Week 5 Notes: The Wake Forest Game

Boston College faces its first ranked opponent of the season as the Eagles welcome No. 24 Wake Forest to Alumni Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. with live coverage on ACC Network. Chris Cotter (play-by-play), former Boston College All-American Mark Herzlich (color) and Kelsey Riggs (sideline reporter) have 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 111, XM channel 202 and online via SiriusXM channel 965.

Boston College seeks its first 2-0 start in ACC play since 2007 with a win Saturday against the Deacs. The Eagles rolled past Rutgers 30-16 last Saturday in New Jersey. Wake Forest brings the ACC's top-ranked offense to Chestnut Hill as the Deacs look to move to 5-0. Last Saturday, Wake cruised past Elon 49-7.

The Series
• Boston College and Wake Forest meet for the 27th time in series history Saturday.
• BC is 14-10-2 all-time against Wake Forest, including last season's 41-34 victory in Winston-Salem.
• Boston College is 4-2 against Wake Forest under Steve Addazio, including a 17-14 victory in the 2016 regular season finale in Winston-Salem to secure bowl eligibility for the Eagles.
• BC has two natives from North Carolina on its 2019 roster. Junior linebacker John Lamot (Graham) and redshirt sophomore linebacker Ryan Whittelsey (Cary) are all from the Tar Heel State. BC William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond is also a North Carolina native, hailing from Fayetteville.
• Lamot and Wake Forest starting quarterback are cousins and both hail from Graham, N.C. Lamot's older brother Ali was also a defensive tackle for the Demon Deacons.

1^st and 10
• BC looks to become the first team in the series to win at home since the Eagles defeated Wake 24-10 in 2013.
• Saturday's game marks just the second time in 27 meetings BC is facing a ranked Demon Deacon squad. The only other meeting was a 21-14 win for No. 22 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Nov. 4, 2006.
• ACC Network color analyst and former BC standout Mark Herzlich had two interceptions against Wake in BC's 24-21 win in 2008.
• Herzlich's first big play helped BC score a non-offensive touchdown for the sixth consecutive game.
• Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner tried to float a swing pass over Herzlich to Rich Belton, but Herzlich leaped, pulled the ball down and rumbled 34 yards untouched for his second interception-turned-touchdown of the year.
• BC's 41 points scored in last season's win at Wake Forest were the most points scored by a BC team in series history.

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 669-493-37 in 1,199 games according to the NCAA.
• Under head coach Steve Addazio, BC is 17-12 in the month of September, including a 14-6 mark in September home games.
• BC is 35th in NCAA history with 669 victories. The Eagles are one of eight ACC schools ranked in the top 40 all-time in victories.

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 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 - 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) - 3,165
7. William Green (1999-01) - 2,974
8. Andre Callender (2004-07) - 2,971

Closer Look at AJ Dillon in the Starting Lineup
• In 23 games since AJ Dillon was named the starter at running back on Oct. 14, 2017 at Louisville, Boston College is 54-8 overall and has averaged:

32.8 points per game
225.6 rushing yards per game
199.3 passing yards per game
424.9 total offense yards per game
2,832 rushing yards by Dillon
134.9 rushing yards per game by Dillon
28 rushing touchdowns by Dillon
13 100-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 134.9 rushing yards per game. Only Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor has averaged more rushing yards per game during that time span (153.8 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 fourth nationally and leads the ACC with 3,165 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 - 4,611 (30)
2. Walter Fletcher, Ball State - 4,004 (36)
3. Rodney Smith, Minnesota - 3,169 (42)
4. AJ Dillon, Boston College - 3,165 (27)

100-yard Games Piling Up
• In 21 career starts, AJ Dillon has 14 career 100-yard games at Boston College in 27 games played.
• He is tied for fifth in BC history with 14 career 100-yard games.
• BC is 10-4 when Dillon rushes for 100+ yards in a game.
• Dillon posted his 14th career 100-yard game - and ninth with at least 150 yards - against Rutgers. Dillon finished with 150 yards, tying Andre Williams for the fifth-most 100-yard rushing games in BC history.

Most 100-Yard Rushing Games Since 2017 (Active Players)
Player, School - 100-yard games
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - 25
2. AJ Dillon, Boston College - 14
3. Zach Moss, Utah - 13
4. Spencer Brown, UAB - 12

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 nation with a +2.25 turnover margin per game and ranks tied for fifth nationally with 10 turnovers gained in 2019.

NCAA Turnover Margin National Leaders
1. Boston College       2.25
2. Alabama                 2.0
2. South Florida          2.0
2. Wisconsin               2.0

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 ACC and ranks 20th nationally with 252 rushing yards per game.
• The offensive line has also protected the quarterback at a high level as the Eagles rank 13th nationally and second in the ACC with just 0.75 sacks per game allowed.

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 Rutgers Victory
• Boston College moved to 3-1 on the season with a 30-16 victory on the road at Rutgers. It marked the first road game of the season for the Eagles.
• BC moved to 20-6-1 all-time against the Scarlet Knights in the first meeting between the two schools since 2004. BC is unbeaten in its last 14 meetings against Rutgers.
• The win was the first road victory at a Big Ten opponent for Boston College since a 27-14 victory over No. 25 Penn State on Sept 6, 2003.
• A total of 19 student-athletes who played high school football in New Jersey made their return to the Garden State.
• Junior running back AJ Dillon totaled his 14th career 100-yard game to move into a tie for fifth place in BC history with Andre Williams. Dillon finished with 150 yards on 32 carries.
• It marked consecutive games of 150 rushing yards or more for Dillon and the ninth of his career, which is second among active players in the country.
• Dillon recorded his 18th career game with two rushing touchdowns to move into sole possession of third place in BC history with 30 career rushing scores. BC is 13-5 when Dillon rushes for a touchdown.
• Dillon's two rushing touchdowns moved his career total to 30, which is tied for fourth most among active players in the country and third all-time at BC.
• Sophomore running back David Bailey scored the game's first touchdown on a career-long 42-yard run, his first carry of the game.
• Redshirt junior defensive end Brandon Barlow forced his first career fumble (Mehdi El Attrach recovered) to setup a BC drive at the Rutgers 12-yard line. Anthony Brown scored on a QB sneak from the one-yard line to give BC a 14-10 lead.
• Redshirt junior linebacker Max Richardson totaled a career-high 14 tackles. The Georgia native also added 2.5 tackles-for-loss in the win.
• Mike Palmer's fourth quarter interception marked the 12th game in a row with an interception for the Eagles and the 43rd since the start of the 2017 season. The 43 interceptions rank second only to Iowa since 2017.
• Dillon posted his 14th career 100-yard game - and ninth with at least 150 yards.
• BC held Rutgers to 2.9 yards per rush and 4-of-15 on third down conversions. On offense, BC was 9-of-19 on third down conversions.
• BC rushed for 272 yards on the day, the second-best single-game total of the season. It was the most against a FBS opponent for BC in 2019.

First Half Fireworks
• Boston College has been explosive in the first half in 2019 on offense. BC has totaled 104 points in the first half over the first four games of the year, an average of 26 per game in the first 30 minutes of play.
• BC has totaled 1,270 yards of total offense in the first half in 2019. The Eagles are averaging 317.5 yards per game in the first half through the first four games of 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 5.4 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns in 2019.
• Bailey scampered a career-long 42 yards for the game's first touchdown at Rutgers. On the season, he has rushed for 237 yards in four games.

Big Game Hunter
• Redshirt sophomore tight end Hunter Long is quietly developing into one of the best tight ends in the ACC. In four games, Long leads the Eagles in receptions (9), receiving yards (139) and fourth on the team averaging 15.4 yards per reception.
• He is part of a talented tight end room for Boston College that features three of the team's leading four receivers.
• In total, BC's tight ends have combined for 27 receptions for 360 yards and three touchdowns.

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 13.5 yards per carry in 2019 (135 yards on 10 rushing attempts) and 21.7 yards per reception (six receptions for 130 yards).

Big-Play Passing Offense
• Boston College is tied for 12th nationally with three pass plays of 50+ yards 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 the win over Richmond, Brown connected on a 55-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Burt.
• Brown is tied for ninth nationally with three 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 tied for the lead in the ACC with Clemson and Wake Forest with 11 plays of 30+ yards in 2019.
• The Eagles are tied for 18th nationally with 11 plays covering 30 yards or more.

No Fly Zone
• Since the start of the 2017 season, Boston College is second nationally with 43 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 tied for second nationally in 2019 with seven interceptions. Only Arizona has more interceptions this season with eight.
• BC has picked off at least one pass in 12 consecutive games. The last time BC did not record an interception in a game was Sept. 22, 2018 at Purdue.

NCAA Interceptions Leaders (Since 2017)
1. Iowa - 44
2. Boston College - 43
3. Wisconsin - 39

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 33.5 points per game.
• Since the start of 2017, Boston College has seven games with 500+ yards of total offense. BC ripped off 518 yards of total offense in the 45-13 win over Richmond, the ninth-best single-game total offense output of the Addazio era.

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.
• 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 is ninth in BC history with 4,280 career passing yards.
• With 195 yards passing against Kansas, Brown become 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. Frank Harris (1968-70) - 4,555
8. Matt Hasselbeck (1994-97) - 4,548
9. Anthony Brown (2017-present) - 4,280
10. Tim Hasselbeck (1998-00) - 3,890

Scouting Wake Forest
• Wake Forest is 4-0 and ranked 24th in the Amway Coaches Top 25 poll entering Saturday's ACC game at Boston College. The Demon Deacons own wins over Utah State (38-35), Rice (41-21), North Carolina (24-18) and Elon (49-7) to begin the season.
• The Deacs bring in one of the nation's top offenses to Chestnut Hill this week. Wake Forest is averaging 533.8 yards of total offense per game, 11th nationally and tops in the ACC.
• Wake Forest is scoring 38.0 points per game, 29th nationally and second in the ACC. Wake leads the ACC with 330.0 passing yards per game (15th nationally) and is averaging 203.8 rushing yards per game (40th nationally).
• On defense, Wake Forest is 59th nationally allowing 358.3 yards per game. The Demon Deacons are 38th nationally in scoring defense (20.3 ppg), 76th in passing yards allowed (236.8 ypg) and 45th in rushing defense (121.5 ypg).
• Junior quarterback Jamie Newman leads the ACC and ranks in the top 15 nationally in passing efficiency (177.0), passing touchdowns (12), passing yards (1,278) and passing yards per game (319.5).
• Sage Surratt is second nationally with 484 yards receiving and his five receiving touchdowns are eighth-best in the country.

Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Jon Baker

Brandon Barlow

Anthony Brown

Jake Burt

AJ Dillon

Mehdi El Attrach

Zay Flowers

Tanner Karafa

John Lamot

Alec Lindstrom

Chris Lindstrom

Hunter Long

Aaron Monteiro

Anthony Palazzolo

Mike Palmer

Max Richardson

Sam Schmal

Tyler Vrabel

Kobay White

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