W2WF: Richmond

The 150th anniversary celebration of college football generates a unique perspective for analysts and fans alike. The constant looks at history remind everyone of the game's roots, and a unique chance for reflection provides perspective for how everything evolved over time. It's something of a sentimental journey, but the never-ending passage of time only serves as a reminder of how things change despite remaining, similar aspects.

The modern football game wonders aloud about which team will compete for the College Football Playoff, and the "group of five" challenges the power conference dynamic on an annual basis. It's the single biggest evolution, leaving behind the era of smaller schools and bygone conferences. It was a natural evolution, but it denies pause for the memories of leagues like the old Yankee Conference.

The Yankee Conference once represented one of the only leagues available in the Northeast. It originally united the New England public universities under one banner, but it swelled in the 1980s as teams began dropping out from Division I-A. It eventually became the Atlantic-10, which in turn reorganized under the Colonial Athletic Association.

The University of Richmond has a unique perspective on those tectonic plates. The Spiders' history originates in the 1880s, and they spent much of the 20th century in the Southern Conference with a number of schools that chartered the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 1950s. It was part of the ACC's spiritual history before it eventually went Independent and joined the Yankee Conference in the 1980s.

"The Atlantic States and sort of the north has the old Yankee Conference," Boston College head coach Steve Addazio said. "That's the version of that level of ball. It's really good ball. A lot of good players came out of there."

The Yankee Conference might be long gone, but its legacy lives on with the CAA's dominance. The league has 57 total berths in the NCAA Tournament over the last 13 years. There's been at least one at-large bid joining the conference champion annually since 1991, the longest streak in FCS. It has 10 national finalists since 2003 and five championship banners. Last year set a record when six teams, or half of the entire league membership, went to the tournament.

The CAA won two games over FBS opponents last season, pushing its overall total to 38. Three years ago, Richmond defeated Virginia, 37-20, as part of its own run to the FCS Playoff Quarterfinals.

"Maine has had a really great run," Addazio said. "New Hampshire, Richmond, William & Mary had their share in there too. There's a number of those teams that have really particularly had pretty good, consistent years. (Those teams) are not a flash in the pan. They've had several years where they're playing at a very high level of football."

It creates an underlying dynamic for this weekend's game between BC and Richmond, two teams without a game against one another since 1971. There's a need for both teams to approach this game with a wary eye on one another. Richmond is from a league known for taming big dogs in their own yards, and BC is a power conference brand. The Spiders know what they're getting into, but the Eagles have something at stake, too.

Here's what to watch for on Saturday afternoon:

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Weekly Storylines

Death by paper cuts

Richmond's offense creates potential issues for any defense by using an efficient run-pass option. Its unit gashed Jacksonville last week for five first downs on the first drive of the game, scoring on a fourth-down conversion from inside the Dolphin red zone. It generated the time signature of the rushing attack's symphony, which amassed 326 yards with an 8.6 yards-per-carry average.

The RPO engine is easy to power within an entire system. The offensive line's blocking scheme provides the conduit to the quarterback's read, with designed releases offering defense's a deceptive look at the backfield. Runners make plays by baiting overcommitments, but there's an option to either pull the ball back or run to the opposite side depending on which personnel is attacking.

It's something the Spiders put on display in last year's game against Virginia, when the Cavaliers won a lopsided score after scoring first-half touchdowns against the Spider defense.

"I'm a big 'let me watch the tape' guy, and I've been watching the tape nonstop," Addazio said. "The eye in the sky does not lie. It is what it is. I watched the video, and that was one heck of a football game. Virginia had a good year last year. It wasn't like they were playing a slouchy game or anything."

The RPO is all about pace and tempo because it continually moves the chains. The offense continually gains first downs and extends drives until it simply runs out of room at the end zone. It's all about keeping a defense on its heels and maintaining forward momentum. If a defense knocks the offense off-kilter, it can pin forward instead of backpedaling.

"There's a lot of keys (in RPO)," Steve Addazio said. "You have to mix your coverages and mix your fronts and stunts. You have to get them off pace with that. We run a fair amount of that here. We don't run as much in the game, though we did (against Virginia Tech), but we can give our defense good looks at it, full speed."

Keep eating.

Last week's offensive explosion shocked Virginia Tech with the way it tempered first half passing against second half running. Anthony Brown's big plays through the air dissected the secondary before BC became surgical with a running attack balanced by AJ Dillon and David Bailey.

"AJ was strong at the end of the game," Steve Addazio said. "That's a byproduct of that rotation. He was not gassed at all. That's key. When you can do it, that's great. We're healthy enough to (rotate), and it can keep him fresh."

Avoiding complacency with one performance is imperative. There's an interest in rotating and developing a more comprehensive gameplan on offense to maintain freshness around all personnel. That means BC will look to continue diversifying its offense with a steady diet of substitutions and formation adjustments around Brown.

"Patrick Garwo is another guy that's ready to roll," Addazio said. "Ben Glines, Travis Levy, David Bailey - you need them all. It's hard for any one back to stay healthy over the course of the season. So this is building our depth."

It doesn't mean that Saturday will automatically abandon the passing game because Richmond hasn't seen a team willing to attack the air. The Dolphins ran 51 running plays against the Spiders and only attempted 12 passes out of an option offense, completing six throws for 140 yards and a touchdown.

"Adding Zay Flowers to the room adds an element of competition," Kobay White said of the improved passing game. "You look at a place like Clemson, and that room is always competing. Adding Zay made me want to make a play because seeing Zay makes me want to say that it's time to go. It makes everybody in the room step up. Then there's a guy like Ben Glines, who is a certified warrior. I want to go out there for Ben."

Expect the unexpected.

Hurricane Dorian's recent storm path caused intense concern and alarm over the past week in the Eastern United States. It originally threatened Florida before shifting further north, and a varied, unpredictable track caused a wide range of watches and warnings on a long swath through the Carolinas.

The storm will track close to New England in the overnight hours of Friday into Saturday, but it will largely stay in the Atlantic Ocean. Midweek forecasts predicted avoidance for the region to a direct blow, but Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket face tropical storm-watch conditions.

People's safety in any of these situations remains the primary concern, so the week forced Boston College to at least address all possible scenarios if the storm track shifted or changed in any capacity.

"I saw the news and said we needed to be proactive about it on every front," Steve Addazio said. "It's a little bit of what we went through against Wake Forest (last season). We talked about changing times or days, but it's at least something that has to be discussed or addressed. You have to take a hard look at everything. It's out of my hands, and it's with (our administration). It's an AD conversation. From my perspective, I'm watching and I'm concerned about it."

Even a glancing look from an outer band is capable of generating strong winds, high surf and rip currents. On a football field, blustery conditions can impact both passing and kicking. How much is up to the ever-changing conditions over 60 minutes, so it places an emphasis on flexibility and adjustments by both teams.

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They Said It

"I was open, but thinking he wasn't going to throw that. He throws a perfect ball, and I happened to come down with it." -Kobay White on his deep ball last week

"We were playing zone defense, and I played the low shoulder. I caught the receiver and took the up, then caught my eyes on the quarterback." -Joe Sparacio on his interception

"Film evaluation early on is always hard. Richmond played an option team last week. We don't get a lot of that on offense, looking at their defense against a wishbone team." -Steve Addazio

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Countdown to Kickoff

10…Players in all of FBS with a better Total QBR than Anthony Brown after one week.
9…Consecutive games for BC recording at least one interception.
8…QBs with 4,000 career passing yards. Brown can become the ninth with 237 yards.
7…Richmond holds 25 combined victories over seven current ACC programs.
6…Rushing touchdowns by Richmond in the win over Jacksonville.
5…FBS transfers currently on the Spider roster, including four from power conference teams.
4…Times BC forced five turnovers on an opponent since 2010 after last week.
3…Total passing plays of 50 or more yards all of last season.
2…It's been almost two years since a team shut out the Spiders (Villanova, 22-0, 11/4/17)
1...BC is 1-0 for the sixth time in Steve Addazio's seven seasons as head coach.

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BC-Richmond X Factor

The Trenches

A team's size on the line of scrimmage represents the most recognizable disparity between FBS and FCS teams. Power conference teams are much larger on both sides of the ball, resulting in potential mismatches for FBS sides. But smaller linemen usually produce more agile zone blocks, so FCS teams can counter with double teams creating running lanes.

BC's offensive line averages six feet, five inches tall. Every position is over 300 pounds except center Alec Lindstrom, but that's normal because centers require more agility to get out on their blocks after snapping the ball. That compares to a Richmond offensive line with only two 300 pounders, both on the left side.

The BC defensive line, meanwhile, is larger on the line than the Spiders' front four. Tanner Karafa, for example, holds a 285-pound frame, and Kyiev Bennermon and TJ Rayam are two 300-pounders. In contrast, Richmond defensive end Gershom Ejoni is only 231 pounds, even though he has a 6-feet-5-inch frame.

Those lines won't match up directly against one another, but it will create a fight between two competing styles. Richmond can't attack BC with a straightforward approach on either side because the Eagles hold a significant size advantage. Instead, the RPO will likely utilize zone blocks to force openings, and the defense will use a series of different looks. Deceptive play-calling can use the sum of all parts, especially if the weather factors into the mix.

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Meteorology 101

Hurricane Dorian will pass through New England's Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning, and forecasts support at least some rain and wind. That should end as the day moves along, though it should be noted that a shift in track could significantly alter any news report. I'm no expert in the field, but I've been following along with all of the local news outlets. Reading and watching those are always a good idea to stay informed, in my opinion.

Ironically, Saturday is the only day where the weather this weekend is going to be potentially stormy. Friday is looking overcast as Dorian continues to move north, and Sunday is going to be beautiful.

In the end, all of this was an excuse for me to mention that the New England Patriots are raising a sixth Super Bowl banner on Sunday.

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Scoreboard Watching

Two ACC teams start the weekend off on Friday when Virginia hosts William & Mary on the ACC Network and Wake Forest heads to Rice. Both are under respective lights and serve as a main course to a sneaky-good late game between Marshall and No. 24 Boise State.

That tees up a Saturday slate good enough to force a thumb workout of channel surfing. Pittsburgh hosts Ohio on ACC Network at 11 a.m. before No. 21 Syracuse and Virginia Tech kick off at noon against Maryland and Old Dominion, respectively. Georgia Tech draws South Florida at 2 p.m. with FSU hosting UL-Monroe at 5 p.m. Louisville hosts Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m. with a dash of Duke against North Carolina A&T at 6 p.m.

The two conference headliners see No. 1 Clemson hosting No. 12 Texas A&M on ABC at 3:30 p.m. and Miami at North Carolina at 8 p.m. on ACC Network.

Outside the ACC, No. 6 LSU heads to No. 9 Texas at night, and No. 23 Stanford is at USC in a 10:30 p.m. start on the East Coast. My personal pick, though, is Army's trip to Michigan in the midday. The Black Knights' triple-option always seems to give teams fits, and they took Oklahoma to overtime last year as part of a second consecutive 10-win season.

If you're up late enough, Hawaii kicks off at midnight against Oregon State. I'm a noted night owl, and those games provide just the right amount of action to keep it going through overnight hours. The stats and information staff digesting those games on the East Coast always earn my undying respect for burning the midnight oil.

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Pregame Quote and Prediction

Idealism rolled with pragmatism, rolling up your sleeves to make the world bend a bit, is very exciting. -Bono

There is a game where idealism and pragmatism intertwine and clash with one another at every level. BC is 12-0 with four shutouts since the NCAA began allowing annual FBS games against FCS competition, so there's a reasonable expectation for the Eagles to hold serve on home field against Richmond on Saturday. There's an established realism in those results that an FCS team harbors a steep, uphill battle against an FBS team harboring hopes for national prominence.

But that's also an idealistic approach. No team is guaranteed victory before kickoff, and every team can win in the right situation. The CAA is especially tough, capable of generating top-flight talent for Sunday football in the NFL. That makes a perceived fantasy of an FCS upset closer to a realistic outcome than anyone would like. It keeps the hope of playing depth players, no matter the probability, as a dream until a team makes it a reality.

Last week's win over Virginia Tech was far from perfect, and it created objectives for this week. Those need to be met against Richmond. The Eagles need to keep pounding away, especially with a short week ahead before the Kansas game. This is the most important game on the schedule because it's the next one, and the next one is always critical. That's enough to get a team ready to play, and that's enough to create an excitement for a team harboring an opportunity to go 1-0 for the second time this year.

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Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Kyiev Bennermon

Anthony Brown

AJ Dillon

Zay Flowers

Ben Glines

Tanner Karafa

Travis Levy

Alec Lindstrom

TJ Rayam

Kobay White