The Clemson Tigers travel up north to duke it out with the Boston college Eagles in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game is slated to start on Friday, October 7th at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be shown on the ESPN Network. Clemson is a -17 point favorite and the total is 42.5.
Clemson is riding high off of their 42-36 win over Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers did just enough to keep Louisville in the loss column by holding them a yard short on fourth down with 33 seconds remaining.
Boston College put together a great defensive effort while dispatching Buffalo last weekend. The victory was the Eagles second straight win and pushed them over 500 just five weeks into the 2016 season.
Last season, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson went off against BC. He passed for 420 yards and threw for three scores. Boston College was stymied and fell to the Tigers 34-17 in Death Valley on Saturday night.
#3 Clemson (5-0):
Well it finally looks like Heisman hopeful Deshaun Watson is back and better than ever after last week’s performance against Louisville. The multi-talented quarterback threw for five scores in that come from behind win. After that performance, Watson has totaled over 1,300 yards through the air and 14 touchdowns with seven picks. He had no problem shredding the Eagles in last year’s match-up.
Finally, running back Wayne Gallman had his break-out performance against Louisville. He carried the rock 16 times for 110 yards and trip to the end zone. So far this year, he has just under 80 carries for 366 yards and four touchdowns. Deshaun Watson has pitched in another 200 plus yards on almost 50 totes of the pigskin.
Deshaun Watson likes to spread the ball around to five different receivers. Together they have over 80 catches for over 1,100 yards and 11 scores. Mike Williams sticks out, with 25 of those grabs for 375 yards and two touchdown receptions.
Christian Wilkins and Carlos Watkins have been outstanding up front for the Clemson Tigers. They lead an outfit that ranks 12th in the country in total yards (288) and 14th in the nation in points allowed per game (16). It will be tough sledding for the Eagles at home on Friday.
Boston College (3-2):
Quarterback Patrick Towles hit 14 of 25 passes for 234 yards with no screw-ups against Buffalo last week, but he did fumble the rock twice. Towles better have better ball security against a rough and tumble Clemson defense. This year, Towles has tallied a modest 806 yards on 55 completions with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Eagles are a running team first, and Jon Hilliman is the star out of the back field. The Ball State transfer has 87 carries for almost three hundred yards and has reached pay-dirt five times. Patrick Towles and Davon Jones have also carried the ball 75 times for another 300 plus yards and four more scores.
Wide outs Jeff Smith, Michael Walker and Charlie Callinan have pooled together 36 grabs for over 500 yards and six touchdowns. Obviously, all three receivers are capable and physical blockers for the Eagle’s running game.
Coach Steve Addazio has made the Eagles into a feisty defensive unit that keeps it coming for all four quarters. Last Week, this squad held Buffalo to just 67 yards and only 26 via the ground attack. Those are impressive numbers no matter who you play. BC ranks 1st in the country in total yards allowed (202), and against the pass. The back five are giving in to only 124 yards a contest.
Trends and Notes:
The Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
The Eagles are 1-5-2 ATS in their last 8 home games.
The Under is 4-1 in the Tigers last 5 games overall.
The Under is 10-1 in the Eagles last 11 home games.
The Underdog is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 meetings.
Game Predictions:
The Eagles have a tendency to struggle against teams that have speed on the defensive side of the football. It’s just to much for a one dimensional offense to overcome. Clemson has all that and more.
Boston College won’t get pushed all over the field by the Tiger’s offense. Even though they did struggle against Virginia Tech a few weeks back in a 49-0 beat down. Expect the Eagles to fair much better at home this time around.
Taking a double digit underdog at home is always enticing, but the trouble is BC can’t score. How can you cover if you can’t score? Clemson looks to be on a roll once again and that is just hard to overlook in this game.
That being said, the Eagles could keep this one close for a while and find a way to run in a few touchdowns. The over/under is only 42.5 for a reason, and that’s the lowest total of the week. Clemson could very well be in a let-down mode after Louisville and this game is just nasty to pick with these defenses.
Hard games to prognosticate sometimes take a little tweaking to get it right, this ball game is one of those. Take advantage of the offer from Vegas and buy the half point to help your bet. When in doubt, think DOG.
Boston College +17.5
