Boston College vs. Syracuse: Final Thoughts And Predictions

Can the Eagles come back after last week's stomping?

Tomorrow the Boston College Eagles will look to move past the drubbing they received at the hands of Clemson. In their path will be Dino Babers and the Syracuse Orange, a team that has won the past three games against the Eagles. But this Babers squad are not the same school that pounded BC 42-21 last year at Chestnut Hill. Their offense has dropped precipitously, due to really poor offensive line play, and installing new quarterback Tommy Devito. This weekend's matchup pits two of the worst performing units in FBS football against each other, BC's defensive line and Syracuse's offensive line. It will be the antithesis of "what happens when a immovable object meets an unstoppable force", but one of these units could dictate who wins this game, which is a scary thought for Eagles fans. 

Three Questions That Need To Be Answered Against Syracuse

Matchups

When Syracuse Runs the Ball: Advantage Boston College. Syracuse uses Moe Neal as their primary back who averages about 4 yards a carry, but he isn't necessarily a feature back, only hitting 20 carries once this season. Syracuse ranks 113th nationally in rushing, while BC's rushing defense is 93rd. 

When Syracuse Passes The Ball: Advantage Syracuse. This is a bit of a deceiving category as Syracuse ranks 43rd in the country in passing attack, but dead last in sacks allowed. We all know what that means, sacks are drive killers, and if Syracuse moves the ball and Tommy Devito is sacked, the odds are much higher that the drive will stall. Then again, BC is 121st in sacks. 

When Boston College Passes The Ball: Advantage Syracuse. Now the raw stats would say Boston College has the advantage here as Syracuse ranks 113th in the country in pass defense, but that was with Anthony Brown throwing the ball for most of the season. We have seen what Dennis Grosel is a passing game that probably will perform pretty inefficiently for the remainder of the season. 

When Boston College Runs The Ball: Advantage Boston College. AJ Dillon and the 10th ranked Boston College rushing attack should find success against Syracuse's rushing defense that allowed 213 yards per game against Power 5 opponents and almost five yards a run. 

Beer Of The Game

Join us on December 20th as we join hundreds of breweries coast to coast for #ResilienceNight. Stop by the 1888 Tavern and have a pint of Resilience IPA for a good cause.
Pints are $4 – 100% of Revenue will be donated to the Camp Fire Relief Fund! pic.twitter.com/4qJGnJepCO

— Saranac Brewery (@SaranacBrewery) December 18, 2018

Saranac Redemption IPA: Not sure if this is still out there, but this was a delicious IPA from a New York brewery where a portion of proceeds went to helping with wild fires in CA. 

Song of the Game

NWA- Respect Yourself (warning explicit lyrics). No corny meanings here, BC wants to respect, they need to respect themselves and not allow another game to slip away from them. 

Fan Excitement: 3/10

It's a rivalry game, so of course there is a bit of excitement, and all the talk is that this game is a must win for the Eagles, so there is some excitement there as well. But there is also a feeling of foreboding, the Eagles are heading to the Carrier Dome where bad things always seem to find them there, and after last week's loss the excitement of the season has dimmed quite a bit. 

Prediction Contest

It is not too late to join our contest, BC Maven is giving away a $25 gift card to the BC Bookstore for the winner, $15 for second and $10 for third. Remember all you have to do is get your predictions in the comment section below. If you want to win, just enter your comment with your score. Good luck!

Standings

Big Daddy Kane: 9 Points (closest to Clemson score)

Claver 2000: 4 points 
Txaggie_2011: 4 points 

RiderBC: 3 points
Rstarr2: 3 points
Squishy: 3 points
Soar22: 3 points
The Other Flutie: 2 points
BC2018Stas: 2 points
McMuff: 2 points
TheThrowGame: 2 points
DollardBillsYo: 1 Point
 Al_Skinner: 1 Point
DJ Maher: 1 Point

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AJ's Prediction:

Boston College 31 Syracuse 27: I think this game turns into a shoot out as both defenses struggle to contain the opposing offenses. Look to AJ Dillon and David Bailey to both have big games in the dome, while BC makes one more defensive play than Syracuse to snag the win on the road.