Boston College at Massachusetts: BC Offense vs. UMass Defense
By Joe Micik
Nov 9, 2013; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Tyler Murphy (3) points and calls a play against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
New starting quarterback Tyler Murphy will lead the Boston College Eagles into the battle of the BC offense vs. UMass defense.
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Boston College is entering a period of great change on offense, despite the fact that the team’s clearly defined philosophy of pounding the run will remain the same. One would think it has to, given that what was already a thin wide receiver corps for the Eagles was gutted by Alex Amidon’s graduation and, to a lesser extent, Spiffy Evans’ transfer.
If you ask Boston College, however, they are ready to work, rolling with new primary wideouts such as Dan Crimmins and the returned Shakim Phillips.
As for the Minutemen, their first unrestricted season in FBS in 2013 was a disaster; Massachusetts went 1-11 (1-7) with their sole victory coming over the Miami RedHawks (0-12, 0-8 record — for perspective) in MAC play.
Visit the BC-UMass game capsule for all of our coverage on the game so far.
Mark Whipple is back in Amherst via Foxboro, and though he is an offensive guy, he is going to have to fix his defense. It was statistically one of the worst in the nation for obvious reasons, though not as bad as it could have been. For example, one of Boston College’s November victories, New Mexico State, was dead last with almost 550 yards per game. The Minutemen allowed a mere 433 yards per game, which was about five more than your Boston College Eagles.
BC Offense vs. UMass Defense: Statistical Comparison (2013)
• Last season, Boston College was 93rd in total offense with 367.2 yards per game
• UMass was 99th in total defense at 433.3 yards per game
• Boston College scored 27.7 points per game in 2013, tied for 70th overall
• UMass had the 98th-ranked scoring defense with 33 points allowed per game
• The Eagles were fine at keeping Chase Rettig upright, coming in 47th with 1.69 sacks allowed per contest
• Meanwhile, the Minutemen were one of the nation’s worst at getting to the quarterback with 1.0 sack per game, good for 121st
Next page: Detailed breakdown and final analysis