Preview: Tough defense awaits BC in Virginia

By: Bradley Smart

Last weekend, the Boston College football team stunned the nation by winning a shootout on the road, knocking off preseason Top-25 Louisville, 45-42. Sure, the Eagles defense conceded over 500 yards of offense and had no answer for yet another mobile quarterback, but the offense finally erupted on the shoulders of freshman running back AJ Dillon. Dillon, who received heaps of praise and national recognition, turned in a monstrous game. He piled up over 270 rushing yards on nearly 40 carries, finding the end zone four times.

Now, it’s about going back on the road to challenge another quality opponent, this time against unranked Virginia (5-1). The Cavaliers have steadily been trending up since the start of the season and enter this week’s matchup on a four-game winning streak. Most recently, they beat ACC rivals Duke and North Carolina in successive weeks to firmly entrench themselves in second place in the Coastal Division.

How will Steve Addazio’s Eagles look this week? Only time will tell, but here’s what they’re up against.

Virginia Offense

The Cavaliers are a pretty well-balanced offense, ranking 82nd in rushing S&P+ and 64th in passing S&P+. They don’t do any one thing really well, but Virginia is averaging nearly 30 points per game and have done more than enough with a strong defense backing them. They lean on the passing offense more, choosing to go through the air on 54% of standard downs.

Quarterback Kurt Benkert is completing almost 64 percent of his passes, and has 15 touchdowns to just three interceptions through six games. The senior signal caller had added almost 18 points to his passer rating from a year ago and currently ranks fifth in the ACC. Fortunately for the Eagles, Benkert is far from a dual threat quarterback – he’s a pocket passer with a good arm.

“He’s a precision thrower and is very accurate,” Addazio said during media availability on Tuesday. “He’s got leadership and precision…he’s a legitimate throwing quarterback.”

Benkert frequently looks at two players, combining to pick up over half of the targets. Senior Doni Dowling has four touchdowns and over 400 yards on 30 catches, while junior Olamide Zaccheaus has four touchdowns and a team-high 443 yards. Another player to keep an eye on is Andre Levrone, a senior wideout who is averaging 25 yards per catch and has four touchdowns on just 27 targets.

The backfield is a one-man show, with junior tailback Jordan Ellis piling up 130 of the teams 195 carries. Ellis ranks fourth in the ACC with 544 rushing yards, scoring five touchdowns on the ground. He leads the team with almost 600 yards from scrimmage and has a receiving touchdown under his belt as well. Zaccheaus has made a few appearances in the backfield as well, piling up 130 yards on just 13 carries. Still, Ellis is the bellcow, and it’ll be expected to see him pile up 20-plus carries on Saturday.

Virginia Defense

The key to the Hoos recent success has been the stellar play of their defense, anchored by senior linebacker Micah Kiser. Kiser, a midseason All-American candidate, leads the ACC with 10.5 tackles per game and leads a linebacking corps that ranks 11th in the country in havoc rate. Meanwhile, the secondary has taken strides behind All-American free safety Quin Blanding, who in second in the ACC with 10.2 tackles per game and has an interception on the year.

However, underlying metrics reveal that the Dillon-led rushing attack could find success. Last week, the Cavaliers gave up 211 rushing yards to North Carolina, a team that that has one win in seven games and is outside the top-100 in points per game. Virginia has defended the pass excellently, but the rushing defense isn’t up to par. With Boston College quarterback Anthony Brown showcasing his mobility and ability to scramble more often, paired with Dillon’s momentum from last week, the Cavaliers could be in for a heavy dosage of ground-and-pound offense.

Virginia’s defensive line and pass rush has been effective this season, leading to more success in the secondary as well. The Cavaliers lead the ACC in the fewest passing yards allowed per game, also ranking second in interceptions (nine) and fifth in sacks (16). An interesting test of the Cavaliers strengths up front will come against a Boston College offensive line that has conceded just seven sacks in seven games. Despite countless injuries to the Eagles line, they’ve managed to remain stout.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images North America