BCI Banter: Previewing The Wake Forest Game And Evaluating The ACC

AJ: Alright Eric, it’s a short week, which honestly shouldn’t matter given that the Boston College Eagles starters played approximately a half a quarter against Holy Cross. BC took care of business against their historic rivals giving them the business to the tune of 62-14. We have already broken this game down in long form on our podcast (Make sure to listen and subscribe!). Let’s move on to Wake Forest, BC’s first ACC opponent of the year, and has the feel of a must win game for the Eagles.

The short week got even shorter as Hurricane Florence has moved up the Wake Forest Demon Deacons game to a 5:30 start. Eric, we talked about Wake a little on the podcast, but what similarities do you see between the Eagles and WF?

Eric: On paper these are somewhat similar teams with the notable exception of course being AJ Dillon. Wake has a strong offensive line, a quarterback that is a dual-threat, and some decent but unheralded wideouts. Wake has a decent D too, but I think BC has the nod there as well. AJ how do you see the weather affecting the game.

AJ: Hurricane Florence shouldn’t really be hitting the Winston Salem area until BC is long gone, so they are actually looking at decent weather going into this matchup. According to reports I’ve read, it could be a tad bit windy (15mph), but just a warm cloudy afternoon. All in all I don’t think weather is going to be much of a factor for this game as the storm won’t really hit the area until Friday. However a good wind could effect specials teams, which as I mentioned is a worry going into this game.

Eric, how do you see Wake’s defense holding up against AJ Dillon?

Eric: I think Dillon is the X-Factor. For all of the similarities these two teams have I think the one difference is that BC has an elite playmaker on offense and Wake doesn’t. Wake’s coaches are going to have to make something happen to try and offset Dillon. I am curious to see if the Wake crowd can negate any of that. I heard that this game is close to a sellout but how many people will show with the hurricane on the way? AJ what about BC have you seen that has you worried as we start ACC play

AJ: Special teams. Two blocked punts clearly is worrisome, hopefully it was just kids being thrown in to test them out, but special teams issues have plagued Steve Addazio. We still haven’t seen Colton Lichtenberg really tested on field goals, and kick coverage has been iffy in the first two games. Mistakes on ST, especially on the road could be a problem.

Eric, what weaknesses in Wake do you see BC exploiting?

Eric: The Wake defense. I don’t think that is has a lot of depth and it could wear down as the game goes on.

TWO MINUTE DRILL

AJ: Eric, other than AJ Dillon, who has impressed the most on Boston College?

Eric: Probably Anthony Brown. Even in limited playing time I’ve been impressed with how good he looks. AJ, we talked about it on the podcast, but what ACC teams have impressed you or haven’t impressed you so far.

AJ: Syracuse has impressed me, I love the play of Eric Dungey, he just has that it factor that helps teams win. Not sure about that defense though, and of course need to see them against legit teams. On the other side Florida State seems lifeless. Two straight games looking flat, they definitely do not look like contenders. Eric, final question what game on Saturday are you looking forwards to the most.

Eric: It’s a light slate in the ACC, so that FSU/Cuse game is probably the most intriguing. Can ‘Cuse turn the corner out of the basement? I’m also curious to see how Ryan Day does on the road at TCU.