Three Keys to Victory: Clemson
For the first time in almost 15 years, the Boston College Eagles started their season 4-0. They scored their first win over an SEC opponent in 20 years, defeating the Missouri Tigers in a thrilling 41-34 overtime victory. In front of a sold-out Alumni Stadium, the Eagles weathered Missouri's efficient offense and ran the ball all over the Tigers' defense. Exiting their non-conference slate undefeated, the Eagles now turn their eyes to in-conference play.
Unfortunately, BC earned no respite for their excellent showing. On Saturday, they'll take on the Clemson Tigers, the class of the Atlantic Coast Conference. However, for the first time in many years, Clemson looks very beatable. They're coming off their own overtime game, except they were on the other side of the coin, losing on the road to NC State. This was Clemson's first conference loss since 2017; it also meant the Tigers would finish with at least two losses for the first time since 2014.
All of Clemson's struggles and flaws were laid bare for the world to see again the Wolfpack last week. The Tigers' offense has no teeth; the offensive line has struggled, the running game is anemic, and DJ Uiagalelei is entangled in a disastrous sophomore slump. On defense, Clemson is still one of the best in the country. However, in the last week, they lost both of their starting defensive tackles to injury, including former #1 overall recruit Bryan Bresee.
Going into this season, some expected BC to contend with Clemson for the ACC Atlantic and possibly even the whole conference. After all, Clemson lost the two faces of the program, Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, to the NFL. Obviously, the Eagles lost their starting quarterback, Phil Jurkovec, a few weeks ago. But Clemson still looks extremely beatable. With that in mind, let's dive into the keys to actually taking down the Tigers.
1. Find Different Ways to Handle the Blitz
Entering the Missouri game, the Boston College offensive line protected the quarterbacks very well. They only allowed two sacks, four QB hits, and seven pressures through the first three games. The veteran group provided Phil Jurkovec and Dennis Grosel with remarkably clean pockets. However, Missouri tested the line by bringing heavy, exotic blitzes at Dennis Grosel. They especially blitzed their linebackers up the middle through the A-gaps.
Blitzes like these are challenging for a player like Grosel; as a shorter quarterback, he needs the middle open to read the defense and step up in the pocket. Additionally, it's somewhat more problematic for the running backs if they are kept in to pass protect. When defenses bring six or seven blitzers, it's usually on the running back to find the unblocked man or men. These blitzes got home to Grosel frequently, either causing sacks or forcing inaccurate throws.
Clemson traditionally does an excellent job of mixing up their defensive fronts on passing downs. Since their elite defensive line from a few years ago (Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Austin Bryant), the Tigers have not had players that can consistently win in one-on-one matchups. With young stars like Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee, they got back to that a little bit. But with Bresee out for the year, the Tigers may need to rely on more schemed pressures and blitzes. This week, Dennis Grosel and the offensive line will have to be on their P's and Q's about their pass protection calls.
How to Stop Clemson's Blitzes
Against Clemson, BC will probably use multiple ways to make sure Clemson doesn't blitz too aggressively. Firstly, they might try some plays with extra blockers kept in, using six- or seven-man protections with a running back and a tight end. So far, Joey Luchetti has been a solid extra pass-blocker for the Eagles, making him a more viable option on passing downs. Unfortunately, most of the running backs have not been consistently successful in pass protection.
Another avenue the Eagles could take would be to call more screens, specifically to the running backs or tight ends. BC has only called 14 screens this year out of 106 dropbacks. With running backs that are pretty solid receivers who can create in space, screens to the running back force defenses to dial back their heavy blitzes, so they don't get burned. Additionally, getting great blockers like Zion Johnson and Alec Lindstrom in space against small defensive backs.
Finally, Frank Cignetti needs to design more hot routes and check-downs that are easy for Dennis Grosel to find if the defense brings a heavy blitz. Against Missouri, Grosel seemed to be still waiting for routes to develop downfield, even when the defense brought six or seven rushers. Luckily, Grosel did a better job of getting rid of the ball quickly this week, as opposed to his last two. Against UMass and Temple, his average times to throw were 3.81 and 3.18, respectively; against Missouri, that number dropped to 2.62. Half-a-second may not seem like a lot, but as an average measure, it's indicative of how Grosel did not hold on to the ball as long.
2. Find Different Ways TO Blitz
On the other side of the field, Boston College has to find more ways to get pressure on the quarterback. Opposing quarterbacks have dropped back to pass 136 times; the Eagles have only generated pressure on 39 of those dropbacks, just under 30%. If you've paid close attention to the last few games, you've probably noticed that BC usually only rushes three or four defensive linemen. In fact, BC has only blitzed (rushed five or more defenders) 48 times so far this season, around 35% of dropbacks.
Now, as I wrote for several weeks, I did not expect or wish for BC to deploy heavy blitz packages against their first set of opponents. Two of the quarterbacks were running threats, so bringing heavy blitzes would open up holes in the coverage for them to exploit or gaps for them to get outside the pocket and create with their legs. Against Connor Bazelak this past week, BC also did not blitz very much until later in the game. Again, part of this is purposeful and strategic; Jeff Hafley and Tem Lukabu want to drop more defenders into coverage and force the quarterback to hold the ball, which should ostensibly lead to more "coverage" sacks.
Unfortunately, the pass rush is still struggling to get home, even on those extended dropbacks. Part of the reason could be the absence of Marcus Valdez for the first three games. Valdez generated pressure consistently for the last few years, but he struggled to convert those pressures into sacks. Shitta Sillah seems to finally be taking a big step forward, while Brandon Barlow has been a solid role player. The young players made some nice plays in mop-up duty in the first three games but are unproven against equal or superior competition. Obviously, the easiest (and most effective) scenario would be if the Eagles could start consistently getting to the quarterback with four rushers.
How to Generate More Pressure
However, if they can't, Lukabu and Hafley need to start experimenting. One option I mentioned last week would be creating simulated or creeper pressures. This entails crowding the line of scrimmage with seven or eight defenders, then only rushing three or four. By putting that many players on the line, the offensive line has to adjust their protection schemes and possibly even add extra blockers.
The other avenue would be simply just rushing more than four defenders with increased frequency. This season, DJ Uiagalelei (oo-ee-AHN-gah-luh-lay; you're welcome) has played much worse when blitzed, as he seems to struggle to see the field and his receivers aren't generating separation. Something I would like to see would be playing Marcus Valdez and Brandon Barlow on the defensive interior to generate pressure quickly up the middle while keeping Shitta Sillah and the young guys on the edge on obvious passing downs. Sillah will be the guy to keep an eye on against the Tigers; his athleticism and strength will be critical factors towards pressuring Uiagalelei and beating Clemson.
Perfection (In Every Aspect of the Game)
Clemson has been the standard of football success in the Atlantic Coast Conference for almost a decade. They haven't lost at home in five seasons since Pittsburgh defeated them in 2016. Since 2015, Clemson has only lost three conference games (two if you don't count Notre Dame). But, as previously mentioned, the Tigers are wounded. Their offense has been ineffective outside of their FCS game, and their defense is very banged up. Regardless, even against this Clemson squad, the Boston College Eagles will need to play mistake-free football for four quarters.
On offense, the mission is pretty simple: no turnovers and limit the penalties. One turnover, especially on BC's side of the ball, could jump-start the Clemson offense. Penalties, especially pre-snap, can ruin a drive like a sack. I do not mean to pick on him, but Trae Barry has been called for holding twice this season while blocking downfield; some of those calls have been suspect, but those cannot happen against the Tigers. This also means converting in the red zone. Luckily, the Eagles' improved running game should help BC score touchdowns, not field goals. Boston College needs to capitalize on every drive they have and create points (ideally touchdowns) at every opportunity.
On defense, this objective is more difficult and nuanced. Obviously, penalties must be avoided at all costs. There can be no unnecessary roughness or personal foul penalties for the Eagles in this game. Like turnovers, a 15-yard penalty could give Clemson's offense life. BC has had some issues with this during the Hafley era; that cannot happen on Saturday. There also cannot be any missed assignments on the back end of the defense. One busted coverage could turn into six points very quickly, once again giving the Tigers momentum and confidence. Every single player needs to be 100% locked in and confident of his assignment on every single play.
Finally, the special teams have to be exactly that: special. Grant Carlson has had an excellent season so far in his swan song on the Heights. Connor Lytton has been perfect through two games. The coverage units have been very good so far, but one could argue that they haven't faced athletes like the ones Clemson has. Once again, penalties on special teams can be a killer; we saw a running into the punter penalty give Missouri a second chance, which they converted for a touchdown. This also brings us to Danny Longman. Longman seemingly has ritualized his weekly kickoff out-of-bounds. As I have repeatedly said, that cannot happen in Death Valley this week.
The Thin Maroon Line
All of these goals are extremely easy to harp upon, and their importance cannot be understated; the execution is a different story. The other side of the double-edged sword that is mistake-free football is that players have to remain aggressive. Naturally, the fine line between playing fast and too fast is extremely thin. But, unlike with previous head coaches, I am confident in Hafley and his staff in their ability to impart these lessons to the players.