On First Downs

If you needed any more proof of the complete and total regression on the offensive side of the ball, look no further than Boston College's 2011 first down total. The Eagles offense has managed just 100 first downs during the first half of the season, averaging just 16.7 a game. That puts BC 104th nationally, ahead of only Minnesota, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Vanderbilt from BCS AQ conferences. Those teams are a combined 8-14 this season.

If you remove the game against I-AA UMass, that rank drops to 109th, ahead of only Kentucky, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt (who is averaging a pathetic 10.5 a game). 

Here's how the Eagles finished in this statistical category from 2007-2010 (stats courtesy of cfbstats.com):

2007: 22nd nationally (23.4 / game)
2008: 77th (18.1)
2009: 107th (16.5)
2010: 116th (15.0)

Boston College's offense has gone from averaging 23.4 first downs a game to 18.1 to 16.5 to 15.0. And now 16.7. Progress? Probably not. Without the services of Montel Harris and a daunting second half schedule that includes four of the remaining six games on the road, there's little hope that BC will actually improve on that average, unless they start picking up a whole bunch of first downs in garbage time, I suppose. 

After the jump, a look at total number of first downs across the ACC. As you'd expect, BC ranks DFL in this category.