Boston College Athletics
Week 2 Notes: The Richmond Game
September 02, 2019 | Football
Eagles and Spiders square off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ACCNX
The Game
• Boston College looks to start the season 2-0 for the second consecutive year and the fourth time under Steve Addazio Saturday as the Eagles host Richmond.
• Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra with Doug Sherman and Matt Chatham on the call.
• Coverage on the Boston College Learfield IMG Sports Network begins at 3 p.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 108, XM channel 194 and online via SiriusXM channel 956.
• Boston College opened the 2019 season with a 35-28 victory over Virginia Tech at Alumni Stadium. It marked the first ACC victory in a season opener for the Eagles since 2007 and just the second in school history since joining the conference in 2005.
• Richmond started the year with a big 38-19 victory at home versus Jacksonville last Thursday.Â
The Series
• Boston College and Richmond meet for the sixth time in series history Saturday at Alumni Stadium.
• BC is 4-1 all-time against the Spiders as the two schools meet for the first time since 1971. The series began between the two schools with a 21-7 victory for Boston College at home in 1951.
• Boston College defensive ends coach Jim Reid served as the head coach at Richmond from 1995-2003.Â
• His nine-year run as the head coach at Richmond included a pair of Atlantic 10 Conference championships and five finishes in the FCS Top 20 rankings.
• Reid was selected as the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year on two occasions in 1998 and 2000 and the Yankee Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 1995.
• Reid left Richmond as the program's third-winningest coach with 48 victories and led the Spiders to the first 10-win season in program history in 2000.
• Another member of the BC coaching staff has extensive ties to Richmond as tight ends coach Frank Leonard enjoyed a 10-year tenure at the University of Richmond.
• Leonard coached the offensive line (1994, 1997-2003), running backs (1995-96) and served as the school's recruiting coordinator (2003).
• In 1998, the Spiders posted a 9-3 record and earned their first Atlantic 10 title, a berth in the NCAA I-AA playoffs, and a No. 5 final national ranking. The Spiders earned a second Atlantic 10 title and a No. 6 national ranking in 2000 after posting a 10-3 record, rushing for a school-record 3,669 yards and reaching the quarterfinals of the NCAA I-AA playoffs.
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121st Season of Boston College Football
• The 121st season of Boston College football began with an impressive 35-28 victory over Virginia Tech. All-time, BC is 667-492-37 in 1,196 games according to the NCAA.
• Under head coach Steve Addazio, BC is 15-11 in the month of September, including a 13-6 mark in September home games.
• BC is 35th in NCAA history with 667 victories. The Eagles are one of eight ACC schools ranked in the top 40 all-time in victories.
NCAA All-Time Won-Loss Records (by Victories)
1. Michigan 954
2. Ohio State 912
3. Texas 909
4. Alabama 906
5. Nebraska 898
6. Notre Dame 897
15. Clemson 745
16. Virginia Tech 743
18. Georgia Tech 735
20. Pitt 724
22. Syracuse 720
30. North Carolina 692
35. Boston College 667
36. Virginia 658
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.
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)
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.
Noting the Virginia Tech Victory
• Boston College improved to 10-18 all-time against Virginia Tech, picking up its second straight victory over the Hokies after winning 31-21 in Blacksburg last season.
• BC has won two straight in the series against the Hokies for just the third time in school history.
• The Eagles are 6-1 in season openers under Steve Addazio and have won 13 of their last 16 openers overall.
• Anthony Brown finished with three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) as the redshirt junior quarterback finished 15-of-26 passing for 275 yards.Â
• AJ Dillon's second quarter touchdown was the 25th rushing TD of his career, moving him into a tie for eighth place with Derrick Knight ('03) and Mike Cloud ('98) on BC's all-time rushing TD list.
• Nine Eagles made their first career start: Kyiev Bennermon, Anthony Palazzolo, Tyler Vrabel, Joey Luchetti, Joe Sparacio, Tate Haynes, Medhi El Attrach, Mike Palmer and Brandon Barlow.
• The appearance by graduate transfer Richard Yeargin was his first game played since the 2016 College Football Playoff championship game at Clemson. Yeargin missed all of 2017 and 2018 recovering from a neck injury suffered in an automobile accident.Â
• The Eagles have now intercepted a pass in nine consecutive games.
• Tate Haynes was second on the team with nine tackles, including a sack.
• The Eagles' 356 yards of offense in the first half was the most vs. an FBS opponent since posting 453 yards vs. UMass (9/1/18) and most in a half vs. an ACC opponent since totaling 361 at Louisville (10/14/17).
• Redshirt junior linebacker Max Richardson led BC with 10 tackles.
• Redshirt freshman linebacker Joe Sparacio finished with six tackles and an interception in the end zone in his first career start.
• BC's defense held Virginia Tech to 2.3 yards per rushing as the Hokies finished with just 98 rushing yards on 42 carries.
Flowers in Full Bloom
• True freshman wide receiver 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.
Big-Play Passing Offense
• Boston College is just one of five teams in the nation with two passing plays of 50 yards or more in 2019. Quarterback Anthony Brown connected with Zay Flowers for a 58-yard reception and hit Kobay White on a 56-yard bomb against Virginia Tech.
• 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.
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 nationally with 39 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.
NCAA Interceptions Leaders (Since 2017)
1. Iowa 42
2. Boston College 39
3. Wisconsin 36
Closer Look at AJ Dillon in the Starting Lineup
• In 20 games since AJ Dillon was named the starter at running back on Oct. 14, 2017 at Louisville, Boston College is 13-7 overall and has averaged:
32.8 points per game
217.1 rushing yards per game
201.7 passing yards per game
418.8 total offense yards per game
2,445 rushing yards by Dillon
135.8 rushing yards per game by Dillon
23 rushing touchdowns by Dillon
11 100-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 135.8 rushing yards per game. Only Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor has averaged more rushing yards per game during that time span (153.9 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 joins 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 sixth nationally and leads the ACC with 2,778 career rushing yards. Among the top 10 active career rushing leaders, Dillon has played in the fewest amount of games among the top 10 rushers.
NCAA Active Career Rushing Leaders
Player, School Yards (Games Played)
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin 4,306 (28)
2. Walter Fletcher, Ball State 3,924 (33)
3. Rodney Smith, Minnesota 3,051 (40)
4. James Gilbert, Kansas State 2,921 (39)
5. Zach Moss, Utah 2,838 (33)
6. AJ Dillon, Boston College 2,778 (24)
NCAA Active Career Rushing Yards Per Game Leaders
Player, School Yards Per Game
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin 153.8
2. Walter Fletcher, Ball State 118.9
3. AJ Dillon, Boston College 115.8
4. Joshua Mack, Liberty 97.6
5. Spencer Brown, UAB 94.0
Boston College Career Rushing Leaders
Player 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. William Green (1999-01) 2,974
7. Andre Callender (2004-07) 2,971
8. AJ Dillon (2017-present) 2,778
100-yard Games Piling Up
• AJ Dillon has just 18 career starts, but he has 12 career 100-yard games already at Boston College in 24 games played.
• He is tied for seventh in BC history with 12 career 100-yard games.
• BC is 9-3 when Dillon rushes for 100+ yards in a game.
Going on the Offensive
• Boston College averaged 32.0 points per game last season, the fifth-best single-game average in school history.Â
BC All-Time Points Per Game Leaders
Year Points Per Game
1. 1984 36.7
2. 1993 34.3
3. 1974 34.1
4. 1974 33.2
5. 2018 32.0
1940 32.0
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)
Non-Conference Action
• Boston College faces Richmond, Kansas, Rutgers and Notre Dame in non-conference play in 2019. Under Steve Addazio, the Eagles are 20-9 in non-conference games.
Playing the Best
• Boston College and West Virginia are the only two schools in the nation to play 11 games against Power Five competition in 2019 with just six home games.
• Only four schools in the entire country play 11 Power Five opponents in 2019: Boston College, Purdue, Stanford and West Virginia.
BC vs. 2019 Opponents
• Boston College is 119-126-1 all-time against its 2019 opponents.Â
Virginia Tech 10-18
Richmond 4-1
Kansas First meeting
Rutgers 19-6-1
Wake Forest 14-10-2
Louisville 5-6
NC State 9-7
Clemson 9-17-2
Syracuse 20-32
Florida State 5-12
Notre Dame 9-15
Pitt 13-17
Cap and Gown
• 10 members of the 2019 Boston College Football team have already earned their undergraduate degree from BC, while six additional student-athletes earned their undergraduate degree at another institution: Defensive back Nolan Borgersen, place-kicker Aaron Boumerhi (Temple), tight end Jake Burt, tight end Danny Dalton (Penn State), defensive back Mehdi El Attrach, tight end Chris Garrison, wide receiver Ben Glines, defensive tackle Tanner Karafa, wide receiver Clifford Kurker (UMass Lowell), offensive lineman Hayden Mahoney (Miami), offensive lineman Anthony Palazzolo, offensive lineman John Phillips, wide receiver Elijah Robinson, offensive lineman Dwayne Scott (Rhode Island), defensive end Richard Yeargin (Clemson).
Famous Bloodlines
• Boston College has several players with famous bloodlines on the 2019 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
John Tessitore Son of ESPN announcer Joe Tessitore
Tyler Vrabel Son of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel
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, 2018. 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.Â
• 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).
• Brown was sixth in BC single-season history with 20 touchdown passes in 2018. He was just the fifth player in BC history to throw at least 20 touchdowns in a season.
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 in 2018. 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 later in the season. 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).
• Brown was named the ACC Quarterback of the Week for his performance in the win at Wake. In addition, he was one of eight quarterbacks nationally recognized by the Davey O'Brien Award and The Manning Award for his play in the win at Wake.
• 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 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
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 needs 128 yards passing to move past Tim Hasselbeck for ninth in BC history.Â
• With 237 yards passing, Brown will become the ninth BC quarterback to throw for 4,000 career yards.
Scouting the Spiders
• Russ Huesman is in his third season as head coach of the University of Richmond football program and his 11th season overall as a collegiate head coach. This is Huesman's second stint with the Spiders after spending five seasons (2004-08) as an assistant coach, including part of the 2008 National Championship team.
• In his 30-plus years of coaching, Huesman has coached 43 All-Americans and 21 NFL Draft Picks, while being a part of nine conference championships and the 2008 National Championship with the Spiders.
• Senior defensive lineman Maurice Jackson was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Jackson earned First Team All-CAA honors last fall in his first year as a full-time starter on the defensive line. The Third Team All-American, Jackson moved to defensive end in 2018 and made the most of his opportunity, leading the CAA in sacks with 1.0 per game, finishing the regular season with 10 sacks in 10 games.
• Richmond was picked to finish 10th overall in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll after finishing last season 10th as well with a 4-7 overall record and a 2-6 mark in league play. The Spiders return 13 starters on offense and defense, including eight on the defensive side of the ball.
• Quarterback Joe Mancuso finished with 208 total yards and scored two touchdowns in the Spiders' season opening win over Jacksonville. He rushed for a career-high 77 yards on the ground while also passing for 14-for-19 with 131 yards passing.
• The Richmond offense ran for 320 yards, including four touchdowns from Mancuso (two) and one each from redshirt freshman running backs Aaron Dykes and Milan Howard.
