Clemson at Boston College: 5 Big Questions

3. Will Boston College’s offense continue their downward trend?

It is possible to score some points on Clemson’s defense, but I am worried about the Eagles offense going back into the same rut in which they’ve laid for the last three years. Chase Rettig has definitely improved and some of the other guys have as well, but there is no question that the rushing game has regressed significantly and BC’s depth is paper-thin at most positions.

Everyone got really excited about the Miami game, but to be honest, the offense isn’t that much better to this point than what we’ve seen previously. For one thing, they did not come close to replicating that performance in either of their following games, and two, the overall comparative stats aren’t that good (aside from passing offense, which Chase Rettig has helped lead to #1). Boston College is 9th in the ACC in scoring offense, 7th in total offense, and dead last in red zone offense. A bit more on the last one: Boston College has gotten into the red zone 16 times this season, and five times they came away with no points at all. That’s more than any other team in the conference, and everyone else has played more games. What’s worse is that six of those eleven conversions were field goals, meaning only five touchdowns. Essentially, in the red zone this season, the Eagles have been just as likely to not score as to get 7.

An offensive performance like at Northwestern will hand BC a big loss if they aren’t careful.