Boston College Head Coach Steve Addazio Previews No. 2 Clemson
After a dominating 47-21 performance against No. 14 Louisville on the road, Clemson football returns to Death Valley to face the Boston College Eagles. Boston College fell to 1-2 with the Saturday 49-20 loss to Notre Dame.
The Eagles gave up an astounding 515 rushing yards to the Irish, and two players rushed for more than 200 yards. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush(207) and running back Josh Adams(229) combined for 436 yards. Winbush also had four rushing touchdowns.
Although the scoreboard suggests and even a reporter during Boston College football’s press conference on Monday suggested the floodgates opened on the Eagles on Saturday, head coach Steve Addazio saw things differently and thinks his team wasn’t overwhelmed by the Notre Dame offense.
"I don’t think the floodgates opened. What happened in the first(quarter) happened in the fourth…seven run plays that accounted for over 300 yards. I think they ran 78 plays in the game, 78 plays. Seven of them were big strikes. No one got beat up or blocked up front. No one got thrown over their heads. Okay, that didn’t occur in the game. When you watch the tape, you’re like wow. But on seven plays, we had a breakdown of someone not being in the right gap or when a play hit the second level, we didn’t tackle well on the back end…….there’s a difference in getting chewed up or you can’t stop anybody or you’re getting blocked…..that didn’t happen in that game."
To his defense and his dee-fense, Notre Dame was only up 14-13 with about four minutes remaining in the third quarter before the “floodgates” opened. Obviously, Addazio didn’t like the use of the word “floodgates” to describe the change of momentum in the second half. But something definitely happened late in the third and fourth quarters, because his team was outscored 35-10.
When Boston College faces Clemson on Saturday, the defense will be without their leading tackler, linebacker Connor Strachan. Addazio said that Strachan is out indefinitely, and the defense will have to move some players around to shore up a lack of depth at that position. One player that will be affected by Strachan’s knee injury is Davon Jones. He is moving from running back. During the press conference, Jones talked about getting the news and the move itself, “Ah, you know I got the news in practice on Sunday and we just went from there,” he said. “Me personally, I’m all for the cause. I played defense in high school, so it comes natural to me.”
Addazio is 0-4 against Clemson since he took the job in 2012 and in those years, he has faced quarterbacks Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson, and when asked if Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant is comparable to the Clemson greats. He said, “Yes, he’s been there three years. You can tell that he understands the offense, has total command of the offense. He’s an outstanding runner, and he throws the ball extremely well. He’s a very talented player.”
Addazio was very complimentary of the Clemson offense. Using phrases like “extremely explosive” and “playmakers all over the field.” He labeled the running backs as “very productive, good players” and said the receivers “catch everything in the air.”
And what about the Clemson defense that has caught the college football nation’s attention.
“They have always been outstanding and they continue to be. Their front is big and athletic. Their linebackers run well and the secondary is one of the better secondaries that I have seen. They rally to the ball as well as any defense that I have ever seen,” said Addazio.
In the last two games against Clemson, Boston College has given up 90 points and only scored 27. They were also held to 591 total yards while the Tigers’ offense totaled 1,040.
Traditionally, Boston College has been a strong defensive team but giving up over 600 yards to Notre Dame at home isn’t good and it better be an aberration or the “floodgates” will really open in Death Valley on Saturday.