Villanova at Boston College: BC Defense vs. Nova Offense
By Joe Micik
Villanova at Boston College: BC Defense vs. Nova Offense Unit Breakdowns
BC’s front 7 vs. Villanova’s front 5. The defensive line for the Eagles last year probably took more heat than any other unit, including on the offense. A lot of attention is being paid to it right now and BC has shaken up some of the starting personnel. Here’s the thing: just because BC is playing Villanova doesn’t mean they’re going up against an undersized offensive line. Just the opposite, in fact. The average weight of Nova’s starting offensive line is 305 lb., including 350-pound right guard Josh Bucci. (If you’re curious about how well he moves at that weight, you’re not alone.)
Nevertheless, FCS teams and the talent therein still found a way to put Villanova’s quarterback on the turf 22 times last year, so bulk isn’t everything. Boston College is going to blitz on this team, probably quite a bit, but there’s no telling what we can expect in terms of results because we’ve never seen a Don Brown defense applied to this personnel (yet).
It’s about more than that, though: Villanova is a rushing offense. They ran the ball last year over twice as many times as they passed it, so assuming no drastic changes in their gameplan, they’re going to run right at BC. The thing about Week 1 with a revamped unit is that you don’t know what you’re going to get until you actually see it. We know that the three guys backing up the line are more than capable, led by Steele Divitto and Kevin Pierre-Louis, and they will be called upon in run support often.
Boston College secondary vs. the Nova wide receivers. Villanova is looking to make Poppy Livers, Joe Price, and Mike Burke their starting three receivers. They combined for 850 yards last season, with Price leading the team in receiving yards (616). Villanova isn’t really a passing offense, but much like the defensive line, the BC secondary has taken heat and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen an aggressive coverage secondary as opposed to the cushion. These guys having a big day will be bad news. BC will be without Al Louis-Jean, so the Eagles are a little thinner here than expected.
Villanova at Boston College: BC Defense vs. Nova Offense Evaluation
A couple years ago, the defense was the pride of the Eagles. Last season, BC struggled on both sides of the football. That isn’t an easy fix, but the Eagles have the luxury this weekend of playing an FCS squad. Granted, the Villanova offense was not bad for an FCS team, but that’s what it is: an FCS team. We know what a Brown defense is capable of doing for a team and how over time the entire unit can improve, but this is Week 1 in a completely new scheme against a team that goes directly at a big weakness for the Eagles last year: rushing the football. Were Villanova an average FBS team, this might be even or somewhat favorable to the Wildcats. They’re not, so on that alone it probably isn’t, but this matchup is probably a bit more concerning than BC offense/Nova defense.
Boston College can’t assume they’re going to roll over Villanova and have to play with both toughness and humility, in recognition of what happened the last few years. So long as the defense plays intelligently, they can probably tip the scales in their favor. Boston College slightly favored.