Boston College Players to Watch

Offense: Tyler Rouse, Jr. Running Back

Picking a player to watch for the offense was more difficult this week than it has been. The injury to starting QB Darius Wade has left the Eagles in a 2 QB system. The Deacs will likely see both Troy Flutie and Jeff Smith behind the center on Saturday. On top of this and the injury to starting RB Jon Hilliman, and the Eagles offense has struggled to put points on the board, scoring just 24 points in their last 3 games. That being said, I've chosen RB Tyler Rouse as the player to watch. Rouse comes into Saturday's contest with 205 yards rushing on 40 attempts (5.1 ypc) and 5 touchdowns. While the Eagles ran the ball well against Duke in their last game, rushing for 164 yards on 41 attempts, they struggled in the passing game, completing just 8 passes in 21 attempts (38%). Because of this, I expect that we will see a heavy dose of the run on Saturday, with BC using the run to try and set up the play action passing game.

Defense: Steven Daniels, Sr. Linebacker

Steven Daniels is a senior leader on a defense that is ranked 1st in the nation in total defense, giving up just 140 yards and 8 points per game. Daniels this year has 30 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. If you need any evidence of how strong and fast Steven Daniels is, watch the first play below where he completely blows through the FSU line and swallows Dalvin Cook. Whether he is defending the run or blitzing, Steven Daniels is the kind of guy that is an absolutely nightmare to block. The Wake Forest offensive line is going to need a repeat performance of the Florida State game if Deacs want to be able to move the ball and score against the dominating Eagle defense.