The NC State football team travels to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts this weekend to take on Boston College in an ACC Atlantic division matchup. The Eagles (3-3, 1-2 ACC) have had a similar season to the Wolfpack and are looking for a win to push them back into ACC contention after two straight losses to Wake Forest and Louisville.
Secondary vs. BC quarterback and wide receivers
Earlier this week, it was announced that Boston College starting quarterback Anthony Brown will miss the rest of the season due to an injury. Redshirt sophomore Dennis Grosel will take his place, and in relief of Brown last week, Grosel went 9 for 24 with 111 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-39 loss to Louisville.
The Eagles receiving corps is led by tight end Hunter Long, who has 277 yards, followed by wide receivers Zay Flowers and Kobay White, with 233 and 204 yards, respectively. The Wolfpack secondary is led by junior cornerback Chris Ingram, who has four pass deflections and two interceptions so far this season.
Linebackers vs. BC running backs
Boston College’s running back corps is headed by one of the best running backs in the ACC, AJ Dillon. The junior has amassed 745 rushing yards on 5.2 yards per carry as well as six rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. Backup running back David Bailey is no slouch of his own, running for 329 yards and two touchdowns this season.
NC State has had strong showings from its linebackers this year, led by junior Louis Acceus and redshirt sophomore Isaiah Moore, who have 4.5 and two sacks, respectively. On Thursday against Syracuse, NC State held the Orange to 41 rushing yards on 37 attempts and will look to put up a similar performance against the run-heavy Boston College offense.
D-line vs BC O-line
NC State’s front line defense has been dominant this season, putting up 16 sacks in the last two games. Graduate defensive tackle Larrell Murchison had 5.5 sacks in the last two games alone.
Boston College’s offensive line has been impressive this season, only allowing two sacks for 12 yards on Brown. However, it has yet to face a defensive line group and linebacking corps as strong as NC State’s, so it remains to be seen how it will fare against the Wolfpack.
