W2WF: Kansas

Week Three marks the first real checkpoint in the college football season. There are a number of contenders with hallmark, assertive victories, but teams on the opposite end already face uphill struggles for bowl eligibility. The majority of the teams remain in the middle peloton as unknown quantities capable of bursting out of the pack, but also at risk of falling significantly behind.

Boston College remains a team in that giant pack, but has a golden opportunity on Friday to create a little bit of separation. The Eagles are 2-0 with a conference win and enter this week against a power conference opponent with a chance to continue laying a foundation for early postseason eligibility.

"When you have these short weeks, you've got to get going right away," head coach Steve Addazio said. "You can't spin your wheels on Sunday, for example. We got in here very, very early in the morning (on Sunday), got the film graded, got right to Kansas. Then the players came in. You don't want to short-change awin, but you can't spend all day on the win."

It's a workmanlike attitude, and it hangs over everything in a short week. One less day is one less weight room session, one less practice and one fewer video reviews. It's an annual tradition in Chestnut Hill, even though it presents its own challenges. Last year, BC beat Miami in the Red Bandanna Game. It was the second straight Friday night home victory after the team crushed Florida State in 2017.

"I think we have an approach to it," Addazio said. "I talk to a lot of people around the country that I trust and get input on, especially the strength coaches that I know. You have to have some feel of your own team. We didn't play a night game (last week), and our players weren't on the field for 70 snaps, but on the flip side of it, I want to make sure we're fast on Friday night."

Here's what to watch for when the Eagles face Kansas before a national television audience:

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Weekly Storylines

Different types of apple sauce.

BC's rushing offense is the Swiss Army Knife of Swiss Army Knifes (or is it Knives? I never know how to make that appropriately plural) because it has a number of options capable of doing different things. AJ Dillon and David Bailey have identities built around their ability to smash between the tackles, but Dillon showcased his received chops last week. Ben Glines is a speed receiver, but he loves ramming into contact at the line of scrimmage. Travis Levy is known as a scat back, but he's an option to get outside and make noise in the rushing game.

"There's a lot of ways to get the ball in the air," Steve Addazio said. "There's screens, underneath routes against the linebackers. We're (doing) all those. Usually there's a lot of checkdowns to backs. So I think screens and checkdowns are where you're going to see those guys catch a lot of balls or can catch a lot of balls."

It's a vast arsenal for quarterback Anthony Brown, who is handling the checkdown game better every week. Brown spread the ball around to a number of receivers in the first two games, and it's making him a better all-around quarterback. He's still improving, but it means he might hit his stride in finding open options at just the right time by developing that chemistry with his backs, especially Dillon.

"AJ's on the field more on third down," Addazio said. "You're going to see more of that. Sometimes our first and second down game is a heavy play action game. There are checkdowns, but there's such a heavy play fake, that it's down the field a little bit. He's pretty involved in the naked game and stuff like that. That's been good."

Pook-a-boo, I see you.

Kansas scored its only touchdown last week when senior Khalil Herbert ripped off a 41-yard run. The play developed from a two-back formation featuring sophomore Pooka Williams, who returned to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension against Indiana State.

"They are more of a 12 (personnel) team," Steve Addazio said. "They will try to play somewhat like we do, with power plays in a two-back offense. Les Miles has been that way since he was at LSU. There's going to be a mixture in there."

Herbert and Williams combine with Dom Williams to form a larger three-headed attack for the Jayhawks. Herbert is the most consistent, gaining 170 yards on 25 carries in the first two weeks of the season, but Pooka is arguably the most explosive. He had 99 yards on 22 carries against the Chanticleers, providing a completely different look to his older counterpart.

"There's a number of (advantages to having Pooka line up with Herbert)," Les Miles said. "I don't know that I'm big on giving schematic lessons in the middle of game week, but let's just say that we wouldn't put him back in there if we didn't feel like there was something we could do with him."

The rich get Richardson.

Containing Kansas' run game would force quarterback Carter Stanley into high-leverage situations, further pressuring the senior into making pressure plays. If he plays like he did against Indiana State, that's not necessarily a bad thing; he went 20-of-29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns while playing incredibly efficient football.

Last week's performance, though, was altogether different. Stanley completed 13-of-19 passes, but it was only for 107 yards, with two interceptions. In a razor-thin margin of error, even one of those turnovers changes Kansas' fortunes in a five-point loss.

"He was guilty of trying to make plays," Les Miles said. "It's the right thing, and it's absolutely the wrong thing. In this instance, he made a couple mistakes. I think he's a guy that's accountable. I think he'll step in, and with opportunity, play well."

Miles added improvement checkpoints to Stanley's game, mentioning specifically his need to make plays with his feet to extend plays and drives. That means BC should try to keep him in the pocket as much as possible, a responsibility falling to someone like Max Richardson.

"Max is a really good player," Steve Addazio said. "He's a real student of the game. He really works hard at it. He's in great physical condition. He has really good speed and explosive capability. He's the by-product of a guy that's played a fair amount of football around here."

A short week places a greater emphasis on film study and classroom preparation, so this is a game where Richardson, an already active piece, can become a central figure in stopping the Jayhawks.

"His approach is very, very mature, very business-like," Addazio said. "He's on top of his tendencies and things like that. So he's a quick read on what's happening in front of him."

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They Said It

"I don't think (about his family). I didn't even know who his dad was for a while. He doesn't walk around talking about himself as 'THE Vrabel', and he's his own person. That's what he does every day." -John Phillips on Tyler Vrabel

"I think this is a team that loves football. It's a lot of fun to be around. Every day, there are guys that are locked in." -Steve Addazio on the 2019 Boston College football team

"Not every coach in the country has shown everything they have." -Anthony Brown

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Countdown to Kickoff

10…Anthony Brown is No. 10 nationally in quarterback efficiency.
9…AJ Dillon is ranked ninth in the ACC in points responsible per game (12.0 points per game)
8…Virginia Tech and Richmond combined for eight kickoffs against BC but only one touchback.
7…BC holds wins over seven current Big 12 teams (Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia)
6…Kansas has six sacks on the season, leading the Big 12. Azur Kamara and Darrius Moragne each have two sacks to lead the team.
5…Anthony Brown has five touchdown passes to five different receivers.
4…Kansas has four offensive touchdowns this year, all of which started in minus territory.
3…Zay Flowers averaged 30.7 yards per carry on just three carries against Richmond.
2…The Kansas defense is ranked No. 2 in FBS in red zone touchdowns allowed (41%)
1...Kansas is the first Big 12 opponent to visit Alumni Stadium.

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BC-Kansas X Factor

The running game

Scott Mutryn made an astute point on this week's Perch Podcast episode. The Big 12 is the most pass-happy conference in college football, so defenses are constructed to protect deeper against wide receivers and Air Assault formations. That creates a potential soft spot for a power offense capable of pounding the line of scrimmage with a number of different options.

The base 3-4 defense at Kansas is capable of disguising coverages and blitzes through its linebackers. The down linemen have good size, especially at the edge with Darrius Moragne, but the unit relies on big, speedy, agile linebackers. 3-4 backers need to function more like safeties because the defense defends passing lanes while blitzing from the second level.

"It's easier to disguise pressures, and they do a good job of it," Anthony Brown said. "We just have to stay on top of it. The linebackers are very athletic and very active."

Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, the defense conceivably plays into the Boston College offensive strength. There is an opportunity for the offense to gash through the front seven if it seals off that fourth player on the line of scrimmage, and there's a golden opportunity for AJ Dillon and David Bailey to create explosive plays.

Kansas is used to seeing the Air Raid offense, and the formation alignment can easily shift from a 3-4 into five or even six defensive backs. For BC, that means the running game takes center stage in the race to establish early footholds.

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Meteorology 101

This is the perfect time of year in New England. Leaves are starting to turn colors, but it's not the peak season where rakes and lawn bags are packed onto sidewalks by the dozens. Apple season is beginning, but nobody is wondering how many pies to make with the leftovers from the orchard. There is still the occasional warm day, but the nights are cooling off into optimum conditions.

Friday night is going to be completely crisp and clear, with warm temperatures during the day and a breezy coolness at night. There's a daytime high in the 60s, but the temperatures will drop into the 50s during the game at Alumni Stadium. It's not cold enough to generate smoky, visible breath, but it warrants a sweatshirt or longer pants.

Of course, I said the same thing last week with respect to the blustery winds and conditions on Saturday morning. I was horribly, horribly wrong, and I received more than a few angry, sweaty text messages blaming me for almost everything dating back to the start of the last century.

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Scoreboard Watching

It's not popular, but I never make preseason predictions anymore. I don't think it's possible to accurately predict a team's record before a game is played, and it's not reasonable to expect something in November before there's tangible data in September. There's only past history to judge, but tracking year-over-year is difficult in its own right.

The first two weeks of this year already blew holes in several different expectations. Florida State lost to Boise State and struggled to defeat Louisiana-Monroe, and Syracuse surrendered 63 points to Maryland last week. Miami was a preseason favorite in the Coastal Division, but the Hurricanes enter this week winless after losing to North Carolina. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, look like a team to watch opposite Virginia in the ACC's "other side."

That doesn't mean FSU's season is lost or that Syracuse is a bad football team. It doesn't mean the Hurricanes won't win the division or that it's a two-team race to play Clemson, which is still the league's undisputed big dog. It just reinforces that things are far too difficult to predict because college football is more wide open than ever. That's especially true in the ACC, where every game is so critical.

BC is one of two ACC games on Friday night, the other being a non-conference game between Wake Forest and UNC. It's a huge litmus test for the undefeateds, and it's a Tobacco Road subplot with potential ramifications through the end of the season.

Playing on Friday night means BC fans receive an opportunity for a full slate of Saturday watching. It starts early when NC State travels to West Virginia, and Pittsburgh travels to Penn State in a couple of noontime power conference matchups. Those games are opposite FCS games for Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.

The mid-afternoon slate features Louisville at Western Kentucky, while Miami plays an FCS opponent, Bethune-Cookman. The late games feature Clemson at Syracuse in a rematch of a game the Orange won at the Carrier Dome two years ago, with No. 25 Virginia hosting FSU in a 7:30 p.m. game on ACC Network. Those two games could go a LONG way to determining the ACC's roadmap in October.

It's a little bit of a lighter slate nationally since no game features two Top 25 teams, but there are a couple of potential upsets available. No. 21 Maryland heads to Temple, and No. 17 UCF hosts Stanford. No. 24 USC heads to BYU, and No. 18 Michigan State hosts Arizona State. There's something about a Herm Edwards-coached team grabbing my attention in that last game.

The primetime games feature No. 5 Oklahoma heading to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA, No. 12 Texas heading down Route 71 and I-10 to Houston to play Rice. Texas Tech is at Arizona for us night owls.

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Pregame Quote and Prediction

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. -Tim Notke

The Kansas football program's future is incredibly bright. The program combined the hire of Les Miles with a facilities enhancement investment designed to improve the team's downtrodden history. It's more a rebirth than a silver lining, and it's a reason why Kansas became a team to watch over the next few years.

That's a great note for the Jayhawks' future, but in 2019, Kansas is still a team struggling to win consistent football games. Last week's loss to Coastal Carolina was a spiteful reminder of the long road ahead after the week one win over Indiana State.

That doesn't mean Kansas is a guaranteed victory, though. The Chanticleers' victory likely means the Jayhawks arrive in Chestnut Hill as an angry, motivated team with something to prove. Picking off BC would inject high octane excitement into the program, so there can't be any misstep at home. Every game is critical. This one is no different.

Boston College and Kansas kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game can be seen on national television on ACC Network, and a list of updated cable providers can be found on www.getaccn.com. The game can also be heard on the BC Learfield IMG Sports Network, broadcast locally on WEEI 850 AM. The game can also be heard on satellite radio on Sirius channel 81, XM channel 81, Online channel 81 and via the Tune-In app on mobile devices.

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Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Anthony Brown

AJ Dillon

Zay Flowers

Ben Glines

Travis Levy

John Phillips

Max Richardson

Tyler Vrabel