Five Questions Boston College Has to Answer to Defeat Syracuse
Boston College (4-3) faces off with Syracuse(1-6) in the 53rd matchup between these two Northeast rivals. Boston College has played the role of scrappy upstart this year, taking teams like UNC and Clemson to the limit. While Syracuse has really struggled losing their starting quarterback Tommy DeVito for the year, and their star defender Andre Cisco to the NFL draft. But like any rivalry game, you can throw the records and out the window.
Let's look at the questions the Eagle have to answer to win this game.
1. Can the Eagles consistently run the ball? Against Georgia Tech we saw Boston College's rushing attack roar to life as they stacked up 264 yards on the ground. The numbers were much more pedestrian against Clemson, as Travis Levy averaged 4 yards a carry and David Bailey averaged 2.3. Syracuse's rushing defense is the worst in the conference, allowing an average of 228 yards per game. The yards will be there for the Eagles, can they take advantage of it?
2. Can the Eagles prevent costly mistakes? Boston College on paper is a superior team in almost every metric. However, all it takes are some mental mistakes and a team like Syracuse can easily jump back into the game. Against Clemson, BC had two interceptions taken away because of late hits, which was fortunate. But the killer were the 11 penalties for 92 yards. BC is currently 88th in the country in penalties per game, which is concerning, they need to clean up their play if they want to win the close ones. But in a rivalry game, these mistakes could allow a team that could allow a heavy underdog back into the game.
3. Is the defense ready for Baber's no huddle? BC has played some teams already this year that play a quick tempo offense. But they haven't played a team like Dino Babers' Syracuse squad. This is a team that rushes to the line, and tries to snap the ball off as quick as possible. BC a team that has some depth issues on defense will need to get off the field quickly. Hafley mentioned that defending this type of offense is all about fundamentals, will BC be ready?
4. Can BC rattle Syracuse's quarterback--whomever that is? As mentioned above, Syracuse lost starting quarterback Tommy DeVito for the season after an ankle injury. They have replaced him with senior Rex Culpepper who has been inconsistent throwing six touchdown passes, but seven interceptions. The talk has been of replacing him with JaCobian Morgan, a true freshman who looked strong going 7-7 against Wake Forest along with a touchdown. Syracuse's offensive line has been porous this season, allowing 28 sacks. If BC can pressure these quarterbacks, they could force them into mistakes and tough situations.
5. Can the offensive line play at a high level again? BC's offensive line started off the season slow, and has progressively improved throughout the season. Last season against the Orange, the BC front five bullied Syracuse and BC accounted for almost 600 yards of offense. If BC's offensive line wins up front, there is no reason the Eagles shouldn't cruise on offense.
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