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Fresh off a big 30-14 victory over N.C. State in Raleigh, the Boston College Eagles return home to face the #24/22 Clemson Tigers on the Heights. The game will be televised by ESPNU, as well as ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Anthony Becht are on the call.
The winner of the game receives these sweet, old timey leather helmets as well as the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy, created by the Boston College Gridiron Club to honor the more than 70 years of history between these two ACC Atlantic Division foes.
Clemson has won the O'Route-McFadden Trophy five of six times going back to the 2008 season, though BC won the first three ACC matchups during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons before that.
The winning team's MVP will receive the corresponding leather helmet in tribute to the teams that played in the 1940s pic.twitter.com/oepVFywPjf
— BC Football News (@BCFootballNews) October 17, 2014
The winner of BC-Clemson game will receiver the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy from the @BCGridiron http://t.co/aw3zqrCJPj pic.twitter.com/okT4xbeaA8
— BC Football News (@BCFootballNews) October 17, 2014
Clemson is off to a 4-2 start to the season and coming off a 23-17 home victory over Louisville to improve to 3-1 in conference play. The Tigers' lone losses on the year have come to teams with a combined 11-1 record (Georgia and Florida State). Head Coach Dabo Swinney is in his seventh season at the helm of the Tigers, and returns to the site of his first career victory as head coach. Swinney is 55-25 (36-13 ACC) in those seasons, finishing first or second in the Atlantic four out of six times.
The Eagles (4-2, 1-1 ACC) are feeling good after getting in the ACC win column in Raleigh last weekend. The Eagles' potent running attack has rolled up 315.67 yards per game on the ground and ranks 4th in the nation in rushing offense. Despite some key personnel losses, the Eagles defense is holding up its end of the bargain as well. Boston College's defense ranks in the top 25 in all four major categories this week--scoring defense (19.3 ppg, 22nd), rushing defense (99.83 ypg, 9th), passing defense (190.0 ypg, 19th) and total defense (289.8 ypg, 8th).
Couple fun BC-Clemson ties, via bceagles.com: Former Boston College cornerback Mike Reed (1991-94) is an assistant coach on Dabo Sweeney's staff, in charge of the defensive backs. BC running backs coach Al Washington coached with Reed at NC State in 2008. BC defensive backs coach Kevin Lempa and Clemson assistant head coach Danny Pearman coached together at Maryland during the 2008 season.
This will be the 24th meeting between the two schools. Clemson owns a 12-9-2 advantage in the all-time series; 5-4 as ACC Atlantic Division foes. Last season, BC put a scare into then-3rd ranked Clemson in Death Valley, but the Tigers pulled away for a 24-14 victory.
The point spread is somewhere between BC +4.5 and +5.5 depending on who you ask, down from an opening line of BC +7.
The Tigers are in town. How you feeling about the game this afternoon?
Game Time, TV channel: 3:30 p.m. Eastern, ESPNU, ESPN3 or the WatchESPN App
Radio: BC IMG Sports Radio Network, 93.7 FM