4 takeaways from BC football’s 59-7 loss to Clemson
The game was never close.
COMMENTARY
Entering Saturday’s game between Boston College and Clemson, the Eagles were 2-30 all-time against teams ranked in the top five.
The No. 4 Tigers, meanwhile, are the defending national champions and entered with a 22-game winning streak. BC coach Steve Addazio praised Clemson earlier in the week, calling the Tigers (8-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) the best team in the country, and they played the part against the Eagles.
BC (4-4, 2-3 ACC) entered as 33.5-point underdogs, and it never came close to an upset with a 59-7 loss in Death Valley. AJ Dillon was a bright spot for the Eagles — becoming the program’s all-time leading rusher and finishing with 19 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown — but not much else went Boston College’s way.
“I feel like we ran into a buzzsaw,” Addazio told reporters. “(I’m) disappointed that we weren’t able to play better than we did.”
AJ Dillon is now No 1.
Dillon has consistently climbed the list of all-time leading rushers in school history throughout the season.
He sat in fourth place after his 223-yard performance against NC State, and it became likely he would break the record against Clemson. The clincher came early in the third quarter, when he took a handoff from Dennis Grosel and found an opening for a 10-yard scamper.
The junior Dillon leapfrogged Andre Williams, who had 3,739 yards, and he now has the 13th most in ACC history with 3,741. He also became the first player in BC history to run for 1,000-plus yards in each of his first three seasons, and he tied the school record for career rushing touchdowns with his nine-yard TD run in the second quarter.
With this run, A.J. Dillon got his 3,740th rushing yard & became @BCFootball’s all-time leading rusher! 🦅#WeAreBC #MustSeeACC | @ajdillon7 pic.twitter.com/G5VJso6OeM
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 27, 2019
They had no answer for Clemson’s high-powered offense.
The Eagles surrendered a program-record 674 yards of total offense against the Tigers.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence finished 16 of 19 with 275 yards, three TDs, and no interceptions, running back Travis Etienne added 16 carries for 109 yards and three scores, and wide receiver Diondre Overton contributed three receptions for 119 yards and three scores.
The Eagles came up with a third-down stand on Clemson’s first drive, but the Tigers scored touchdowns on each of their next five possessions to take a commanding 38-7 edge into halftime. Each one of those five drives was under three and a half minutes, and they all spanned over 65 yards.
“Obviously Clemson played a hell of a game tonight,” Addazio told reporters.
They couldn’t get into a rhythm offensively.
Clemson isn’t just explosive offensively. The Tigers have now allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game (246.1) and second-fewest passing yards per game (136.1) in the country. Their run defense is 19th (110 yards per game).
In their 45-24 win over the Wolfpack, the Eagles posted 532 total yards and a whopping 429 rushing yards against the conference’s best rushing defense. On Saturday, against a new and impenetrable juggernaut, they finished with under 100 yards passing (80) and rushing (97).
Grosel was 3 of 14 for 54 yards. He lost a fumble that led to a touchdown in the third, but he did manage to avoid throwing an interception all night. Backup Matt Valecce was a bright spot in limited action, finishing 3 of 4 for 27 yards when the outcome had been decided.
Dillon was solid, and he averaged four yards per carry. David Bailey, who ran for a career-best 182 yards and two TDs against NC State, added just 10 carries for 16 yards, and Pat Garwo III chipped in eight carries for 15 yards.
The Eagles’ best drive came late midway through the first half. Grosel found Hunter Long for a 30-yard strike to put them in Clemson territory, then he hit Long again for a 9-yard gain five plays later. Ben Glines gained five yards, Dillon added rushes of three and five, then Dillon rushed it in from nine yards out to cap a 15-play, 75-yard drive that spanned five minutes, 44 seconds and two quarters.
Outside of that, the Eagles had trouble consistently generating offense. They’ve now scored exactly seven points each of the last three times they’ve faced the Tigers.
“On defense, they have personnel everywhere,” Addazio said.
.@ClemsonFB comes out STRONG and secures a 59-7 victory over Boston College in Death Valley 💪🐅#ALLIN pic.twitter.com/tO0WMhHjoa
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 27, 2019
It’s just one game.
As deflating as this loss was, it’s not a dagger in BC’s season by any means.
At 4-4, the mission for the Eagles is clear: win at least two of their final four games and become bowl eligible. Of course, they’d like to win three or four, and it’s possible they’ll do so, but the priority now is regrouping and beating Syracuse on Saturday at noon in the Carrier Dome.
After starting 3-2, Syracuse has dropped three in a row and is coming off a 35-17 loss to Florida State. With games against Florida State, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh remaining, this is a prime opportunity for the Eagles to move back above .500.
Addazio said he expects his players to quickly move on, and he’s confident they’ll be able to shift their focus to what lies ahead.
“They’ll get ready to play Syracuse,” Addazio said. “They will not stutter a step.”
Though the loss to Clemson was a tough one to digest, the Eagles still have a chance to end the season on a positive note. Addazio has nothing but respect for the Tigers, and he made that very clear after the game.
“They played like the No. 1 team in the country,” Addazio told reporters. “They played like the team that went after Alabama in the national championship. That’s what happened out there.”
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