Predictions & Final Thoughts: Boston College vs. NC State
Boston College is looking to end their two game slide against NC State tomorrow at noon. The big news over the past week has been the injury to Anthony Brown, who was lost for the year due to a lower leg injury suffered against Louisville. In his stead, redshirt sophomore Dennis Grosel who played admirably on the road throwing for three touchdowns in the loss. But NC State's defense is going to be a major challenge, they rank in the top five in sacks and rushing defense. The Eagles on defense will continue to try and find an identity against Dave Doeren's squad who will be starting southpaw Bailey Hockman another relative inexperienced quarterback. Both teams have a lot of question marks, who wins?
Three Questions That Need To Be Answered Against NC State:
Matchups
When NC State Throws The Ball: Advantage NC State. The Wolfpack rank 60th in the country passing the ball, while BC's pass defense is near the bottom. As mentioned in our gamefilm recap yesterday, Bailey Hockman is a much better passer than Matthew McKay who started the first five games. Hockman will open the offense, and use more precision vertical passing that should be a challenge for the Eagles.
When NC State Runs The Ball: Advantage NC State. Zonovan Knight is a good running back and playing much better with Hockman at quarterback. Given that BC has allowed 191 yards per game, Knight should be a big factor in this game.
When Boston College Throws The Ball: Advantage NC State. With quarterback Beer Of The Game:Anthony Brown down, the Eagles will be starting a sophomore who hasn't played a pass rush like NC State. The Wolfpack are in the Top 5 in pass rush and will be harassing Grosel all game.
When Boston College Runs The Ball: Advantage NC State. This is going to be a fun battle. NC State has a Top 5 rushing defense, while the Eagles are in the Top 25 in rushing. AJ Dillon and David Bailey could be biggest factor in this game.
Beer Of The Game:
Roadsmary's Baby: This is definitely not your standard Pumpkinhead lager beer. This is a boozy flavored beer, that really tastes like rum blended with Pumpkin. A perfect October beer that'll keep you warm on a cold October afternoon.
Food of The Game
Dry Rub Buffalo Wings. Sometimes you want to have the delicious taste of wings without the mess of the sauce. After trying some delicious Jamaican rub, I have become a huge fan of this variation on the classic. Good flavor, and a great change of pace food perfect for a tailgate or for watching at home.
Song of the Game
NC State has that power up the middle, BC is going to have to do everything they can to battle it.
Fan Excitement: 2/10
The Louisville game was a literal gut punch for many Boston College fans, who watched as the Eagles starting quarterback Anthony Brown went down early, and then the game slipped away. The general mood amongst fans right now appears to vacillate between anger and complete detachment. While the Eagles could easily win this game, there seemingly isn't much optimism amongst the fans.
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. I'll post the leaderboard in the comment section shortly. Good luck!
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AJ's Prediction:
NC State 27 Boston College 14. My biggest concern is that BC's defense could rear it's ugly head again, and NC State's offense is primed to have a big day. Add in the BC offense trying to find it's feet with a new quarterback against an explosive defense, and it looks like the Eagles could be heading to their third straight loss.