Boston College Woes Likely To Continue At Tech

Boston College has had a miserable year to date. At 1-5 (0-3), their only win was against an FCS team, Massachusetts. Their first three losses were to teams that have a combined record of 8-10. Their last few losses were to Wake Forest and Clemson.

Boston College is 105th in scoring offense. Statistically, they find themselves in the bottom third of all FBS teams in almost every offensive category. Chase Rettig managed to complete 13 of 20 passes but only for 129 yards in their last game, a loss to Clemson. On the ground they rushed for 126 yards.

Defensively things don't get much better for the Eagles. Falling once again in the bottom half of FBS teams statistically, the only shining light for this defense is junior LB Luke Kuechly. Kuechly leads the nation with 99 tackles. However, only 7.5 of them have been for losses.

Conversely, the Hokies are resurging. Despite a slow start against Wake Forest, the Hokie offense is clicking. Scoring 28 unanswered points, the Hokies have found new momentum since the Clemson loss. Logan Thomas has shown that he is focused. He scored four touchdowns in the game against the Demon Deacons, two each through the air and on the ground.

On defense, James Gayle will return from injury though Jayron Hosley will remain on the sidelines. The return of Gayle will certainly help the injury plagued defense. However, despite all of these injuries, the Hokie defense has been still holding up to that Bud Foster yardstick. Seventh in the nation against the run, the Hokies are allowing just 83 yards per game. Against Wake, the Hokies allowed just 59 yards on the ground.

This tailed rivalry between Tech and Boston College has had its share of drama throughout its time in the ACC. Battling in inter-divisional play, the Hokies and the Eagles have faced each other in the regular season every year and twice in the ACC Championship. In both seasons, the Hokies lost to the Eagles only to beat them in the championship game. Storied finishes from a Matt Ryan winning touchdown pass with 11 seconds to go stunning the Lane Stadium crowd in 2007 to a perfect season ending victory in 1999.

Unfortunately, the Eagles do not field a team that will compete on these levels. If the Hokies take care of business and do not allow themselves to lose focus, they should easily take care of Boston College in what is sure to be a beautiful afternoon in Blacksburg.