Quarterback up in the air
BC waits until gametime
Boston College coach Steve Addazio will weigh the percentages before determining who will start at quarterback against North Carolina State today at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Starter Patrick Towles has game experience and working knowledge of the offense but has limited mobility because of a hamstring injury he sustained in last Saturday’s 28-20 loss to Syracuse, which extended the Eagles (3-4, 0-4) ACC losing streak to 12 games.
Backup Darius Wade is healthy and confident he can drive the offense despite toting a clipboard since training camp.
So, is it the physically limited Towles or a healthy Wade?
“We’ll have to wait and see on that,” said Addazio on Wednesday. “(Towles) is starting to get back involved and I think we’ll just have to see where he’s at. Honestly that’s a gametime (decision) because he’ll need every one of these (practice) days to get to full capacity. Darius was our starter a year ago before he got hurt for the season.”
A huge component of Towles’ game is the ability to take off up field. He is second on the team in rushing with 336 yards on 64 carries and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-5, 253-pound Towles strained his hamstring last week on a 75-yard touchdown run.
Wade is a dual threat read option quarterback, the kind that inhabits most ACC backfields. He relies on the run option more than Towles and is a better roll out passer. Wade suffered a season-ending fractured ankle last year on a roll out during a 14-0 loss to Florida State.
“They really are quite similar in a lot of ways,” said Addazio. “Pat can really throw and run and he’s big. Darius can run and throw. Darius is a little quicker in change of direction so you can couple more things with that. But they’re both throwers that can run but they run differently.”
The Wolfpack (4-3, 1-2) have the sixth-ranked total defense (349.6 yards per game) in the ACC and are coming off devastating road losses at then No. 3 Clemson and No. 5 Louisville.
BC is last in the league in offense (316.6), sixth in rushing offense (170.4) and 13th in passing (146.1). BC’s ground game would get a huge boost with the return of tailback Jon Hilliman (379 yards), who missed the Syracuse game with an ankle injury.
BC and NC State need this game to retain bowl eligibility hopes and both face strong opponents next. BC hosts Louisville while NC State welcomes No.12 Florida State.
“We’ve played a tough schedule the way our schedule is configured this year,” said Addazio. “It’s been hard in terms of establishing some momentum but that’s not going to change and we know that. So we’ve just got to dig in each week and try to get better and try to develop and find a way to win. I think you are going to see a very physical hard fighting football team which is what you have seen.”