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ACC Spotlight: Boston College Eagles Football Preview

The Boston College Eagles (7-6 SU, 6-7 ATS) will not be much different than last year’s squad that led the nation in rushing defense, but was unable to capitalize on offense due to starting a true freshman quarterback in nine games.

Sophomore Chase Rettig finished the year by throwing for 1,238 yards and six touchdowns, as the offense ranked 109th in scoring at 18.5 points per game.  It also ended up in the same exact spot by gaining just 299.1 yards a contest.

None of that futility can be blamed on senior star running back Montel Harris, who has gained 3,600 yards in this career and gone over the century mark in 21 separate instances while in Chestnut Hill.  Opposing defenses have stacked the box against him and will do it again until the air attack catches up.

First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers has NFL experience in coaching quarterbacks for the Minnesota Vikings and was brought in to replace Gary Tranquil.  His priorities have to be getting the players up to speed on his playbook, while also improving the accuracy of his signal caller.  Rettig connected on just 51.3 percent of his pass attempts last year.

While the offense attempts to gain some respect in the locker room, linebacker Luke Kuechly and the defense has already earned its keep nationally.  The junior led the nation in tackles last year and is already perceived as a lock to win the Butkus Award.

The Eagles stop unit led the nation in rushing defense last year and has made that part of its identity in limiting opponents to just 91.7 yards per game on the ground over the last six seasons.

Boston College has seen its win total fall in three consecutive seasons, which some experts expected with the loss of longtime quarterback Matt Ryan, who is now a star in the NFL.  It’s definitely a trend that third-year head coach Frank Spaziani is aiming to stop with a veteran-laden team at key positions. 

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the team starts the year off with back-to-back non-conference losses, hosting Northwestern to open and then traveling to Orlando to face the UCF Knights.  Bettors will note that the Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last five September contests.

Straight up and spread victories could come in abundance if the offense manages to catch fire, posting a perfect 5-0 ATS mark when scoring 27 or more points under Spaziani.