Boston College at UMass: 5 Big Questions
By Joe Micik
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Boston College at UMass: 5 Big Questions
1.) How will the run game flow with Tyler Murphy, Myles Willis, and the rest?
At the risk of stating the obvious, there is no data yet this season on either team, but if the Minutemen and Eagles’ run defense and offense, respectively, resemble anything of their 2013 editions, to quote a former Boston College coach, “this could get ugly.”
Ugly for UMass, that is.
Thanks largely to the heroics of Andre Williams and a good offensive line, Boston College had the 20th-best rushing offense in the nation last season, netting over 212 yards on the ground per game. UMass, on the other hand, was the opposite, ranking 107th nationally by allowing 215.5 yards per game in rushing.
Put another way, UMass gave up an average rush of 5.39 yards (116th), while the Eagles had an average rush of 5.28 yards (17th).
Some of the faces are different, but the offensive philosophy is the same. Murphy should help more than he hurts and the stable of running backs is young and exciting. Again, it is not a matter of whether or not they will be good enough all season: it is a matter of whether or not they’re good enough to dominate on the run against UMass, and they certainly can.