Upset Special? - Boston College vs Wake Forest Preview
Massive game for the Eagles season this week... let's get to it!
Who: The 24th Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Deacs are off to a great start this year winning 4 straight outta the gate including a win over Utah State in their opener that might make you yawn but will go down as a really solid win by the end of the season. Wake is led by their star QB Jamie Newman (12 Tds, 2 Ints) and a pair of dynamic receivers in Sage Surratt and Scotty Washington. Their deep and experienced and going to be a very challenging team to beat. Head coach Dave Clawson has done a great job rebuilding the program.
Where: Beautiful Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, MA.
Weather: 70s and sunny.
When: Saturday, 3:30PM Eastern, 1:30PM Mountain Time
What Channel: The ACC Network
Where I'll Be Watching: Long Island Game Watch.
What else: I didn’t have time to give a Rutgers breakdown so I’ll give my condensed thoughts: 1) I’m glad we won and bounced back. The running game was strong and we rode it to the win. Dillon and Bailey were good. 2) The passing game still leaves a lot to be desired. 3) Defensively we still tackle really poorly outside Max Richardson. 4) We need a shakeup with our safeties. 5) Clock management remains to be one of Addazio’s weaknesses. That end of half was something else.
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Most Important Dude(s)
Quarterback Anthony Brown
I’m going to go ahead and assume our defense won’t be able to stop a really good Wake Forest offense (more on that below). We’re going to need to win a shootout. To win a shootout, we’re going to need the good version of Anthony Brown.
After a really solid first half against Virginia Tech in our opener, Anthony Brown has looked pretty mediocre and sometimes, downright poor. Issues with accuracy and decision-making are still prevalent. We simply need Brown to be better in a few different ways. First, he has to improve what has plagued him – the inaccurate passes to open receivers and the poor decisions, where he forces throws into tight coverage when an easier throw is right in front of him. Second, we need Brown to unleash some of that great touch we saw against VT and give our better playmakers a chance to make plays. Finally, run when nothing is there! Brown is actually a pretty decent runner when he commits to running but doesn’t do it enough.
BC gets a good AB performance and we have a shot to upset the Demon Deacons.
3 Keys to #SOAR'N
1) Turnover Luck – We need it to continue to trend in our direction. We’ve been pretty good at protecting the ball offensively and forcing TOs (generally) on defense. I don’t think BC’s defense can force many Wake Forest punts Saturday. Hope our defense can be ballhawks.
2) Don’t Tempo just to Tempo – I know BC runs a lot of tempo but I don’t think it’s been super effective and often results in our own miscues, mainly penalties or missed blocking assignments. Frankly, controlling the clock and limiting possessions against a better offensive team seems like a better strategy to pull off the upset. Hoping Daz adjusts his team's “identity” to help give his team a better shot at the W.
3) Convert in the Red Zone – Wake is gonna score. A lot. We need TDs over FGs. Especially with our suspect kicking game. We need to convert at a high rate to stand a chance.
Clip(s) Of The Week - (A movie scene, a song, a TV show moment - something that encapsulates how we're feeling this week.)
Please for the love of all that is good and right... TACKLE WELL BC.
Final Prediction
Wake Forest 42
Boston College 35
I think our offense looks good but our defense just can’t force enough turnovers and stops. Anyone who knows me and has followed the Scoops I don't pick losses often. I don't feel good about it.
Giblin's Gambles
This Will Be Where I Make A Few CFB Picks Each Week - Use At Your Own Risk My Season Goal: Over 57%
2019 Record: 17-17-1, 50.0%
Mediocre week for the Gambles. Started off 0-3 so was happy to rally to 3-4. Was heavy on the public picks (Utah, UCF, Northwestern) and got bit. Time to bounce back.
1) Friday Night Special – Duke +3 at Virginia Tech – David Cutcliffe is a great coach as an underdog and they’ve looked good after getting worked by Alabama in the opener (no shame there). Virginia Tech meanwhile has still looked lackluster the whole year. Take the points and Blue Devils.
2) Friday Night Special 2.0 - Penn State at Maryland – OVER 60 – I think this should be a pretty good game and both teams can score some points despite ho-hum recent performances. Maryland is going to be up for this one. Should be a fun game with some back and forth scoring.
3) Wisconsin -24.5 vs Northwestern – The Badgers are kicking ass and taking names. Expect them to spank a Northwestern team that can’t score.
4) Baylor +3 vs Iowa State – This feels like a dead even game to me. So why is the home team getting 3? A home team getting points… what’s better than that?
5) SMU -7.5 at USF – The ponies upset TCU last week and look like new team with Sonny Dykes. USF is coached by Charlie Strong.
6) Alabama -37 vs Ole Miss – Bama is going to destroy Ole Miss. Like 55-7.
7) Oregon State +4 vs Stanford – SP+ projections have this game by 5… to Oregon State! 9 point difference. Take the Beavers against a struggling Stanford team.
8) Marshall +4 vs Cincy – Home underdog theme continues. Thundering Herd are pretty solid and get 4 points. Take em.
9) Georgia Tech at Temple UNDER 49 – Georgia Tech struggles to score but plays hard on D. Collins used to coach Temple. This will be a tight low-scoring game.