th nationally with 19 plays covering 30 yards or more.

New Look Defense
• Seven new starters opened the season on defense for BC against Virginia Tech. The new look defense featured a mix of underclassmen and veterans, including three redshirt freshmen (DT Kyiev Bennermon, DE Joey Luchetti, LB Joe Sparacio), a redshirt sophomore (CB Tate Haynes), two redshirt juniors (DE Brandon Barlow, FS Mike Palmer) and a fifth-year graduate student (SS Mehdi El Attrach).
• Luchetti recorded his first career sack and finished with 1.5 TFLs in the win over the Hokies. Bennermon finished with five tackles along with a TFL in his first collegiate game at Boston College.
• Sparacio recorded six tackles and his first career interception in the end zone to end a Hokie scoring threat near the end of the first half.
• Haynes finished with a career-high nine tackles to go along with his first career sack and forced fumble to set up a BC touchdown.

No Fly Zone
• Since the start of the 2017 season, Boston College is second in the country with 44 interceptions. The opportunistic defense started the season right where they left off in 2018 with three picks in the Virginia Tech win on August 31 and two in the win over Richmond.
• BC is 11th nationally in 2019 with eight interceptions.
• BC has picked off at least one pass in 13 of the last 14 games.

NCAA Interceptions Leaders (Since 2017)
1. Iowa - 45
2. Boston College - 44
Oregon - 44
4. Wisconsin - 42
5. Florida - 40

Going on the Offensive
• Boston College averaged 32.0 points per game last season, the fifth-best single-game average in school history. In 2019, the Eagles are scoring 32.8 points per game.
• Since the start of 2017, Boston College has nine games with 500+ yards of total offense. BC ripped off a season-high 563 yards of total offense at Louisville on Oct. 5.

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. 563 - at Louisville (10/5/19)
5. 555 - at Louisville (10/14/17)
6. 550 - at New Mexico State (11/9/13)
7. 549 - Maine (9/20/14)
8. 533 - No. 24 Wake Forest (9/28/19)
9. 524 - at Wake Forest (9/13/18)
10. 523 - Army (10/5/13)
11. 518 - Richmond (9/7/19)
12. 512 - at Virginia (10/21/17)
13. 511 - UMass (8/30/14)
14. 506 - No. 9 Southern California (9/13/14)

300+ Yards Rushing During Addazio Era
1. No. 9 Southern California (9/13/14) - 452
2. NC State (11/16/13) - 420
3. Maine (9/20/14) - 413
4. Holy Cross (9/8/18) - 365
5. Louisville (10/14/17) - 364
6. Howard (9/12/15) - 347
7. Richmond (9/7/19) - 346
8. UMass (8/30/14) - 338
9. Syracuse (11/25/17) - 333
10. UConn (11/18/17) - 330
11. New Mexico State (11/9/13) - 320
11. Army (10/5/13) - 320
13. NC State (10/11/14) - 310
14. Wagner (9/24/16) - 300

Top 10 in Boston College History
• Anthony Brown's 275 yards passing in the win over Virginia Tech to start the 2019 season moved the junior QB into the school's top 10 in career passing yardage.
• Brown is seventh in BC history with 4,738 career passing yards.
• With 195 yards passing against Kansas, Brown became the ninth BC quarterback to throw for 4,000 career yards.

Boston College Career Passing Leaders
Player - Yards
1. Doug Flutie (1981-84) - 10,579
2. Glenn Foley (1990-93) - 10,039
3. Matt Ryan (2004-07) - 9,313
4. Chase Rettig (2010-13) - 8,263
5. Brian St. Pierre (1999-02) - 5,837
6. Shawn Halloran (1983-86) - 5,252
7. Anthony Brown (2017-present) - 4,738
8. Frank Harris (1968-70) - 4,555
9. Matt Hasselbeck (1994-97) - 4,548
10. Tim Hasselbeck (1998-00) - 3,890

Scouting NC State
• NC State is 4-2 to start the season and 1-1 in the ACC. The Wolfpack own wins over East Carolina (34-6), Western Carolina (41-0), Ball State (34-23) and Syracuse (16-10) while losing at West Virginia (44-27) and dropping a 31-13 contest at Florida State.
• Head coach Dave Doeren leads the Wolfpack as he is in the midst of his seventh season at the helm. With nine victories, the 2018 Wolfpack was one of just six teams in the 126-year history of NC State football to post nine or more regular season wins. It marked the first time since 1991-92 that NC State had posted back-to-back nine-win seasons and was only the third time in school history that has been accomplished.
• Doeren's teams have qualified for five consecutive bowl games - the second-longest bowl streak in school history - and he is only the second coach in school history to take teams to five straight postseason bowls. Doeren, a candidate for several coach of the year honors in 2017, has now coached bowl eligible teams in 13 of his 16 years in Division 1.
• The Wolfpack average 27.5 points per game, 77th nationally. NC State is 60th in the country in total offense (419.8 ypg), 61st in passing offense (249.5 ypg) and 60th nationally in rushing offense (170.3 ypg).
• On defense, NC State ranks 29th nationally in total defense (324.5 ypg), 22nd in scoring defense (19 ppg), fifth in rushing defense (66.7 ypg) and 97th in passing yards allowed (257.8 ypg).

Related News

Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Jon Baker

Brandon Barlow

Kyiev Bennermon

Anthony Brown

AJ Dillon

Mehdi El Attrach

Zay Flowers

Tate Haynes

Tanner Karafa

John Lamot

Alec Lindstrom

Chris Lindstrom

Hunter Long

Joey Luchetti

Aaron Monteiro

Anthony Palazzolo

Mike Palmer

Max Richardson

Sam Schmal

Tyler Vrabel

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