Boston College at Wake Forest: BC Offense vs. WF Defense
By Joe Micik
Oct 18, 2014; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Syracuse Orange running back
Prince-Tyson Gulley(23) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
BC Offense vs. WF Defense: Stat Analysis
Wake Forest has been alright on defense this season, and it’s only the reason they’re 2-5 as opposed to 0-7.
The kind of game the Deacs have to win is a close, low-scoring game, but while their defense has done admirably in some cases, it has to be outstanding in order to offset the fact that the team scores about 14 points per game. One can hardly blame the Wake defense for not being good enough, however. It’s just reality that with how the defense looks, if they had any offense at all, things might not be as bad as they currently look in Winston-Salem.
This week, it will be the Boston College offense they face, and this is a unit that could not get out of its own way against Clemson. Granted, the Tiger defense is amongst the best the Eagles will see, but between pass drops, poor offensive line play, and untimely penalties, Boston College sabotaged itself in an imminently winnable game.
Wake Forest can do some things against the run, but more often than not, Boston College has been particularly stout when it comes to this main theme of their offensive gameplan.
BC Offense vs. WF Defense: Key Matchup
BC’s front five vs. Wake’s front seven. This battle will be won or lost in the trenches. That Wake’s pass defense is decent is of little consequence, since Boston College is a run-first team. How much the Eagles offensive line can do to create the holes Clemson didn’t is the main concern. Boston College’s stable of running backs will be fine once they appear, but if they do not, it could become that slow, low-scoring game Wake needs.
BC Offense vs. WF Defense: Wake Names to Know
• Sophomore safety Ryan Janvion leads the team in tackles with 68; he has also forced a fumble.
• Junior linebacker Brandon Chubb has 62 tackles on the season.
• 5th-year senior DE Zachary Allen has been Wake’s most effective pass-rusher with four sacks to lead the team.
• Sophomore DT Josh Banks has three sacks and six tackles for a loss, with the longest INT on the team (72-yard return).
BC Offense vs. WF Defense: Final Analysis
Not that we are trying to make Wake Forest sound better than they actually are, but they are okay on defense. Not great, not terrible; just okay. That will probably be enough to limit Boston College to an extent, but the Eagles have found ways to prosper against better defenses this season. This game will probably not be an exception.
The key is going to be aggressiveness, meaning that using the Colorado State gameplan is not going to work. Even if they use the same style of attack they employed against Clemson, it will probably be more successful here. (So long as the Eagles catch the ball this time, though they are usually good for at least one or two brutal, potentially game-altering drops per contest.)