BC Dialing Up For Rutgers' Defense

There is a point where even the most stinging loss begins to recede into the background. It doesn't vanish, but the next opponent and gameplan replaces it in earnest. It continues to sting and hurt, but it becomes a symbol more than an experience. The wound doesn't close as much as it scars, leaving a new, updated mentality and version shaped by what happened.

"We need to have the fight of the underdog when we are the team that's picked to win," quarterback Anthony Brown said. "We need to keep the same energy and never switch up. Last week was a complete dip in our season. It shouldn't have happened in the first place."

For BC, that means focusing attention on Saturday's game with Rutgers. It's the next phase in the recovery process after a defeat, a place where preparation becomes implementation. There is more film study, but there's now a focus to move into how to defeat an opponent, looking forward instead of backward.

This weekend, the lessons applied will appear front and center because BC will draw its share of pressure from Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are 1-1 on the season, but spent last week on a bye after suffering a 30-0 loss at Iowa. Like BC, Rutgers enters the game with something to prove, having fostered a hunger and desire to fix what went wrong on a unit that's better than the result indicated.

"I have a lot of respect for (Rutgers head coach) Chris Ash as a defensive coordinator and as a head coach," Addazio said. "By trade, he's a defensive guy, and I think he does a great job on that defense. They're well put together, and that front seven has been playing for a while. They're pretty mature."

That defense wasn't the entire reason why Rutgers lost to the Hawkeyes on September 7. It surrendered two touchdowns in the first half, but forced two three-and-outs. It pushed Iowa to three consecutive punts, but gave up 13 points late when it dealt with fatigue. Iowa's three scoring drives sandwiched 11 minutes around three-and-outs, including one interception. It built a 20-0 halftime lead, but the deficit could have been much, much worse if the defense didn't hold Iowa to field goals.

The second half skewed another 10 points against the Rutgers defense, but the touchdown came after the Scarlet Knight offense held the ball for 10 plays over three drives. An interception ended the subsequent offensive drive, but the defense managed to hold Iowa to three points after the turnover.

"On defense, they're a very, very stout run defense," Addazio said. "You can see it on the tape. I think they're big, big, thick guys that are powerful at the (point of attack). They're a run stopping operation. The strength of their team is their front seven on defense, but they'll challenge you on the back end with a lot of man coverage, a lot of quarters with press."

Rutgers' defense is going to give its team opportunities to win games. It draws strength from a linebacker position littered with depth; every player draws different assignments based on the formation and play call, which in turn creates opportunities to mask coverages with similar-style athletes.

Tyshon Fogg and Olakunle Fatukasi, for example, lead the team in tackles, but Tyreek Maddox-Williams is virtually the same size. Drew Singleton is a Michigan transfer built exactly the same as the other two, and he joined the starting lineup against Iowa after recording four tackles against UMass. Rashawn Battle is a carbon copy of the other four but can flex into pass coverage after recording a sack and pass defended in the loss.

"We think that there's pretty good competition for playing time and reps at (linebacker and safety)," Rutgers head coach Chris Ash said. "We need to develop the depth as we go through the season. We are really getting into the meat of the season here with this stretch before our next bye week. We're just trying to keep guys healthy and fresh and develop depth at those positions. There's not much of a drop-off between the guys that are on the first team and the second team."

It represents a good challenge for a BC offense that played well overall, but unraveled in the third quarter last week with two three-and-outs. Running back AJ Dillon earned ACC Running Back of the Week despite the loss, and he gained 151 yards for the eighth time in his career. It was something of a first individual performance on the season, but it still doesn't mean BC will change its identity and begin relying solely on the junior in the backfield.

"It's not just the 'AJ Dillon Show,'" Ash said. "They have some other good quality backs. Brown at quarterback is a very good player. They have had some explosive pass plays down the field so far this year. They can run the ball effectively. They are a play-action pass team. When you combine those two, you have to have great eye discipline, and you have to have great gap integrity. You have to pursue the ball and tackle well against a back that's 250 pounds."

Both teams moved on from respective defeats, but both understand that losses linger until bounce-back wins are in the bank. That means a team has to focus internally and totally commit to its collective job. The game on Saturday isn't being played against past ghosts, but it would go a long way in exorcising the demons of defeat.

"It's a wake up call," Anthony Brown said. "It shouldn't have happened but it did. So now we just have to learn from it and build from it."

Players Mentioned

Anthony Brown

AJ Dillon

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