Dillon, Smith questionable for NC State
BC NOTEBOOK
Boston College coach Steve Addazio was noncommittal on the availability of tailback AJ Dillon and wide receiver Jeff Smith for Saturday’s ACC clash at North Carolina State.
The Eagles improved to 4-1 Saturday with the physically taxing 45-35 nonconference victory over Temple.
“I just don’t know yet and we have a lot of guys with a lot of dings right now,” said Addazio during his weekly press briefing yesterday at Conte Forum.
“That’s the result of being in a lot of tough games and I will probably have more information as the week goes on. Right now, I’m hoping to have everybody and get on the mend pretty quickly.”
Dillon rolled his left ankle on a sweep with 13:38 to play in the third. The ACC preseason Player of the Year selection exited the game with 161 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Dillon, a two-time ACC Running Back of the Week this season, leads the conference with 652 rushing yards.
Smith, a converted quarterback who caught and threw a touchdown pass vs. Temple, left the game in the second half with an upper body injury. Smith leads the team with 12 receptions for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
“I wouldn’t expect some of these guys to be practicing (today) to be honest with you,” said Addazio. “But I don’t think that is a reflection on if they will be ready to play.”
Potential plan B
Addazio would need to mix and match his available ball carriers and explore other options in the event Dillon does not play against the Wolfpack. Dillon is a dominant runner between the tackles and provides quarterback Anthony Brown play-action opportunities downfield.
Redshirt sophomore Hback Ben Glines gained 120 yards on 23 carries in the second half against Temple. Glines would have a stiffer challenge against the Wolfpack, who own the fourthrated (104.2 ypg) rushing defense in the ACC.
Travis Levy is primarily a third-down back in passing situations while Davon Jones is used in short yardage. Addazio said he would consider using David Bailey, a 6-foot-1, 245-pound true freshman who the coach would prefer to redshirt.
Bailey carried the ball against UMass and Holy Cross but remains protected because of the NCAA’s new redshirt rule. Coaches can use a player in four games and still qualify for a redshirt season that maintains four years of eligibility. Bailey gained 80 yards on 10 carries against the Minutemen.
Get your kicks
Addazio is hopeful his kicking game will stabilize with the return of senior Colton Lichtenberg, who suffered a lower body injury early in the win over Holy Cross on Sept. 8.
Freshman John Tessitore has made 14 extra points but missed one in each of the past four games. Freshman Danny Longman replaced Tessitore and made three extra points vs. Temple and the first field goal of the season, a 26-yarder late in the first half. Longman will continue to handle kickoffs even if Lichtenberg returns.