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It’s off to the house of horrors for Boston College as they look to solidfy their slotting in the ACC bowl pecking order. The Carrier Dome has been a nightmare for the Eagles, a place BC hasn’t won at since 2010 when Frank Spaziani defeated Doug Marrone in a 16-7 snoozefest. Looking over the entire scope of the rivalry, BC trails 30-19, and has lost three out of the last five.
The big news going into this game is the injury to Syracuse Orange quarterback Eric Dungey. Dungey almost singe handedly defeated the Eagles last year putting up 434 yards and three touchdowns. He is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the ACC, as we saw when he led the Orange to a stunning upset at home against the Clemson Tigers. Syracuse clearly isn’t the same team without him, though they still have offensive weapons BC needs to be worried about. There is no word if Zack Mahoney or Rex Culpepper will get the start for Dino Babers.
Steve Ishmael is arguably the best receiver in the entire ACC, leads the conference in receptions (94), and is third in the nation. He is NFL caliber, and is bracketed by Ervin Phillips who has 84 receptions, the tandem is going to a tough matchup for Isaac Yiadom, Lukas Denis and the Boston College secondary.
While the Syracuse offense can certainly put up points, their defense has been playing really poorly of late. In their past two games against Wake Forest and Louisville they have allowed 120 points. And of course the stat you want to look at as a Boston College rushing yards allowed, in the past two games they have allowed over 800 yards on the ground. Yes, 800.
Dino Babers’ season is not concluding the positive way it had started, and recently he bashed the media for their over reaction to the positive start the Orange had. Between injuries, and particular matchups this game seems ripe for a BC win. However, this is a rivalry, and a stadium BC has notoriously struggled at. And with question marks at quarterback for Boston College, this game has trap written all over it. Nothing should be taken lightly.
Like almost every other game since Louisville, this is a huge game for Steve Addazio and the Eagles. Can they end their losing streak at the Carrier Dome?