Clemson at Boston College: BC Offense vs. Clemson Defense
By Joe Micik
Oct 11, 2014; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers linebacker
Ben Boulware(10) brings down Louisville Cardinals running back
Dominique Brown(10) during the second half at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Tigers won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
BC Offense vs. Clemson Defense: Stat Analysis
There’s no doubt about it: Clemson’s defense is good.
They check every box, but consider also that they have faced some tough opposition over the course of their six games so far. Clemson is going to be a very difficult challenge for Boston College’s offense.
Even though the Eagles have an accomplished run game, the Tigers have a veteran, scary, and likewise accomplished defensive line.
Corey Crawford, Grady Jarrett, Josh Watson, and Vic Beasley are the four up front for Clemson. Beasley, for example, has eight sacks, nine tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, and three more quarterback hits.
As for the rest of the front seven, Clemson’s linebackers are no slouches, either: Mike linebacker Stephone Anthony leads the team in tackles and sophomore Ben Boulware looks like a promising player.
Eagles fans know all about Boston College’s promising players; in fact, the whole stable of running backs who have been used this season are underclassmen. Only Tyler Murphy is a graduate student, but he just happens to lead the team in rushing yards. The Eagles’ future at this position is bright, but is it in this game?
BC Offense vs. Clemson Defense: Key Matchup
You already know what it is, and it doesn’t come down to one player against one player: Boston College rushing offense vs. Clemson rushing defense. The game could be won or lost for the Eagles depending on how well they can handle one of the nation’s best defenses. Boston College has enough talent amongst their backs that they can give a competitive effort, but look for Clemson to use their size and speed to try to smother the Eagle attack before it gains traction.
BC Offense vs. Clemson Defense: Final Analysis
In order to overcome, Boston College is going to have to employ some creativity and trickery. It worked against NC State, but Clemson is definitely not the Wolfpack.
At the present time, the Eagle run game is too productive to be held to the sort of performance we saw in the infamous “this could get ugly” game in 2009. Yet, at the same time, doing the sort of damage they did against USC would require a Herculean effort. The reality lies somewhere in the middle, but where in the middle?
The Eagles are going to have to mix in some passes, perhaps upwards of 20 attempts as they had done in the NC State game, to keep Clemson honest. Still, while it’s prudent to think Boston College will be able to do more against the Clemson run defense than most other teams have, the Tigers are playing too well right now and will probably have enough success slowing BC down.