Wake Forest vs. Boston College: Players To Watch

As many predicted, the Deacs have taken care of business through the first third of the season and currently sit at 4-0. After back to back tuneup games, it’s finally time to start conference play with a road trip to Chestnut Hill for #TheRivalry. This game could go a long way in determining if Wake Forest is going to have a good season or if they are going to have a great season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the impact players for the Boston College Eagles.

Offense: AJ Dillon | Jr. RB | #2

I wanted to try to find a different player for the offense this year, because I feel like at this point, everyone knows about AJ Dillon. That was easier said than done, however, as Dillon is getting the lion’s share of carries on a team that runs the ball almost 52 times per game and whose leading receiver has only caught 9 passes through 4 games. In just 10 games last season, Dillon ran the ball 227 times for 1108 yards (4.9 ypc) and 10 touchdowns, which was good enough to earn him 1st Team All-ACC honors. That included a 33 carry, 186 yard performance against the Deacs, in which he scored a 45 yard touchdown on the 3rd play of the game. This season, Dillon is picking up right where he left off; he’s run the ball 99 times for 468 yards (4.6 ypc) and 6 touchdowns through 4 games. He is also going in to Saturday’s game off of back to back 150 yard rushing games against both Kansas and Rutgers. Establishing Dillon early in the game is crucial for the Eagles because it sets up the play action passing game, which as we know can be lethal. If the Deacs can slow Dillon down and make Anthony Brown beat them as a pocket passer (without allowing him to set up any lawn furniture this year) then they should have a good chance at coming home 5-0.

Defense: Max Richardson | RS Jr. LB | #14

The Boston College defense hasn’t been the best this year, but Max Richardson has been a bright spot. The redshirt junior leads the team with 35 total tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. As for the rest of the team, the Eagles’ defense is 102nd in the nation in total defense, giving up 438 yards per game, and has only manged to accumulate 3 sacks all season (and 1 of those was against Richmond), putting them tied at 117th in the nation in sacks per game. At some point, the Eagles are going to have to get pressure on Jamie Newman or he will absolutely shred them through the air, as he has done all season. Without the ability to get pressure from their front 4, BC is probably going to start sending extra guys at the quarterback, and that’s where Richardson could have the biggest impact on Saturday’s game.