Q: What's special about this University and the team's season they're having?
DESMOND HOWARD: What's special about it? Well, I actually thought they were gonna be undefeated coming into this game, to be completely honest with you. I was disappointed they lost to Purdue. I thought they were gonna be 7-0 going into the bye week, and I thought they would handle Miami. I live in Miami, and I knew those guys wouldn't like this cold weather. I thought it would go much differently, to be honest with you. But they're still looking good, they have an opportunity Saturday night to show everybody who they are. So this is a tremendous opportunity for BC. To me, this is why players sign a Letter of Intent to come here, to play in these types of games.
Q: Talk about the powerhouse matchup between Clemson's D-line and BC's O-line and A.J. Dillon, possibly?
HOWARD: That's the game within the game. I think it's very important because, in my opinion, with the weather being near freezing temperatures Saturday night and very windy, I think that the ground game will be extremely important. And A.J. Dillon, I know he's been banged up, but he's going to definitely play. And he's the guy who can give them the ability to sustain drives. I think it's important for the Eagles to sustain 10-, 12-, 14-play drives. But at the end of those drives, score touchdowns and not kick field goals. And at the same time, you keep Trevor Lawrence and that high-powered offense on the sideline trying to stay warm. So time of possession is going to be very important for Boston College in this game.
Q: How do you think this cold weather will affect Clemson's offense, specifically Trevor Lawrence?
HOWARD: I think it should affect him somewhat. We gon' get a chance to see it. No one knows, right? He's never played in this type of weather. I think the offensive coordinators, they're going to have to try and figure out if the wind's in their face, if the wind's at their back, are they going to take a shot down field. All those things are going to play into the gameplan tomorrow night.
Q: How do you think special teams are going to affect this game?
Special teams are going to play a huge role because it's going to be so windy. So you have to figure out how you're going to punt the ball, how you're going to kick the ball, fielding the ball—it's going to be pretty cold. So I think special teams are going to be big in a game like this. Time of possession and field position are two undervalued, underappreciated elements that can affect a game of this magnitude.
RECE DAVIS: He's never been north of Virginia, I'm not even kidding. He's been to visit his Grandma in Virginia, now he's here. But contrary to popular belief, some of the December playoff games in the state of Georgia in high school are cold. So it's not as if he hasn't played in 35-degree weather. So unless it's gets snowy or really windy, I don't know that the weather will play a huge, huge factor on Saturday night.
Q: What do you expect out of the College GameDay crowd tomorrow morning?
DAVIS: I hope craziness. I hope it's going to be completely filled. I don't why they call it the Dust Bowl because there's lush, green grass to keep everyone comfortable. It's gonna be cold, I hope they come out and show how proud they are of their school and also their program, and how happy they are for the opportunity to knock off No. 2. I hope they show that passion and share it with us early on Saturday morning. I hope there's going to be a sea of people out here.
We always say we can have a great show if we have a sparse crowd. But it's so much more fun when we have an energized crowd fired up about the day of football, fired up about the game, and eager to show that spirit in their own way on campus. That makes it a lot of fun.
Q: What impact will having a sold-out Alumni Stadium have on the game?
DAVIS: I think it'll probably give BC some energy, I don't think it's gonna scare Clemson. I don't think they're gonna come in and be, 'Oh, wow, it's a full stadium.' They've been there, done that on their stage. They're not gonna be too awfully bothered by anything. But it can certainly give Boston College a lot of energy to see the place filled and electric and fired up to help them try to make a play or two. Maybe some energy is what they need. I think they need to get off to a really good start. If they can get off to a good start and maybe create one of those disruptive plays early in the game and build a little confidence, I think that'll go a long way on Saturday night. The crowd can help that.
Q: What is the excitement level on your end just going to a venue that's not your typical 'Bama or Ohio State, coming up here for the first time since '09?
DAVIS: I like coming places we haven't been before or we haven't been in a long time. The schools you mentioned, Alabama and Ohio State, they always treat us great. But they're always accustomed to it. So there's not that different sense of anticipation you got at Washington State or that we're getting here. So it's fun. I think people want to show that this program has a lot of potential in the ACC.
It's not just a pro town. Look, let's not lie about it—it'll always be a pro town first. Everybody understands that. That doesn't mean there's not room for excitement about Boston College, too, and I think that's what this represents.
Q: I noticed on Twitter last night, I think your waitress was a BC football fan—
DAVIS: Susan!
Q: Yeah, have you been impressed at all with the college football fandom in a pro sports city like Boston?
DAVIS: Yeah, but she said 'Go Pats!' at the end of the little video so we know where her first allegiance is. She was also very happy Clemson is coming to town because Clemson, I don't know if you guys know the tradition, they go and pick up $2 bills at banks and put little Tiger paws on them and spend them all over at the places they visit. So I think she was quite happy that some of that orange and purple money was gonna come rolling in, too. That's always a good thing, right?
There's been people at the hotel, people we saw when we went to dinner on Thursday night. We're excited about the game, and I think that's cool. And I think that speaks to what I was saying earlier about the Patriots and the Red Sox and the Celtics and the Bruins first. I get that. But there's room to love this, too.
DESMOND HOWARD: What's special about it? Well, I actually thought they were gonna be undefeated coming into this game, to be completely honest with you. I was disappointed they lost to Purdue. I thought they were gonna be 7-0 going into the bye week, and I thought they would handle Miami. I live in Miami, and I knew those guys wouldn't like this cold weather. I thought it would go much differently, to be honest with you. But they're still looking good, they have an opportunity Saturday night to show everybody who they are. So this is a tremendous opportunity for BC. To me, this is why players sign a Letter of Intent to come here, to play in these types of games.
Q: Talk about the powerhouse matchup between Clemson's D-line and BC's O-line and A.J. Dillon, possibly?
HOWARD: That's the game within the game. I think it's very important because, in my opinion, with the weather being near freezing temperatures Saturday night and very windy, I think that the ground game will be extremely important. And A.J. Dillon, I know he's been banged up, but he's going to definitely play. And he's the guy who can give them the ability to sustain drives. I think it's important for the Eagles to sustain 10-, 12-, 14-play drives. But at the end of those drives, score touchdowns and not kick field goals. And at the same time, you keep Trevor Lawrence and that high-powered offense on the sideline trying to stay warm. So time of possession is going to be very important for Boston College in this game.
Q: How do you think this cold weather will affect Clemson's offense, specifically Trevor Lawrence?
HOWARD: I think it should affect him somewhat. We gon' get a chance to see it. No one knows, right? He's never played in this type of weather. I think the offensive coordinators, they're going to have to try and figure out if the wind's in their face, if the wind's at their back, are they going to take a shot down field. All those things are going to play into the gameplan tomorrow night.
Q: How do you think special teams are going to affect this game?
Special teams are going to play a huge role because it's going to be so windy. So you have to figure out how you're going to punt the ball, how you're going to kick the ball, fielding the ball—it's going to be pretty cold. So I think special teams are going to be big in a game like this. Time of possession and field position are two undervalued, underappreciated elements that can affect a game of this magnitude.
RECE DAVIS: He's never been north of Virginia, I'm not even kidding. He's been to visit his Grandma in Virginia, now he's here. But contrary to popular belief, some of the December playoff games in the state of Georgia in high school are cold. So it's not as if he hasn't played in 35-degree weather. So unless it's gets snowy or really windy, I don't know that the weather will play a huge, huge factor on Saturday night.
Q: What do you expect out of the College GameDay crowd tomorrow morning?
DAVIS: I hope craziness. I hope it's going to be completely filled. I don't why they call it the Dust Bowl because there's lush, green grass to keep everyone comfortable. It's gonna be cold, I hope they come out and show how proud they are of their school and also their program, and how happy they are for the opportunity to knock off No. 2. I hope they show that passion and share it with us early on Saturday morning. I hope there's going to be a sea of people out here.
We always say we can have a great show if we have a sparse crowd. But it's so much more fun when we have an energized crowd fired up about the day of football, fired up about the game, and eager to show that spirit in their own way on campus. That makes it a lot of fun.
Q: What impact will having a sold-out Alumni Stadium have on the game?
DAVIS: I think it'll probably give BC some energy, I don't think it's gonna scare Clemson. I don't think they're gonna come in and be, 'Oh, wow, it's a full stadium.' They've been there, done that on their stage. They're not gonna be too awfully bothered by anything. But it can certainly give Boston College a lot of energy to see the place filled and electric and fired up to help them try to make a play or two. Maybe some energy is what they need. I think they need to get off to a really good start. If they can get off to a good start and maybe create one of those disruptive plays early in the game and build a little confidence, I think that'll go a long way on Saturday night. The crowd can help that.
Q: What is the excitement level on your end just going to a venue that's not your typical 'Bama or Ohio State, coming up here for the first time since '09?
DAVIS: I like coming places we haven't been before or we haven't been in a long time. The schools you mentioned, Alabama and Ohio State, they always treat us great. But they're always accustomed to it. So there's not that different sense of anticipation you got at Washington State or that we're getting here. So it's fun. I think people want to show that this program has a lot of potential in the ACC.
It's not just a pro town. Look, let's not lie about it—it'll always be a pro town first. Everybody understands that. That doesn't mean there's not room for excitement about Boston College, too, and I think that's what this represents.
Q: I noticed on Twitter last night, I think your waitress was a BC football fan—
DAVIS: Susan!
Q: Yeah, have you been impressed at all with the college football fandom in a pro sports city like Boston?
DAVIS: Yeah, but she said 'Go Pats!' at the end of the little video so we know where her first allegiance is. She was also very happy Clemson is coming to town because Clemson, I don't know if you guys know the tradition, they go and pick up $2 bills at banks and put little Tiger paws on them and spend them all over at the places they visit. So I think she was quite happy that some of that orange and purple money was gonna come rolling in, too. That's always a good thing, right?
There's been people at the hotel, people we saw when we went to dinner on Thursday night. We're excited about the game, and I think that's cool. And I think that speaks to what I was saying earlier about the Patriots and the Red Sox and the Celtics and the Bruins first. I get that. But there's room to love this, too.
