How Has BC Fared Against N.C. State Lately?
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Staff Writer
Boston College snapped its infamous 12-game ACC losing streak against North Carolina State in 2016. The following year, the Eagles lost starting quarterback Anthony Brown Jr. to the first of his two season-ending ACL tears in a three-point defeat to the Wolfpack. And, the season after that, BC’s potential 25-point, second-half comeback bid fell short in Raleigh.
Whether it’s football or basketball, these Atlantic Division foes typically trade blows.
They’ll meet again Saturday night in Alumni Stadium. Before then, however, let’s wind back the clock and review the Eagles’ last four matchups with N.C. State.
2016: BC 21, N.C. State 14
Davon Jones threw a halfback touchdown pass to Tommy Sweeney for the go-ahead score, and BC won its first ACC game in 23 months. The Eagles followed up their 0-8 ACC slate in 2015 with a pair of league victories the following year, and this was one of them. Quarterbacked by Kentucky transfer Patrick Towles, BC’s pedestrian offense outgained N.C. State, 386-338, and rushed for 168 yards in the win. Jeff Smith ripped off a 60-yard jet sweep touchdown in the second quarter to get BC’s offensive wheels turning.N.C. State signal caller Ryan Finley, who threw for a then-career-high 307 yards in the loss, was picked off on the Wolfpack’s potential game-tying drive with 1:35 remaining. He tossed a goal line fade for Stephen Louis, and BC cornerback Kamrin Moore was there for the interception.
2017: No. 23 N.C. State 17, BC 14
This was the season N.C. State should have made a push for the ACC title. The Wolfpack had seven players drafted the following spring, none more notable than fifth overall pick and now-Pro Bowl linebacker Bradley Chubb. N.C. State came into Alumni Stadium having just lost back-to-back games to top-10 opponents: No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 6 Clemson. Head coach Dave Doeren’s group bounced back with a narrow victory, thanks to a 50-yard Nyheim Hines touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.It was a cold, Nov. 11 game. The temperature at kickoff was 27 degrees, which was reflected in the low score. Brown went down with his non-contact ACL tear in the second quarter, but BC, led by backup Darius Wade, remained competitive against the then-No. 23 Wolfpack. AJ Dillon set BC’s freshman season record for rushing yards, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark, and Thadd Smith had reservations for six from 12 yards out, courtesy of a jet sweep. With under five minutes to go, Colton Lichtenberg had a chance to tie the game from 39 yards out, but a bad snap resulted in Jeff Smith having to scoop up the ball and fire a prayer, which fell incomplete.
Had BC pulled out the win, it would have been the Eagles’ first four-game win streak since 2010. They entered with three consecutive ACC victories, a season-defining span that saw Dillon emerge as the lead back and BC pile up a combined 121 points.
2018: No. 23 N.C. State 28, BC 23
Similar to N.C. State’s 2017 season, BC’s 2018 campaign was full of “what ifs.” The Eagles sent a program-record seven players to the NFL Combine that year, and four were drafted. One of those “ifs” was “what if Dillon never got hurt?” The ACC Preseason Player of the Year and Heisman Trophy candidate injured his ankle against Temple and was unavailable for BC’s road game at North Carolina State. Running the football, however, wasn’t the Eagles’ problem versus the Wolfpack in 2018. In fact, Ben Glines—BC’s wide receiver/running back hybrid at the time—rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.Third down was the Eagles’ issue. BC converted just 1-of-10 tries, while N.C. State was 10-of-15. Reggie Gallaspy rumbled for a career-best 104 yards and two touchdowns, and Finley passed for a pair of scores. The Wolfpack staked itself to a 28-3 lead in the second half. But then the Eagles came clawing back. BC strung together two quick touchdowns, sandwiched between a Ricky Person Jr. fumble. Glines scored both of them: the first on the ground, the second through the air. After an N.C. State three-and-out, Glines nearly got into the end zone for a third time, but a controversial fumble—no forward progress was called after Glines was stripped amid a standup pile at the Wolfpack five-yard line—cost the Eagles.
Well, momentarily. BC got that touchdown, just in a different way. Mike Palmer blocked the ensuing N.C. State punt, and Travis Levy recovered it in the end zone for six to make it 28-23. When it mattered most, though, Finley converted on third down with a 21-yard pass to Louis down the sideline. From there, the Wolfpack ran out the clock.
2019: BC 45, N.C. State 24
This was a midseason matchup, and N.C. State had allowed just 66.7 yards per game on the ground up until this point. Ball carriers were averaging just 2.3 yards per tote. Dillon and David Bailey, nicknamed the “Buffalo Boys,” had something to say about that. Both hit the century mark in the first half, and the Eagles finished the day, averaging 7.2 yards per attempt.It was Dennis Grosel’s first career start, after Brown suffered the second season-ending ACL tear of his career the week prior at Louisville. He didn’t have to do much. He was 6-of-15 for 103 yards. Meanwhile, the Eagles logged 429 rushing yards. Dillon carried the ball 34 times for 223 yards and a trio of scores, while Bailey notched 181 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. BC had a 24-3 lead by halftime and, before long, extended it to 31-3 with the first of Dillon’s three touchdown runs, all of which came in the second half.
N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary, now one of the ACC’s top signal callers, replaced a benched Bailey Hockman in the first quarter and went on to throw for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Hockman threw a pick-six in the first quarter and missed a receiver on 4th-and-Goal the following drive. It wasn’t pretty for the Wolfpack. And the Eagles capitalized, securing the blowout win with BC alumni in town for the Homecoming Weekend matchup.
