BC Rushing Attack Stares Down Challenge From Pack's Run Stoppers
October 17, 2019 | Football, #ForBoston Files
This is not a game for the faint of heart.
The ACC's Atlantic Division underwent its most recent coaching overhaul in the middle portion of this decade when four programs added new head coaches over a four-year span. It's a run that pilfered the nation's mid-major conference, and it began in 2013 when Boston College and NC State hired Steve Addazio and Dave Doeren.
"I've got a lot of respect for NC State and Dave Doeren," Addazio said. "I like Dave a lot. I think he's done a heck of a job there, and I think he and I probably look at some of these things very similarly in terms of the ability to have a strong run game and to have a physical team. It's a pretty good matchup game here."
Both coaches rebuilt their programs by implementing unique redesigns. Doeren's first season ended with a winless conference campaign and last place finish in the division before a string of regular seasons with either six or seven wins. The Wolfpack broke through to an eighth win in 2017 before winning nine last year.
It's a model both similar and different to Boston College. Addazio patched two seven-win teams together in his first two years before bottoming out in 2015. The team then began compiling years of six or seven wins before making a run at a breakthrough last season. It created a parallel between the two programs, and it made last year's game a hotly-contested outcome despite the Wolfpack emerging victorious.
It was the latest in a series of public exhibitions of how closely the teams intertwine. A touchdown or less decided each of the last three games. The Eagles won, 21-14, in 2016 but lost in both 2017 and 2018 to nationally-ranked NC State teams by three and five points, respectively. Last year, BC rallied from a 28-3 deficit with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, scoring three unanswered touchdowns before ultimately falling, 28-23.
This season, NC State enters its BC game as one of the best rushing defenses in the nation. Its fifth-ranked unit allowed only one 100-yard rushing game this year, against West Virginia, and proved itself capable of stomping on an offense regardless of the outcome. It held Florida State to 53 yards in a loss two weeks ago, then held Syracuse to 41 yards last week in a bounce-back victory.Â
It's anchored by a big and nasty defensive front. The entire line carries size and depth across its front four with big, speedy edge rushers complementing 300-pound interior monsters. Joseph Boletepeli, for example, played 38 snaps against Ball State, but only played seven against Florida State and missed the Syracuse game entirely. State replaced him with Xavier Lyas, who registered two sacks in 28 plays across both the FSU and Syracuse games.Â
They play next to two 300-pound players in Alim McNeill and Larrell Murchison, with two more 300-pounders in Val Martin and Dante Johnson on the depth chart. On the other edge, James Smith-Williams played a minimum of 40 plays in the last two games, but Ibrahim Kante is a perfect substitution, having played substantial minutes when the starter went down injured earlier this year.
"They have big, strong, thick, powerful defensive linemen," Addazio said. "They're hard to move. That usually is what equates to stopping the run. I think they have an outstanding set of linebackers that run to the ball really well. They recruited (athletes), and they have a very good defensive line."
Like BC, those linebackers occupy a legacy left by first-round, all-pro talent. The Wolfpack are only two years removed from Bradley Chubb, but the current personnel avoided an ongoing void. Louis Acceus and Isaiah Moore combined for 24 tackles last week against Syracuse, and Brock Miller is one of the most consistent hitters in the second level.
"I respect the guys who are on that sideline," running back AJ Dillon said. "But I look at every team the same way. We're all on scholarship. I feel like our brand of offense is a physical style, and we play against our defense the whole time (in practice)."
"It's a physical day every day around this joint," Addazio added. "We have a big, physical offensive line, and we run the ball pretty (well). It's like that every day, honestly, which is a good thing."
They create an incredibly active unit, and the linebackers fill holes created by the offensive line. NC State will likely generate stops since the game is a definitive strength-on-strength contest, even though that also means BC will earn its share of success. There's an element of patience involved because of its smashmouth nature, that this game more than most will typify gaining first downs as a means of finding the end zone.
"We have a decent mix (of run and pass) right now," Addazio said. "When you talk about the quality of the backs that we have, that's a good mix. I think we have a good plan here on how we're going to attack the defense."
"I'm expecting the defense to bring a lot of physicality up front," Dillon said. "I look forward to the challenge. As a competitor, I don't know what else you could ask for, as a running back."
"I've got a lot of respect for NC State and Dave Doeren," Addazio said. "I like Dave a lot. I think he's done a heck of a job there, and I think he and I probably look at some of these things very similarly in terms of the ability to have a strong run game and to have a physical team. It's a pretty good matchup game here."
Both coaches rebuilt their programs by implementing unique redesigns. Doeren's first season ended with a winless conference campaign and last place finish in the division before a string of regular seasons with either six or seven wins. The Wolfpack broke through to an eighth win in 2017 before winning nine last year.
It's a model both similar and different to Boston College. Addazio patched two seven-win teams together in his first two years before bottoming out in 2015. The team then began compiling years of six or seven wins before making a run at a breakthrough last season. It created a parallel between the two programs, and it made last year's game a hotly-contested outcome despite the Wolfpack emerging victorious.
It was the latest in a series of public exhibitions of how closely the teams intertwine. A touchdown or less decided each of the last three games. The Eagles won, 21-14, in 2016 but lost in both 2017 and 2018 to nationally-ranked NC State teams by three and five points, respectively. Last year, BC rallied from a 28-3 deficit with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, scoring three unanswered touchdowns before ultimately falling, 28-23.
This season, NC State enters its BC game as one of the best rushing defenses in the nation. Its fifth-ranked unit allowed only one 100-yard rushing game this year, against West Virginia, and proved itself capable of stomping on an offense regardless of the outcome. It held Florida State to 53 yards in a loss two weeks ago, then held Syracuse to 41 yards last week in a bounce-back victory.Â
It's anchored by a big and nasty defensive front. The entire line carries size and depth across its front four with big, speedy edge rushers complementing 300-pound interior monsters. Joseph Boletepeli, for example, played 38 snaps against Ball State, but only played seven against Florida State and missed the Syracuse game entirely. State replaced him with Xavier Lyas, who registered two sacks in 28 plays across both the FSU and Syracuse games.Â
They play next to two 300-pound players in Alim McNeill and Larrell Murchison, with two more 300-pounders in Val Martin and Dante Johnson on the depth chart. On the other edge, James Smith-Williams played a minimum of 40 plays in the last two games, but Ibrahim Kante is a perfect substitution, having played substantial minutes when the starter went down injured earlier this year.
"They have big, strong, thick, powerful defensive linemen," Addazio said. "They're hard to move. That usually is what equates to stopping the run. I think they have an outstanding set of linebackers that run to the ball really well. They recruited (athletes), and they have a very good defensive line."
Like BC, those linebackers occupy a legacy left by first-round, all-pro talent. The Wolfpack are only two years removed from Bradley Chubb, but the current personnel avoided an ongoing void. Louis Acceus and Isaiah Moore combined for 24 tackles last week against Syracuse, and Brock Miller is one of the most consistent hitters in the second level.
"I respect the guys who are on that sideline," running back AJ Dillon said. "But I look at every team the same way. We're all on scholarship. I feel like our brand of offense is a physical style, and we play against our defense the whole time (in practice)."
"It's a physical day every day around this joint," Addazio added. "We have a big, physical offensive line, and we run the ball pretty (well). It's like that every day, honestly, which is a good thing."
They create an incredibly active unit, and the linebackers fill holes created by the offensive line. NC State will likely generate stops since the game is a definitive strength-on-strength contest, even though that also means BC will earn its share of success. There's an element of patience involved because of its smashmouth nature, that this game more than most will typify gaining first downs as a means of finding the end zone.
"We have a decent mix (of run and pass) right now," Addazio said. "When you talk about the quality of the backs that we have, that's a good mix. I think we have a good plan here on how we're going to attack the defense."
"I'm expecting the defense to bring a lot of physicality up front," Dillon said. "I look forward to the challenge. As a competitor, I don't know what else you could ask for, as a running back."
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