5 takeaways from BC football’s dominant win over NC State
Running backs AJ Dillon and David Bailey were unstoppable.
COMMENTARY
Heading into Saturday’s matchup with Boston College, the North Carolina State defense had allowed a total of 400 rushing yards on the season.
Against the Eagles, they allowed 429.
Boston College (4-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) ran all over the Wolfpack (4-3, 1-2), earning a dominant 45-24 win and generating plenty of momentum heading into a showdown at No. 4 Clemson this Saturday night.
AJ Dillon finished with 34 carries for a season-high 223 yards and three touchdowns, David Bailey racked up 16 carries for a career-high 182 yards and two scores, and the Eagles punished an NC State run defense that came in as the nation’s fifth best.
“I just kept hearing about the No. 1 rush defense in the ACC,” Dillon said. “Not that it necessarily changed the game plan or that we had anything to prove, but when you’re a competitor, you want to go up against the best. So if they’re the best rush defense, we want to come with our best. So that kind of got us going, I would say.”
BC’s run defense, meanwhile, was unflappable all day, limiting the Wolfpack to 56 yards rushing on 27 carries. NC State was favored by three points coming in, but the Eagles ended up overpowering the Wolfpack in a game that was even more lopsided than the score indicates.
Here are five takeaways:
AJ Dillon and David Bailey were unstoppable.
While NC State came in with the ACC’s top rushing defense, Boston College came in with the conference’s top rushing offense.
It was easy to see why Saturday, as Dillon and Bailey made life miserable for NC State. Quarterback Dennis Grosel threw just 15 passes in his first start, and there was no reason to throw any more. He simply handed the ball off to his running backs over and over again and let them go to work.
“They’re two really special backs,” Grosel said. “They both bring similar but different assets to the table, and I’m confident with either one of them back there. I know the entire offense is. It’s a nice safety blanket to have back there when I’m either not completing passes or we’re struggling in the throw game. Thankfully, we didn’t really need that today.”
.@BCFootball handles NC State in Chestnut Hill, 45-24.
AJ Dillon had a MONSTER game in the win!#WeAreBC pic.twitter.com/T3tPhXnXiW
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 19, 2019
Bailey broke free for back-to-back highlight-reel touchdowns late in the second quarter. On the first, a career-long 54-yard run, he weaved his way in and out, broke a tackle, and sprinted to the end zone. Just over two minutes later, he burst down the sideline, stopped and started to shake a defender, and continued to the house for a 48-yard score.
“Every time I go on the field, I feel like I have a point to prove,” Bailey said. “I always tell myself I’m the best player on the field, just like anyone else would.”
On most days, he would have easily been the best player on the field. On this one, he shared the honor with Dillon, who scored touchdowns of 2, 3, and 8 yards in the second half to help the Eagles extend the lead.
This was his fifth straight 100-yard game and his third career game with over 200 yards. Dillon has been consistent all year, and he’s now second in the nation with 138.3 rushing yards per contest, but he hadn’t had a monster performance like this one yet this season. He said earlier this week that the bye came at a perfect time for the running backs to recharge, and he looked fresh and durable against the Wolfpack.
“He’s had some unbelievably great games and those grind ’em out games, but I thought you started to see what I consider that breakout game today,” head coach Steve Addazio said. “You know he’s going to have it. It’s just a matter of when it’s going to happen. I’m super jacked that it happened today.”
The 429 rushing yards were the second most in Addazio’s tenure, and the most since 2014 when the Eagles upset No. 9 USC.
The defense set the tone early.
After allowing the most yards in school history against Louisville, the questions surrounding the BC defense were legitimate and justified.
Addazio even acknowledged the defense was “a little bit of a rollercoaster.” The Eagles used the bye week to focus on the fundamentals and prepare for the Wolfpack, and they pieced together quite possibly their best defensive showing of the year.
Shitta Sillah sacked the quarterback for a loss of 13 to end the first drive before it began, then BC forced another three-and-out shortly thereafter. Following a terrific punt from Grant Carlson that pinned the Wolfpack at the 1-yard-line, Jason Maitre leaped in front of a Bailey Hockman pass and ran it back 8 yards for a touchdown to put BC ahead, 7-0, with 5:36 left in the first.
Max Richardson pressured Hockman and forced him into an errant throw, and Maitre made a great read on the ball and easily scored after corralling his first career interception.
It was the Eagles’ first pick-six of the season, and it quickly became evident how much it invigorated BC in all facets of the game. The defense continued to make plays, and the offense quickly followed suit.
“I thought Jason Maitre’s pick early was a symbol of where the defense was going to be all day long and really gave the offense a chance to get going and establish the run,” Addazio said.
BC Football – live via https://t.co/PQFwstlJqq https://t.co/lh9IA7BbRh
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) October 19, 2019
When NC State finally did generate some momentum and bring the ball deep into BC territory, the Eagles were there to make a goal-line stand. Richardson and Mehdi El Attrach helped force an incompletion on fourth down – highlighting BC’s first of two goal-line stands – and that was a microcosm of the sheer dominance that continued most of the day.
At halftime, the Eagles had 234 yards rushing and the Wolfpack had minus-4.
“We definitely believe, coming off of two losses, this is a game where we have a little extra chip on our shoulder,” Richardson said. “We’re a little bit pissed off. Getting goal-line stops is a huge momentum changer for any team.”
Dennis Grosel did everything he had to.
There may be a game later in the season when Grosel has to throw the ball over and over again.
Saturday was not one of those instances. The numbers – 6 for 15, 103 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions – weren’t eye-popping, but Grosel managed the game and didn’t make any costly mistakes.
Perhaps his best throw came in the first quarter when he found Hunter Long for a completion that led to a 51-yard gain. He also picked up a key first down with his legs on a 16-play, 98-yard drive that spanned 6 minutes, 38 seconds in the third.
At that point, still holding their 24-3 halftime lead, the Eagles wanted to possess the ball as long as they could. Grosel – who was filling in for starter Anthony Brown who is out for the year with a lower-leg injury – was patient and poised, and he helped BC extend the lead and stay firmly in front.
Grosel admitted there were some healthy nerves before the game. He said the bye week was helpful to prepare but difficult because he had to think about it for that much longer. Once he got out there, everything fell into place.
“I know he’s our backup, but Dennis is a natural born leader,” Dillon said.
Hunter Long continued his steady play.
The redshirt sophomore tight end has been a steady presence all season for the Eagles. He leads all BC tight ends and wide receivers in catches (18), receiving yards (381), and yards per catch (20.06).
In the last two games alone, he’s racked up six catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. On Saturday, he finished with three catches for 60 yards, including his 51-yard grab and go in the first quarter.
Long has big-play ability, and his teammates and coaches have been impressed with the 6’5, 255-pound standout’s production.
“He’s an explosive playmaker in the throw game, and that’s been fairly consistent,” Addazio said. “That’s what you need. You need to be explosive. You need to make plays. He made two big screen catches for us that were huge, and he will continue to grow and develop.”
For Boston.
For the guys in this room.
For the win.#WeAreBC🦅 pic.twitter.com/BXabcFSXtB— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) October 20, 2019
The Eagles needed this one.
After disheartening losses to Wake Forest and Louisville, Boston College needed this win to regain momentum. It wasn’t a must-win, per se, but it was an important game to have – particularly with Clemson on the horizon.
It wasn’t just that the Eagles won, it was the way they did it. BC played the brand of football Addazio loves, as the offense moved the ball downfield with gusto and force and the defense was physical and smart.
Though it was just one game, it shows us what this team is capable of when everything is clicking. Of course, the next challenge is a much, much greater one, but the Eagles hope to keep the momentum going and shock the world in Death Valley this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The NC State win was a key one for many reasons, but perhaps most of all because they got their swagger back. They’ll need it when they face Clemson.
“If we can play like that,” Dillon said, “we can play with anybody.”
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