Week 6 Notes: The Louisville Game

David Bailey runs down the sidelines vs. Wake Forest

Photo by: John Quackenbos

September 30, 2019 | Football

Complete game notes leading up to the Eagles' Saturday match-up at Louisville.

By: Athletic Communications

Boston College travels to Louisville for its first ACC road game of the season Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. with live coverage on ACC RSNs, including NESN locally in Boston. Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (color) and Abby Labar (sideline reporter) have the call. Coverage on the Boston College Learfield IMG Sports Network begins at noon with Jon Meterparel, Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 93.7 FM, nationally on TuneIn and on Sirius channel 136, XM channel 194 and online via SiriusXM channel 956.

Boston College seeks its first three-game winning streak in series history against the Cardinals. Last week, the Eagles dropped a hard-fought 27-24 contest to No. 24 Wake Forest. Louisville was idle last week and has not played since a 35-24 loss at Florida State on Sept. 21.

The Series
• Boston College and Louisville meet for the 12th time in series history Saturday.
• BC is 5-6 all-time against the Cardinals, including a record of 2-3 at Cardinal Stadium. Under head coach Steve Addazio, the Eagles are 2-3.
• Last season, BC rolled to a 38-20 victory over the Cardinals at Alumni Stadium. In the last visit to Louisville, BC captured a 45-42 win in the Derby City in 2017.
• AJ Dillon led the Eagles offense with a career-high four touchdowns and finished with a career-high 272 yards as Boston College upset Louisville in the 2017 meeting.
• Hamp Cheevers stripped a UL receiver and Kamrin Moore recovered the fumble to give the Eagles the ball at the Louisville 39-yard line. A series of Dillon rushes gave BC strong field position with three seconds left to play. Junior kicker Colton Lichtenberg converted the game-winning 27-yard field goal as time expired.

First-And-10
• BC enters Saturday's game at Louisville with one of the most potent offenses in the ACC.
• The Eagles are third in the conference and 26th nationally with 473.2 yards of total offense per game.
• BC is tied for the ACC lead with Clemson, Wake Forest and Florida State with 13 plays of 30+ yards in 2019.
• The Eagles are averaging 31.6 points per game, sixth in the ACC.
• BC's rushing attack leads the ACC and ranks 13th nationally with 252.0 yards per game.
• The Eagles are averaging 13.8 yards per completion, second in the ACC and 24th nationally.
• BC is fifth nationally with 391 plays run on offense in 2019 and the Eagles rank 13th in the country with 120 first downs.
• Saturday's game features a matchup of the top two rushing offenses in the ACC. BC is first in the conference while Louisville ranks second in the ACC with 225.3 rushing yards per game.

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 into 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 (Years) - 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) - 3,324
7. William Green (1999-01) - 2,974
8. Andre Callender (2004-07) - 2,971

Closer Look at AJ Dillon in the Starting Lineup
• In 24 games since AJ Dillon was named the starter at running back on Oct. 14, 2017 at Louisville, Boston College has averaged:

32.4 points per game
226.9 rushing yards per game
202.7 passing yards per game
429.6 total offense yards per game
2,991 rushing yards by Dillon
136.0 rushing yards per game by Dillon
28 rushing touchdowns by Dillon
14 100-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 136.0 rushing yards per game. Only Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor has averaged more rushing yards per game during that time span (152.4 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 third nationally and leads the ACC with 3,324 career rushing yards. Among the top 10 active career rushing leaders, Dillon has played in the fewest amount of games.

NCAA Active Career Rushing Leaders
Player, School - Yards (Games Played)
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - 4,730 (31)
2. Walter Fletcher, Ball State - 4,004 (36)
3. AJ Dillon, Boston College - 3,324 (28)

NCAA Active Career Rushing Yards Per Game Leaders
Player, School - Yards Per Game
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - 153.7
2. AJ Dillon, Boston College - 118.7
3. Walter Fletcher, Ball State - 111.2

100-yard Games Piling Up
• In 22 career starts, AJ Dillon has 15 career 100-yard games at Boston College in 28 games played.
• He is fifth in BC history with 15 career 100-yard games.
• BC is 10-5 when Dillon rushes for 100+ yards in a game.
• Dillon posted his 15th career 100-yard game - and 10th with at least 150 yards - against No. 24 Wake Forest. Dillon finished with 159 yards against the Demon Deacons.
• Dillon posted his third straight 150-yard rushing performance against Wake. The last BC player to have three straight games with 150+ yards on the ground was Dillon in 2017 as a freshman - 196 yards vs. NC State on Nov. 11, 2017 yards vs. UConn on Nov. 18, and 193 yards vs. Syracuse on Nov. 25.
• It was the 10th career game with 150+ rushing yards for the junior running back, which currently ranks second among active NCAA players.

Most 100-Yard Rushing Games Since 2017 (Active Players)
Player, School - 100-yard games
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - 26
2. AJ Dillon, Boston College - 15
3. Zach Moss, Utah - 13
4. Spencer Brown, UAB - 12

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 13th nationally with 252 rushing yards per game.
• The offensive line has also protected the quarterback at a high level as the Eagles rank fifth nationally and second in the ACC with just 0.60 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.

First Half Fireworks
• Boston College has been explosive in the first half in 2019 on offense. BC has totaled 121 points in the first half over the first five games of the year, an average of 24.2 per game in the first 30 minutes of play.
• BC has totaled 1,530 yards of total offense in the first half in 2019. The Eagles are averaging 306 yards per game in 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. He has also one touchdown reception and he threw a 16-yard touchdown pass against No. 24 Wake Forest.
• Bailey scampered a career-long 42 yards for the game's first touchdown at Rutgers. On the season, he has rushed for 286 yards.

Big Game Hunter
• Redshirt sophomore tight end Hunter Long is quietly developing into one of the best tight ends in the ACC. Long leads the Eagles in receptions (12), receiving yards (178) and fourth on the team averaging 14.8 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 11.4 yards per carry in 2019 (161 yards on 14 rushing attempts) and 17.9 yards per reception (nine receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns).

Big-Play Passing Offense
• Boston College is tied for 17th 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 13th 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, Florida State and Wake Forest with 13 plays of 30+ yards in 2019.
• The Eagles are tied for 22nd nationally with 13 plays covering 30 yards or more.

No Fly Zone
• Since the start of the 2017 season, Boston College is tied for the national lead with 44 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 third nationally in 2019 with eight interceptions.
• BC has picked off at least one pass in 13 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)
T-1. Boston College - 44
T-1. Iowa - 44
3. Wisconsin - 40
T-4. Alabama - 39
T-4. Appalachian State - 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 31.6 points per game.
• Since the start of 2017, Boston College has eight games with 500+ yards of total offense. BC ripped off a season-high 533 yards of total offense against No. 24 Wake Forest on Sept. 28.

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
T-5. 2018 - 32.0
T-5. 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. 549 - Maine (9/20/14)
7. 533 - No. 24 Wake Forest (9/28/19)
8. 524 - at Wake Forest (9/13/18)
9. 523 - Army (10/5/13)
10. 518 - Richmond (9/7/19)
11. 512 - at Virginia (10/21/17)
12. 511 - UMass (8/30/14)
13. 506 - No. 9 Southern California (9/13/14)

300+ Yards Rushing During Addazio Era
1. No. 9 Southern California (9/13/14) - 452
2. NC State (11/16/13) - 420
3. Maine (9/20/14) - 413
4. Holy Cross (9/8/18) - 365
5. Louisville (10/14/17) - 364
6. Howard (9/12/15) - 347
7. Richmond (9/7/19) - 346
8. UMass (8/30/14) - 338
9. Syracuse (11/25/17) - 333
10. UConn (11/18/17) - 330
11. New Mexico State (11/9/13) - 320
11. Army (10/5/13) - 320
13. NC State (10/11/14) - 310
14. Wagner (9/24/16) - 300

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.

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) - 4,545
10. Tim Hasselbeck (1998-00) - 3,890

Scouting Louisville
• Louisville is 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in ACC play. The Cardinals own wins over Eastern Kentucky (42-0) and Western Kentucky (38-21) while losing to No. 9 Notre Dame (35-17) and at Florida State (35-24).
• Scott Satterfield, who guided his teams to three consecutive Sun Belt Conference championships, was named the 23rd football head coach at the University of Louisville on Dec. 4, 2018.
• Satterfield compiled a remarkable 51-24 record at Appalachian State, including a 38-10 conference mark in six seasons with the Mountaineers. His conference record of 34-6 in five Sun Belt seasons is the best in the league over that span. Notably, he became the first coach to lead a school from the FCS level to FBS and immediately earn three-consecutive bowl wins.
• In the Mountaineers' short time in the FBS era, Satterfield directed Appalachian State to three-straight conference titles and led the program to its fourth-straight bowl appearance last year.
• The Cardinals average 30.3 points per game, 69th nationally. Louisville is 45th in the country in total offense (437.5 ypg), 90th in passing offense (212.3 ypg) and 22nd nationally in rushing offense (225.3 ypg).
• On defense, Louisville ranks 48th nationally in total defense (344.3 ypg), 48th in scoring defense (22.8 ppg), 45th in rushing defense (128.8 ypg) and 62nd in passing yards allowed (215.5 ypg).