Eagles Strap in for ACC’s Best Rushing Offense at the Dome
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Staff Writer
Boston College ranks in the bottom five of every major offensive category when it comes to ACC-only stats. That’s alarming, considering the Eagles opened the year averaging 41.3 points per game in a favorable non-conference slate.
“Everyone’s getting a little jumpy right now because obviously we haven’t been scoring the ball like we wanted to,” tight end Joey Luchetti said after Tuesday’s practice. “I think we all know that we’re almost there, and we all know it’s not a talent issue. We all have confidence. Just a couple things have to click.”
Luchetti explained that the Eagles have to be better on third down and score in the red zone, most importantly.
BC was converting close to 80% of its red zone trips into touchdowns the first four weeks of the season. Since? Less than half. And, after moving the chains on 57.1% of third downs against non-conference opponents, the Eagles have posted a third-down conversion rate of just 28.9% versus ACC competition.
“I think we got to coach it better,” second-year BC head coach Jeff Hafley said Wednesday. “Then we got to execute the plan better. It starts with protection, then the quarterback and then we gotta catch the ball. I think there are plays to be made. I think we worked hard this week to put our guys in good positions.”
Quarterback Dennis Grosel, who may or may not be the starter this week at Syracuse, has been under a ton of duress the last three games. Opponents have combined for 10 sacks in that span. Teams are stacking the box and forcing Grosel to make quick-timed throws. The redshirt senior hasn’t been able to make them pay.
Syracuse could try to do the same thing. The Orange, which piled up a whopping eight sacks in its Week 3 win over Albany and six more the following game against Liberty, is tied for 10th nationally in sacks per game (3.4). A good bit of Syracuse’s pressure comes from the second level, where linebackers Marlowe Wax and Stefon Thompson have combined for nine quarterback takedowns this season.
Hafley explained that the Orange’s scheme allows its linebacking corps to be aggressive. Syracuse plays a 3-3-5 defense, so its outside linebackers act almost as defensive ends at times. Not only that, but the Orange use twists at the line to generate havoc in the backfield, Hafley said.
He knows that BC, which only threw the ball six times on first down during last week’s loss at Louisville, needs to be less predictable on offense in order to alleviate some of that quarterback pressure.
“I think we’ve had success running the ball a lot this year,” Hafley said. “Now, we need to have success running and throwing, just be balanced and be able to do it all. And, ultimately, we’ve just gotta score points.”
BC’s defense can only do so much. The Eagles forced four turnovers last week at Louisville, and the Eagles turned those into a meager seven points. BC went nearly 47 minutes of game time between its two touchdowns against the Cardinals. It can’t afford another drought like that in the Carrier Dome.
After all, the Eagles are up against a similarly potent rushing attack. Actually, it’s even more explosive, thanks to Sean Tucker, who has put on a show in 2021. The 5-foot-10 sophomore leads the FBS with 1,060 yards on the ground and is second in the country in yards per game (132.5). His 10 rushing touchdowns, though, are second on the team to quarterback Garrett Shrader.
Also a sophomore, Shrader transferred from Mississippi State this offseason and has emerged as the Orange’s first true solution under center since Eric Dungey graduated in 2018. Shrader is coming off a prolific performance at Virginia Tech, where he accounted for 410 total yards (236 passing, 174 rushing) and five touchdowns (two passing, three rushing).
Although Shrader is completing only 52.5% of his passes, he has posted a 7:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and his production on the ground makes up for his inefficiency through the air. Shrader has registered 592 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns this season, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
A week removed from allowing 133 yards and a trio of scores on the ground to Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham, BC is looking to prevent Shrader from enjoying another field day.
“We just gotta do our job, be disciplined, have excellent leverage in our gaps and get him down,” defensive end Brandon Barlow said. “It’s just run defense that’s predicated off the D-Line play. So the D-Line’s gonna have to lead the charge this week.”
Like they did last week, the Eagles are using scout team wide receiver Ezechiel Tieide, who played quarterback in high school, as their chameleon. This time, he’s mimicking Shrader.
“I had to grab Zeke today at one point,” Hafley said. “I’m like, ‘Man, you can’t be spinning and shaking. You’re not Cunningham anymore. You’re a different quarterback. Try to run through people.’”
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Shrader is “going to try to run you over and stiff arm you,” Hafley said. It’s a different look than the elusive Cunningham yet difficult to defend nonetheless. For instance, when BC faced Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong in last year’s regular season finale, the physical, 6-foot-2, 215-pounder rumbled for 130 yards and a score on 17 carries.
Between Tucker’s patience and Shrader’s brute force, the Orange have a powerful 1-2 punch that’s paved the way for the eighth-best rushing attack in the FBS.
BC will have its hands full with a suddenly revitalized Syracuse team that won its first ACC game last week and lost its previous three by a combined nine points. The Eagles aren’t backing down, however.
“The cool thing about this place, guys,” Hafley said, “Our kids aren’t going to change. They’re not. I think our culture is too strong for that right now. And I think that’s more important than anything.”
