Maine at Boston College: BC Offense vs. Maine Defense
By Joe Micik
Sep 5, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Tyler Murphy (2) throws a pass during the second half at Alumni Stadium. Pitt won 30-20 over Boston College. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
BC Offense vs. Maine Defense: Stat Analysis
None of those Maine stats make a bit of difference, do they?
They look nice, and amongst FCS teams they are good, relatively speaking. Maine would be exceptionally fortunate to have numbers half that good against FBS teams.
Not to say Boston College is necessarily going to make the Black Bears look silly when they are on offense, but Eagles fans would probably ask themselves this: if they can run that authoritatively against USC, can’t they do it against anyone?
The answer is maybe, though you can never count on a performance like that, even against an FCS opponent. At the same time, given that in the Eagles’ worst game so far against a college football peer in Pittsburgh, they still ran for over 140 yards. Maine will probably not hold them to less than that, and they definitely will not come close to allowing their two-game average of 48 rushing yards per game. The Eagles may have individual runs longer than that.
BC Offense vs. Maine Defense: Key Matchup
Boston College rushers vs. Christophe Mulumba Tshimanga. If anyone is going to have a shot at slowing down the Eagles running attack, it would likely be this sophomore Maine linebacker. The Quebecois preseason All-CAA player and 2013 CAA Defensive Rookie of the year leads Maine in tackles by a mile with 27. He is also tied for the team lead with 3.5 tackles for a loss. He gets pressure on the quarterback as well, which fits in this case because Boston College’s quarterback is also their best running back at present.
Not to say Myles Willis, Jon Hilliman, and others have not been good when they have been featured, but the Eagles have a dynamic run game that confuses its opposition, and Murphy has been a leading part in it. He adds a dimension the Eagles have seldom experienced.
BC Offense vs. Maine Defense: Final Analysis
Maine’s defense is probably its best feature, but Norfolk State and Bryant do not compare to the teams the Eagles have played. There is not much need to go further as nobody expects the Black Bears to put up numbers even close to what they managed in their first two games.
Another 450-yard rushing game is not likely, simply because the number is so high, but this game could resemble UMass in that 300 is a doable number. Keep in mind that if the game gets out of hand, Boston College could call off the bombardment and sit on the lead, thereby holding down what would have otherwise been a better day statistically.
Meanwhile, the Eagles’ passing offense is comically inept from throwing to dropped catches, and while it will continue to be a problem against other teams, it is not going to be against Maine.