Wake Forest: Previewing the Matchup vs Boston College
By Joseph Ochoa
The Deacs Look to Continue Their Perfect Start
Who: Wake Forest (4-0) vs Boston College (3-1)
When: Saturday, September 28, 2019 – 7:00 P.M. EST
Where: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA
How To Watch: ACC Network
Line: Wake Forest -6.5
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 80°at kickoff
Last Week:
Wake Forest defeated Elon University 49-7
Boston College defeated Rutgers 30-16
What You Should Know About The Eagles
Boston College has a similar start to the year this year as it did last year, when it started the season 4-1, which included a win against the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem. Following the hot start, the Eagles went 1-4. Despite the Eagles being bowl eligible, they were unable to play in the First Responders Bowl in Dallas due to poor weather conditions.
Despite the loss of a lot of the talent from the 2018 roster, including sack leader Wyatt Ray and All-ACC guard Chris Lindstrom, The Eagles came out two games above .500 to start the season. The leading passer for the Eagles Anthony Brown, who despite throwing no interceptions to start the season, he has completed just about half of his passes this season, averaging a percentage of 53.9. Boston College doesn’t really need to rely on their quarterback since they have junior running back AJ Dillon, who has two straight seasons of 1,000 yards and leads the way with 468 yards on the ground through four games.
Prediction
The Deacs will have to use a solid running game to keep Boston College on defense to wear them out, so a lot of running will more than likely be in the game plan for the Deacs. In addition to keeping a chewing the clock strategy, they will need to get the ball to Sage Surratt, who is second in the nation in receiving yards. Boston College has a very exploitable secondary, as they are ranked 107th in the nation for passing yards allowed. As for the defense, It seems fairly simple: stack the box against Dillon and force Brown to beat you with his arm. The defense will need to take away the short passes from Brown as well, as the junior is only has a 52 percent completion rate on throws beyond
I don’t think Wake Forest should have too much of an issue with Boston College, and with the Deacs losing at home to the Eagles the previous year at home, they will be looking to return the favor.