Boston College vs. Louisville: Final Thoughts And Predictions
Boston College needs to turn the page after losing last week's matchup against Wake Forest at home 27-24. This weekend they have Scott Satterfield and the new look Louisville Cardinals, and they have to play them on the road. The Cardinals are still a team in flux but they are not a team that should be taken lightly. Their defense is improved over last year's pitiful effort, and they have begun to install a running game that can dominate weaker opponents. Boston College is going to need to continue to tighten up on defense, especially on third down where they struggled. On offense, Addazio needs to work on removing the avoidable pre-snap penalties, while hoping that they get the good Anthony Brown on the road.
Three Questions That Need To Be Answered Against Louisville:
Matchups
When Louisville Throws The Ball: Advantage Louisville. This is about as close to a tie as you can get. Louisville ranks 90th in passing offense, while BC comes in at 99th against the pass. I gave Louisville the nod here because even bad offenses have been able to move the ball on the road against the Eagles. There is nothing that has shown me anything different.
When Louisville Runs The Ball: Advantage Louisville. The Eagles are a dreadful 102nd in the country against the run. Louisville can run the ball between Jawon Pass and their tandem of backs, and the style of read option they play, I see them moving the ball effectively against BC.
When BC Throws The Ball: Advantage Boston College. If you look at the statistics you might be fooled by Louisville's numbers as they come in at 60th against the pass. However, they faced Eastern Kentucky a team who threw the ball 16 times the entire game, a number that really warps a small sample size. If you adjust their stats for just the other three games it's much more even, and I think BC holds a slight edge here.
When BC Runs The Ball: Advantage Boston College: We all know the stats right now, BC has a top 20 rushing attack, Louisville is much stouter against the run then they were last year, but still has a long way to go.
Beer Of The Game:
When you are tired of IPAs and want something smooth that is easy to drink. Located in the North Shore (or Nawth Showa if you are from the area), Ipswich Ale is a delicious, not too complex beer that works perfectly for a football game.
Food Of The Game: Ground Linguica Sandwiches
This weekend my mother in law made these to watch the Patriots game and I have to say they are a low key brilliant choice meal. Great flavor and a bit of zing, put it on a roll and boom you have something everyone can enjoy.
Song of the Week: Saturday- Ludacris
BC is heading South for their first game of the year below the Mason Dixon line. Get yourself pumped up with some Ludacris, one of the kings of the South.
Fan Excitement: 5/10
This game is one of many 50/50 games coming up for the Eagles. Worried that the game is on the road, but also feeling good because Louisville is nowhere the team Wake was last week.
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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: The way I score the points is by taking away the difference from each individual prediction score from the actual score combining those and getting the sum . Lowest sum gets the points. In the event of a tie, I gave two or more teams those points. 3 points for closest, 2 for second, 1 for third.
Txaggie_2011: 4 points (3rd best)
RiderBC: 3 points (Closest Prediction)
Big Daddy Kane: 3 points
Claver 2000: 3 points
Squishy: 3 points
Soar22: 3 points
McMuff: 2 points
BCStas2018: 2 points
TheThrowGame: 2 points
DollardBillsYo: 1 Point
Al_Skinner: 1 Point
DJ Maher: 1 Point
AJ's Prediction: BC 30 Louisville 24
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Editor and publisher of BC Bulletin. '06 graduate of Boston College, who has followed the program as long as he can remember. Has been covering the Eagles for the past nine years, giving expert analysis, recruiting news and breakdowns. Also the host of Locked on Boston College, a daily BC podcast that is part of the Locked On Podcast Network. When he is not writing or producing content on the Eagles, he can be found running, skiing, enjoying craft beers, or spending time with his family. You can follow AJ Black on Twitter @AJBlack_BC and our official site Twitter account is @BulletinBC
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