EAGLES FLY TO NEW HEIGHTS
ESPN’S ‘College GameDay’ visits BC for marquee tilt vs. No. 2 Clemson
Boston College will be the center of the college football universe today, but not just because of the huge game with secondranked Clemson.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” is hitting The Heights.
“The energy this campus is going to bring is big,” said Ian Leskody, a BC senior. “We don’t get this kind of stage often.”
At 8 p.m., No. 17 BC hosts the Tigers in a game with major national title implications.
Yesterday, Leskody and other students and fans packed behind a live broadcast of “College Football Live,” ESPN’s daily show. No matter where it is hosted, one constant in “GameDay” broadcasts are signs in the crowd. Leskody held up one with a Photoshopped picture of BC star running back A.J. Dillon, who has professed his love for Motts applesauce, feeding Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.
“A.J. Dillon’s been our superstar running back for a year or two, so we just wanted to pay tribute to how he’s kind of reinvented BC swag,” Leskody said.
Another sign jokingly threatened to “snip snip” the iconic long hair of Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Still, GameDay’s presence is more than a sideshow. “GameDay” travels the country every week, and is generally broadcast from the campus of a marquee game. The show’s arrival in Chestnut Hill is viewed by many as vindication of BC’s impressive 7-2 record.
Justin Simmons, a four-year standout at BC from 2012 to 2015 and currently a starting safety for the Denver Broncos, came back to campus during the Broncos’ bye week to see the spectacle for himself.
“It’s crazy, seeing BC throughout the years and seeing how close they’ve been, it’s crazy to now see it all to fruition,” Simmons told the Herald. “You watch BC ball in the last couple of years, there’s always three or four games there they lose by three, or a little bit more, but it’s always a onescore game, you see how close they can be. This year, it looks like they’re putting everything together, and now getting there.”
Clemson is a 20-point favorite in tonight’s game, but fans said they have hope.
“It’s going to be an entertaining game,” said Sergio Farina, a senior. “I think we have the tools and the weapons to win.”
Many said the weather could throw Clemson off its game.
“I’m liking the weather, saying we’re going to start in the 30s around kickoff,” said Doug Baker, a freshman. “That’s not what you get in Clemson.”
Simmons said the game has the potential to define BC’s season.
“No. 2 Clemson, at home,” Simmons said. “This is their biggest test.”