BC gets caught in Wake at Heights
A new season brought more of the same problems for Boston College’s offense last week against Northern Illinois. In short, the Eagles went nowhere.
BC dominated in time of possession, holding the ball for 33:39 and running 92 offensive plays in a sleepy, 23-20 victory. Yet freshman quarterback Anthony Brown averaged only 4.5 yards on his 42 pass attempts, and the running game, presumed to be a strength before the season started, gained 148 yards on 50 carries against a Huskies defense that likely will rank in the middle of the MAC when all is said and done.
The Eagles settled for two touchdowns and three field goals, and considering they only turned the ball over once (a Brown interception), they should have scored at least 30 points. BC’s defense still is strong, though it won’t be as good as last year, meaning the offense needs to do more, especially against opponents from big conferences
One of those opponents is Wake Forest, hardly a football power but an upstart program that will visit The Heights tomorrow afternoon. There’s not a lot to be learned from the Demon Deacons’ 51-7 drubbing of Presbyterian, though they were able to do whatever they wanted with a balanced offensive attack, and the defense allowed only 41 passing yards and didn’t get scored on until midway through the fourth quarter when the third string was in the game.
These teams have played some tremendously boring games in recent seasons, including a 3-0 Wake win two years ago at BC and the Eagles’ 17-14 victory last season on the road. If you’re into trends, the road team has won three straight in the series.
This version of the Deacons offense is the best the Eagles have seen in a while, and given BC’s struggles moving the ball, Wake is the choice in a pick ’em game. In other games:
SATURDAY Louisville (-10) at North Carolina — Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson should be able to light up a Tar Heels defense that looked terrible last week against a mediocre Cal team, allowing 35 points and 469 yards of offense. No. 17 Louisville’s three turnovers (all fumbles) kept Purdue in the opener, but the Cardinals won’t make that mistake again.
Kansas (-5) vs. Central Michigan — Coach David Beaty seems to be building confidence in Lawrence, and transfer quarterback Peyton Bender had a strong start, throwing for 364 yards and four touchdowns in a win against Southeast Missouri State. The Chippewas needed overtime to beat Rhode Island, a terrible FCS program. This line is a gift.
Clemson (-41⁄2) vs. Auburn — No. 13 Auburn looked great in last week’s 41-7 rout of Georgia Southern, but the hype is running a little too far ahead for Gus Malzahn’s squad. No. 3 Clemson’s defensive line is one of the best in the country, and in the post-Deshaun Watson era, it appears there won’t be much of a drop-off in efficiency with Kelly Bryant.
Oklahoma at Ohio State (Over 641⁄2) — Some guy named Richard Lagow, who wears No. 21 and plays quarterback for Indiana, threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns against the mighty Ohio State defense. Now the No. 2 Buckeyes have to face Baker Mayfield, who looked like a Heisman front-runner last week for the No. 5 Sooners. Ohio State handled Mayfield last year and might do it again, but both offenses are going to pile up the points in one of the weekend’s marquee games.
Stanford (+51⁄2) at Southern Cal — Future Jets quarterback Sam Darnold struggled with interceptions last week in No. 6 USC’s win against Western Michigan, and the sledding will get tougher against a physical Cardinal front seven.
Take No. 14 Stanford and the points in a game that should be decided by a field goal.
Boise State (+101⁄2) at Washington State — A great late-night value here.
Expect a similar matchup to last year’s meeting, in which Boise State prevailed, 31-28. The Broncos always seem to show up against their big brothers of the Pac-12. They are 4-0 straight up against the conference in the past three seasons and might upset the No. 20 Cougars.
Last week: 5-3