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“Just because of what’s been going on, it doesn’t mean that the season is over.”
For a slumping Boston College football team on the verge of squandering an entire season, facing a powerhouse program such as Clemson is a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, seeing a nationally prominent brand presents a daunting task that will require near perfection. On the other, the Eagles know earning a win over the Tigers would carry more weight than most.
No, this isn’t the mighty Clemson team pundits predicted would win the Atlantic Coast Conference, but it’s still Clemson. As BC (1-4, 0-3) tries to avoid letting the season go from disappointing to unsalvageable, the Eagles know they can’t let the mystique of the Tigers (2-3, 1-2) intimidate them.
“Just because of what’s been going on, it doesn’t mean that the season is over,” said BC tight end Jeremiah Franklin. “It doesn’t mean that we’re just going to forfeit all the rest of our games or we’re just going to turn over. No, we’re going to go out there and fight.”
The showdown is set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Alumni Stadium. At the start of the season, it seemed like it could be a chance for BC to prove it had arrived. Now, it’s an opportunity for the Eagles to show they haven’t disappeared.
Offensive lineman Jude Bowry said the focus is on executing to their potential. They’re well aware that didn’t happen last Saturday against Pittsburgh.
“We’re mad,” Bowry said. “We want to be 4-0, we want to be 5-0. We want to win all the games. But we just have to continue to clean up the little things and continue to go.”
Here are three keys for BC:
⋅ Third and foremost. There’s a long list of problems that stemmed from the Pitt game. While some were outliers, the Eagles need to ensure they don’t become the start of a trend.
The first is third down, where the Eagles allowed the Panthers to finish 9 of 17 while converting just 4 of 12 themselves.
Pitt often found itself in third-and-manageable situations, while BC almost always found itself in third and long. That puts a lot of pressure on Dylan Lonergan to deliver a perfect pass. For the opposing defense, it’s not rocket science to figure out that the ball is going to Lewis Bond or Reed Harris.
BC coach Bill O’Brien said he doesn’t believe defenses are starting to figure out Lonergan’s tendencies. He thinks playing complementary football could alleviate some of those issues. It won’t be easy against a Clemson run defense that ranks fourth in the ACC.
“Let’s see if we can improve it,” O’Brien said. “Clemson is very good. It’s not like this would be your first choice to go against to improve your running game. But we’re going to work hard on it.”
Defensively, missed tackles that have become the norm in recent weeks haunted the Eagles to a new level against the Panthers.
For players such as safety KP Price, who has to balance doing his job while mentoring young players seeing their first college action, leading by example is most important.
“Even if it’s something I’m doing wrong, still, they can learn from me,” Price said. “It’s not just all rights. It’s rights and wrongs.”
⋅ Prized possession. BC also needs to limit long Clemson drives and control the time of possession.
It was particularly glaring last week, when Pittsburgh racked up 31 first downs to 11 for BC. But it’s been a problem most of the season, where opponents are possessing the ball for nearly five more minutes per game than BC.
When asked if Pitt was a “burn-tape game,” O’Brien chuckled and said it wasn’t.
“We watched it,” O’Brien said. “We have to show the film. I’m not into all that, like burying footballs and burning tapes and stuff. I’m not a fire starter. But no, we watched it, we corrected it, and we moved on. We don’t dwell on it.”
⋅ Meet the moment. Earlier in the season, fans expected BC to win, which made the losses sting even more. Now, fans expect the Eagles to lose, which can take some of the pressure off and allow BC to play freely.
“Clemson is a hell of a football team,” O’Brien said. “For us here at BC, in the second year of this program, we’re going to show up. We’ll be ready to play.”
The Eagles don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves or sulk about what’s gone wrong.
Clemson has won the last 12 meetings, with the last BC win coming in 2010.
“For a long time in this league, they’ve been the gold standard,” O’Brien said. “It’s exciting for our team to go up against this team. It’s a home game, a night game. It will be a great environment.”
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